Bush's America is a country without these rights. Stand up and make your voice heard. Or you may soon not be able to speak up with being charged with sedition and jeopardizing National Security. If you believe that isn't possible, put your head back in the sand and ignore what's going on and kiss your freedoms goodbye.
Fighting for the Constitution in Congress and in Your Town
This week, a Senate committee in secret session approved new Patriot Act provisions that are nothing less than an end-run around the Constitution. The proposed new government powers would allow the FBI to issue search orders without prior judicial approval and to seize personal records from medical facilities, libraries, hotels, gun dealers, banks and other businesses without any specific suspicion of criminal activity, or any specific facts connecting the records sought to an agent of a foreign government.
But ACLU efforts to reform the Patriot Act and resist this latest Bush Administration power grab are well underway, and Congress is facing new pressure from Americans across the political spectrum -- and from members and supporters like you.
The Bush Administration wants the Patriot Act made permanent, it wants even more power, and it doesn't want Congress to ask any more meddlesome questions about the Bill of Rights.
That's where you come in. Today we are asking ACLU members and activists to contact their representatives by phone and speak out to stop the government from stripping away their rights. If you've recently called your representative about this critical threat to our liberties, thank you. If you haven't, I urge you to do so. Congress must hear from each and every one of us who think the Patriot Act goes too far in curbing our privacy and liberty. Your call will make a difference.
One of the most inspiring things about my job and about this work is the number of dedicated individuals I come into contact with and the extraordinary passion and expertise each person and each group brings to our efforts. For our lobbying team, the focus now shifts to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. In local communities around the country, members and affiliate staff are already burning up the pavement talking to their neighbors and their representatives about what they can do to keep us safe and free.
The full Congress could debate and vote on the Patriot Act as early as the end of this month. Without exaggeration, the stakes have never been higher for civil liberties in America. I will continue to keep you updated with recent developments in this historic debate over our system of laws, our fundamental freedoms and our national character.
I sincerely hope you will help in whatever way you can. Make your voice heard -- tell Congress that the Patriot Act should not be made permanent, and it absolutely must not be expanded.
Anthony D. Romero
Executive Director
Take Action! Urge your Members of Congress to oppose expansion of the Patriot Act.
Stay informed about the issues and our efforts.
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