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12/14/2005 House to vote to make "PATRIOT" Act provisions permanent: if you care about this issue, call
NOW!
Send an e-mail message by going to
http://capwiz.com/liberty/issues/alert/?alertid=8315306&type=CO Better yet, call your representative. The U.S. Capitol switchboard number is 202-224-3121. We are forwarding to you email alerts from The Liberty Committee and from the Bill of Rights Defense Committee. -----Original Message----- From: The Liberty Committee [mailto:[email protected]] Tomorrow afternoon, the U.S. House will vote on the conference report to H.R. 3199 to make permanent 14 of the 16 provisions of the so-called Patriot Act. The true patriotic act would be for the U.S. House to say "no" and let those un-American provisions die. Numerous groups -- conservative and liberal; Republican and Democratic -- oppose H.R. 3199. Groups such as Gun Owners of America, American Conservative Union and Americans for Tax Reform want the U.S. House to vote "no" on H.R. 3199, as does the American Civil Liberties Union. There's even bipartisan opposition in the U.S. Senate. Republican Senator Larry Craig of Idaho and Democratic Senator Russell Feingold of Wisconsin have threatened to filibuster H.R. 3199 should the House pass it. Patriot Act, un-American? You bet. For example, the Patriot Act violates our constitutional standard of probable cause for search and seizure. Section 215 allows the federal government to seize library records and records of firearms sales. That shatters your Fourth Amendment protections. Gun Owners of America warns, "These records would be obtained from gun dealers, who are required by law to keep the gun purchase records (4473 forms). Thus an anti-gun administration could then easily compile gun owners registration lists -- an enterprise which has often been a prelude to gun confiscation. "Of course, more than just your gun purchase records are at stake. Financial and medical records, library records and much more are also open to FBI fishing expeditions. They don't have to get any prior approval from any court." That's unconstitutional. Threat Level to Gun Ownership: Orange (high) Threat Level to Personal Privacy: Red (severe) But these aren't the only un-American provisions in the so-called Patriot Act. If the House approves H.R. 3199 tomorrow, the U.S. Secret Service will continue to do more than physically protect the president and others. A reauthorized Patriot Act would "make major changes to the criminal statutes administered by the Secret Service and could seriously damage the free speech rights of all Americans." (Press Release, ACLU, 12/12/05) Caroline Fredrickson of the ACLU warns, "If this provision is adopted, our precious First Amendment would be significantly curtailed. The Secret Service already has broad authority to stifle dissent at events where high-ranking public officials appear. "This little-noticed provision, contained in legislation meant to reauthorize the Patriot Act, would give the Secret Service effective power to enact 'exclusion zones' even without the attendance of the president or other Secret Service protectee." So, express a dissenting opinion by holding a sign or saying the "wrong" words to a politician you don't like and you could be committing a felony punishable by one year in prison. Threat Level to Free Speech: Red (severe) The so-called Patriot Act is un-American. Urge your U.S. representative to vote "no" on H.R. 3199. Send an e-mail message by going to http://capwiz.com/liberty/issues/alert/?alertid=8315306&type=CO Better yet, call your representative. The U.S. Capitol switchboard number is 202-224-3121. Kent Snyder The Liberty Committee http://www.thelibertycommittee.org From: Bill of Rights Defense Committee
[mailto:[email protected]] PLEASE DISTRIBUTE
WIDELY
Please pay special attention to
Senators who have not yet indicated how they will vote. Please call and thank
the leaders of the Senate fight against the conference report. (See two lists of
senators below.)
For more talking points, go to
http://www.bordc.org/newsletter/expandedpoints2.php. Senators who have not yet indicated
how they plan to vote: |