E-Actions for Freedom

Help make sure Otter and Sanders Amendments become law!

From the Bill of Rights Defense Committee:

In July of this year, under the leadership of Republican Representative C.L. "Butch" Otter, the U.S. House of Representatives listened to their constituents' voices criticizing the USA Patriot Act and voted 309-118 for an amendment that would turn back one of the Act's most over-reaching provisions--Section 213 or the "sneak and peak" provision. Section 213 of the USA Patriot Act allows the government to search a person's home or office without notifying them for weeks or even months after the search. These powers can be used in all criminal cases, not just terrorism related investigations. Such a broad power is a violation of our sacred protections from "unreasonable searches and seizures" that the Fourth Amendment provides.

The House of Representatives also approved a similar amendment offered by Independent Representative Bernie Sanders which would prevent the government from using Section 215 of the Patriot Act to look at the books we are checking out from the library or buying from a bookstore. Again it was grass roots support that made this victory possible.

Your help is needed now to make sure that these two amendments become law before Congress adjourns for the year. Representative Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Representative C.L. "Butch" Otter (R-ID), and Representative John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) are circulating a letter for Members of the House of Representatives to sign on to in support of keeping these provisions in the final law known as an "Omnibus."

Please telephone your Member of Congress today and urge him or her to sign on to this letter: http://bordc.org/dearcoll1103.pdf.

Suggested telephone script: Tell the person who answers the phone...

"Hello my name is ____________. I am a constituent of Representative ___________ and I am calling to ask Representative ___________ to sign the Sanders-Otter-Conyers Patriot Act letter to House Conferees on the Omnibus Appropriations bill. This letter urges the House Appropriators to make sure any Omnibus bill retains language that would protect against the over reaches of Section 213 and 215 of the Patriot Act. To sign on to this letter, your office can call Representative Sanders' office at (202) 225-4115."

The time for action is now because there isn't much time left until Congress adjourns for the year. To find out who your Representative in Congress is please click on this link http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ and follow the directions or call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Bill of Rights Defense Committee
www.bordc.org
413-582-0110