PEN SENDS A LETTER

The PEN American Center has called for the current occupant of the White House "to abandon Patriot Act politics" and lead "an open, bipartisan evaluation of individual provisions of the Act that are scheduled to end by 2005, including Section 215, which opens records of individual reading activities to government scrutiny."

Good luck.

Section 215, in case you don't remember, amended and greatly expanded the scope of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The FBI now has the right to examine "any tangible things" -- to quote the law -- including bookstore and library records, PEN said in a press release issued Monday.

Under Title II, Section 215, of the USA Patriot Act, investigators can seek records even of individuals not suspected of terrorism. It also has a gag provision that prevents institutions from disclosing that their records have been examined.

"Like many sectors of the literary community," PEN "fears that such sweeping authority threatens the privacy necessary for law-abiding citizens and residents to explore controversial information and ideas."

The PEN American Center is an association of more than is 2,600 writers and editors. It is the largest of nearly 130 PEN Centers worldwide that compose International PEN, which has promoted literature and protected freedom of expression for more than 80 years.

The sunset provisions of the Patriot Act, says Larry Siems, the director of PEN's Freedom to Write and International Programs, "were built in to ensure that Congress would look carefully both at how the elements of the law are working to thwart terrorism and whether particular provisions are compromising essential liberties."

PEN has sent a letter to the White House "endorsing strong, targeted measures to confront terrorism and prevent terrorist attacks," but also "pressing for refinements and improvements to the Patriot Act and other post-9/11 security measures to protect privacy, ensure public access to government information, and comply with international law and human rights covenants."

The letter, co-signed by PEN American Center President Salman Rushdie, asks the current occupant of the White House to "protect and promote a critical and open review of the sunset provisions, one that acknowledges the shared commitment of all participants to the security and safety of U.S. citizens, residents, and interests and that allows for changes born of wisdom and experience."

The Maximum Leader is doubtless all ears. Here is Attorney General Ashcroft's view of the USA Patriot Act. Read it at your own risk.