Petition
congress to stop the Patriot Act Expansion
Target: US Representatives and Senators
Sponsor:
American Civil Liberties Union
Decisive House and Senate votes on the
future of the Patriot Act are right around the corner. For nearly four
years now, our government has claimed the kind of unchecked power and lack of
due process that challenge the most fundamental principles of freedom and democracy.
Now
the Bush Administration and some leaders in Congress want to make every one
of those powers permanent and are even pressing for further expanding the Patriot
Act's assault on fundamental freedoms.
People
across the country have made clear their opposition to the Patriot Act. Hundreds
of communities - and seven states - have passed resolutions against the Patriot
Act and held town hall meetings to discuss its impact on their residents and
our Constitution. Congress has a duty to listen to its constituents.
The
Patriot Act needs to be reformed, not expanded. There are significant
flaws in the Patriot Act, flaws that threaten your fundamental freedoms by giving
the government the power to access to your medical records, tax records, information
about the books you buy or borrow, all without probable cause. It also gives
the government the power to obtain a special "sneak and peek" search warrant
to break into your home and conduct secret searches without telling you for
weeks, months or indefinitely.
It
doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or Republican, a progressive or a conservative:
liberty is a universal value. Make your voice heard, tell Congress that the
Patriot Act should not be made permanent, and it absolutely must not be expanded.
Text
of petition:
People across the
country have made clear their opposition to the Patriot Act. Hundreds of communities
have passed resolutions against the Patriot Act and held town hall meetings to
discuss its impact on their residents and our Constitution. Congress should not
be tone-deaf to these serious concerns.
There are significant flaws in the Patriot Act, flaws that threaten our fundamental
freedoms by giving the government the power to access to medical records, tax
records, information about the books we buy or borrow without probable cause,
and the power to break into our homes and conduct secret searches without telling
us for weeks, months, or indefinitely.
Finally, I believe that the PATRIOT Act is an attack on fundamental American values
and that it needs to be fixed. The Constitution and its Bill of Rights emphasize
the need for checks and balances on government agents and limits to their power.
I understand that the PATRIOT Act rolled back key judicial oversight and gave
law enforcement significant new powers that go beyond the war on terrorism. Reforming
this legislation would be an important step in bringing the PATRIOT Act back in
line with American values.
Once again, I strongly urge you to oppose expansion of the PATRIOT Act.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this very important matter.
Sincerely,
/your signature/
/your address/
/city, state zip/