URGENT Action: Ask Obama to VETO the Patriot Act

(There are not enough civil liberties yet in place.)

This is our moment: Stop abuses under the PATRIOT Act

Demand JUSTICE, not the PATRIOT Act.

Tell President Obama: Veto the PATRIOT Act!

Call President Obama today.
(202) 456-1111

On the anniversary of the first veto in US history—George Washington's veto 219 years ago today—BORDC and a coalition of other civil liberties groups are calling on President Barack Obama to exercise his veto power on any bill reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act without imposing meaningful reforms to protect civil liberties.

During his campaign, the president repeatedly criticized the PATRIOT Act and promised to implement reforms to protect law-abiding Americans from unchecked surveillance. But now, for the second time since taking office in 2009, Obama has taken the same position on the PATRIOT Act as President Bush.

Today, call the White House and tell President Obama to keep his campaign promises by vetoing any bill to reauthorize PATRIOT Act powers unless it imposes new checks and balances to prevent abuse.

***NOTE #### White House Phone Number: (202) 456-1111 ### NOTE***
Calls must be placed between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time

Civil liberties groups across the country are demanding that Congress and the White House restore constitutional checks and balances by extending the rule of law to our nation's intelligence agencies.

* Protect the privacy of your Internet and financial records by requiring that secret national security letters and Section 215 orders can only be used to obtain records linked to suspected spies and terrorists, not innocent Americans.
* Protect the free speech of those who receive such secret demands by ensuring that they can speak freely unless the government can demonstrate to a court that national security would be seriously harmed.
* Stop blank-check “John Doe” roving wiretaps by requiring foreign intelligence investigators to name their surveillance target before they can get a “roving” wiretap order that lets them spy on unspecified phone and Internet accounts—just like criminal investigators have to.
* Let the "lone wolf" wiretapping provision expire. This dangerous authority unconstitutionally allows the government to bypass traditional protections to spy on people inside the U.S. who have no link to any foreign organization. This provision has never been used—nor should it ever be used.
* Restore the First Amendment by fixing the “material support” standard. Charities have been shut down without due process, even when pursuing projects such as promoting non-violent conflict resolution in war-torn areas, and hundreds of grassroots donors are in prison because organizations to which they contributed conducted activities the donors never intended to support. Prosecutors should have to prove that the target of an investigation intended to support violence in order to convict someone of “material support” of terrorism.

Call the White House TODAY and tell President Obama to stand up for civil liberties by vetoing any PATRIOT Act reauthorization that doesn’t include these reforms.

In solidarity,

Shahid Buttar
Executive Director

P.S. Members of Congress will return to their districts for two weeks later this month, making it easier for you to meet with them. Sign up to meet with your senators and representatives and demand that they too stand up and impose meaningful reforms to stop PATRIOT Act abuses.

Bill of Rights Defense Committee
8 Bridge Street, Suite A, Northampton, MA 01060
www.bordc.org
info@bordc.org
Telephone: 413-582-0110
Fax: 413-582-0116 We apologize if you have received this communication in error.
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From: Shahid Buttar, Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Date: Tue, Apr 5, 2011 at 8:40 AM
Subject: Tell President Obama: Veto the PATRIOT Act!

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IF you want more info read on...otherwise, plz be sure to make this call & to get out the word to others...

See what BORDC.org had to say last alert:

Last month, Democrats and Republicans in the House stood together to delay reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act. Because of the transpartisan alliances built in Congress and the grassroots chorus demanding change, we have our best chance in a decade to repair the damage the PATRIOT Act has done to our constitutional rights.

Between now and the end of May, Congress will further debate the PATRIOT Act and prepare to reauthorize some of its most troubling provisions. But before they start those debates, we have to make sure they know we’re watching.

...This is a unique moment: after a decade of PATRIOT Act powers, Democrats and Republicans alike are being pressured by their supporters to oppose reauthorization unless key protections are added to shield our privacy and protect civil liberties from government abuses.

This is your chance. Show your members of Congress—while they’re home, in your community—that you oppose government invasions of privacy.

You'll have lots of support: we’ll give you talking points and tips on meeting with your elected officials, and if others in your district are also interested in visiting congressional offices, we’ll put you in touch.

And there will be another chance to meet with your members of Congress again next month, when they return to their districts for their next recess April 18 through May 1.

If meeting with your members of Congress isn’t right for you, you can still help. Organize rallies outside their offices. Write letters to the editor. Host a teach-in. Just get involved however you can—this is our moment, and we can win if we all stand together.

Sincerely,

Shahid Buttar
Executive Director

Plz also send this URL out or tell all your friends/family (I call for all 8 family members with their permission) - one way to honestly increase the talley.

Various other groups bonging the alarm to reject renewal of the Patriot Act (especially as it now stands):

That's My Congress:
here

Opinion: Republican Liberty Caucus rejects Patriot Act renewal ... The three sections which are being considered for renewal are Sections ... Recent evidence suggests that abuse of this power has been widespread in the last 5 years. St. Augustine Underground GO here and go to "patriot act renewal".

The American Library Association’s Washington Office has gone on record opposing passage of H.R. 514 & other versions, arguing that it would “make no improvements to protect our civil liberties, including the reader privacy rights.” Instead, ALA and the Association of Research Libraries have urged support of S. 290, the USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act of 2011, which is seen as increasing oversight of the government’s counterterrorist operations to safeguard the civil liberties of innocent individuals.