Progressive Democrat Issue 55: NATIONAL ACTION FOR FREEDOM

From the ACLU:

The effort to renew the Patriot Act is not going according to the White House script. Two weeks ago the Administration attempted to force through a reauthorization bill that would make most of the provisions of the Patriot Act permanent and make other provisions even worse.

We were told that this bill was a done deal and a vote was going to take place at any moment. Fortunately the White House did not anticipate the resolve of Americans, especially activists like you, who refuse to sacrifice our most cherished civil liberties.

Keep the pressure on Congress by calling today.


Thanks to your phone calls, a bipartisan group of Senators has publicly rebuked the Bush Administration and blocked the vote. The "civil liberties six" -- John Sununu (R-NH), Larry Craig (R-ID), Lisa Murkowsky (R-AK), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Russ Feingold(D-WI) and Ken Salazar (D-CO) -- are demanding that real reforms be a part of any Patriot Act reauthorization bill. These Senators and other supporters of freedom in Congress must be commended for defending our civil liberties in the face of insurmountable pressure.

It should be noted that Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), who as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee oversaw Patriot Act reauthorization in the Senate, also appeared at the press conference where the civil liberties six made their stand. Unfortunately that same day Senator Specter reversed himself and said he will sign onto the conference report. At this point Senator Specter remains a pivotal swing vote and calls to his office are urgently needed.

With the reauthorization vote now on hold, the Bush Administration is undertaking fierce campaign to get the bill that it wants and is pressuring the Senators to drop their opposition.

It is critical that you continue to call your Members of Congress and tell them to stand fast against any Patriot Act reauthorization bill that lacks real reforms to protect our civil liberties.

Backers of the current proposals are touting the "major" changes it makes to the Patriot Act, but in reality these changes are just window dressing hiding the absence of any real reforms in the bill.

They are trying to twist discussion about real Patriot Act reform into a phony debate about the length of "sunset" (or expiration) clauses.

But the issue here isn't whether the Patriot Act's most sweeping powers are extended for four years or seven years. The real issue here is whether Congress is going to give the Bush Administration a blank check to investigate and keep records about ordinary Americans who have no connection to terrorism.

After taking action, I encourage you to join the ACLU and become one of the over 500,000 "card-carrying" members.

Then, read more about recent events and the coming "spin" debate on our Patriot Act Blog.

Sincerely,

Anthony D. Romero
Executive Director
American Civil Liberties Union