Tell your Congressperson to vote NO to the PATRIOT Act before tomorrow's
vote! The PATRIOT reauthorization bill being fast-tracked to the House floor
contains NO reforms, and will be voted upon with NO debate and NO opportunity
for amendments to add oversight and accountability. Help stop this sneak attack
on your civil liberties.
Tell
your Representative to vote "NO" on H.R. 514, the PATRIOT extension bill.
Last year, many important PATRIOT reform measures were proposed, and a bill
filled with powerful new checks and balances was reported favorably out of the
House Judiciary Committee. But, as it ran up against the deadline, Congress
decided there was not enough time to fully consider those reforms. So, last
year, Congress extended the "sunsetting" sections of the law until the end of
this February, with a promise to fully consider the issues before the next
deadline.
But now, in a legislative sneak attack, the new Republican leadership in the
House is trying to duck Congress' promise to consider PATRIOT reform, and is
instead pushing your Representative to rubber-stamp another PATRIOT renewal. The
House leaders have just announced that they'll be "suspending the rules" so that
a bill introduced by Rep. Sensenbrenner to extend the expiring provisions until
December 8, 2011 will go to the House floor for a vote on Tuesday, without any
debate and without any opportunity for anyone to offer amendments to improve the
bill.
The expiring PATRIOT Act provisions should not be renewed, and certainly not
without any debate or any new checks and balances to prevent abuse and protect
civil liberties. Luckily, in order for the PATRIOT renewal bill to pass on
Tuesday, it has to receive a yes vote from a full two-thirds of the House's
members. So a message from you, today, could make the critical difference.
Contact your Representative today to make clear that you oppose H.R. 514, the
PATRIOT extension bill!
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RIGHTS YOU ARE CURRENTLY DENIED UNDER THE PATRIOT ACT:
PATRIOT ACT -- gives the government power to conduct searches and seizures
WITHOUT showing a crime has been contemplated or committed. The federal
government avoids the probable cause requirement of the Fourth Amendment by
merely alleging that part of the reason for the search and seizure is
related to foreign intelligence gathering. However, there doesn’t have to be ANY
suspicious activity. This is unlike the Fourth Amendment's searches and seizures,
where the affidavits and resulting warrants must be specific to the information
being sought and seized.
FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] Enacted July 10, 2008
Allows for virtually continuous surveillance, which by its nature does not have
any specifically predetermined targets. Gives the government unprecedented,
unchecked power to intercept Americans' international and [by abuse] domestic
e-mails and phone calls. Recent reports have indicated that the National
Security Agency has exceeded and abused the already overly broad powers granted
to it under FISA.
It violates the 4TH AMENDMENT:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and
effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and
no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or
affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the
persons or things to be seized.
A continuation of the Patriot Act, FISA'S unbridled surveillance of U.S.
citizens, gives the govt the right to retain information obtained in its
searches WITHOUT notifying the target of the search. Under the now defunct 4th
Amendment, the target of a search would not only know there has been a search
but have been officially served with a warrant for it, and could challenge the
validity of the warrant and the underlying affidavits in court. No such judicial
challenge is available under FISA.
Unless there is a criminal prosecution under FISA, the target may never know
that the government has been watching them, tapping their phones, following them
to work, or copying documents, emails and other records they thought were
private.
PROTECT AMERICA ACT -- Enacted on August 5, 2007
amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)
Allows for massive, untargeted surveillance and collection of international
communications without court order or meaningful oversight by Congress. [
Surveillance includes domestic and international phone calls, emails, snail mail
and library books.]
VIOLENT RADICALIZATION & HOMEGROWN TERRORISM PREVENTION ACT -- Enacted 2007--
Also Known as the "Thought Crime" Prevention Bill
"Homegrown" terrorism is defined to include “intimidation” of the United States
government or any segment of its population—including investigating groups
advocating boycotts, general strikes, or other forms of non-violent, "legal"
protest. This law criminalizes 'thought'.
People can be arrested BEFORE a crime is committed based on their social,
political and religious associations, as well as their internet activity, and
books they buy or check out from the library. "Terrorist" profiles are compiled
based on info gathered from multiple sources of surveillance.
WAKE UP PEOPLE. FREEDOM IN AMERICA IS DEAD UNLESS YOU DEMAND IT!
~MAN represents NATURE at its MOST VIOLENT~
The concept of 'animal rights' values the simple premise that ALL living
creatures have a "right" to be allowed to live their lives without
victimization--free from brutality. It is a right that EVERY being
strives for.
~Brennan Browne~
