Every week, 2,000 - 3,000 Second District residents write to me about the issues pending before Congress, and I work hard to respond to each person as promptly and thoughtfully as possible. On this "Letter of the Week" blog, I highlight constituent letters that are of general interest. If you'd like to share your own views, please feel free to e-mail me at any time!

Dear Nancy,

Traveling shouldn't mean checking your rights when you're checking your
luggage.

Yet, more and more, the Department of Homeland Security is asking
Americans to sacrifice their privacy for an illusion of security. I
urge you to introduce legislation to protect the civil liberties of
travelers and conduct vigorous oversight. Please:

1. Overhaul the broken terrorist watch list.

In July, the terrorist watch list surpassed one million names, and it
is growing at over twenty thousand names per month, according to
reports by the DOJ Inspector General. Congress needs to rip this list
up and start again. It should be limited to actual terrorists.
Innocent travelers need a way to get off the watch list and real checks
and balances if DHS is non-responsive.

2. Require reasonable suspicion for electronic searches at the border.

According to the published policy of DHS, the government reserves the
right to look through any laptop or electronic device crossing the
border, saying it is no different from any other luggage. DHS has even
seized laptops, holding them indefinitely. The government should have a
reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing before doing laptop searches.

It's time for some sanity when it comes to security. Yet, in addition
to the above abuses, DHS has already started conducting virtual strip
searches of travelers using new, invasive scanners. Remarkably, there
has even been interest in having every traveler wear an
"electro-muscular disruption" bracelet that airline
personnel or marshals could use to shock passengers into submission.

DHS has shown that it cannot be trusted to protect the civil liberties
of Americans. That's why I am counting on you. Please take action to
protect the rights of your constituents.

Thank You,

Vincent from Manhattan, KS.

Dear Vincent,

Thank you for contacting my office regarding several homeland security initiatives.  Your opinion matters to me as I am very concerned about protecting our rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. 

First, let me make it clear – the government must do all it can to protect this country.  However, the thought of any of our government agencies intruding into any citizen’s personal life without following the laws is very disturbing.  As a nation, we must strike a balance between our freedoms that we cherish so dearly and making sure that those who wish to do us harm are caught before they can do so. 

It is upsetting to think that any agency may issue rules or begin programs that are inconsistent with the freedoms Americans cherish.  Even with good intentions, some of these programs are poorly run and abused.  For example, Senator Edward Kennedy was placed on the Terrorist Watch List!  Thankfully, he was removed from the list, but there may be other innocent Americans still on the list.  The proposed rule to allow the seizures of laptops at the border from citizens without probable cause is simply unacceptable.

Our country was founded on the rule of law and the government should uphold its end of the bargain.  Should legislation be presented to the House of Representatives on any of these issues, I will keep your concerns in mind.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me regarding this issue.  As your representative, I both need and value your perspective.  I hope you will continue to keep in touch with me and let me know whenever I may be of future assistance.

Very truly yours, 

Nancy Boyda
Member of Congress