Reform the PATRIOT Act
The passage of the Patriot Act in 2001 was a harbinger of the Bush Administration’s obsession with gathering private information on the lives of innocent Americans. The law relaxed the standards for FBI use of national security letters (NSLs) and allowed federal agents to obtain personal information on almost anyone without judicial oversight all the while prohibiting the third party recipients of these requests from telling anyone - even their lawyers about the NSLs or from going to court to challenge them. When the law was amended several years later, it reinstated the basic right to challenge the NSL in court, but other problems still remain. Internal reports on the use of NSLs show that the FBI has issued literally tens of thousands of these invasive requests and has NOT limited their use to rooting out terrorism. With parts of the Patriot Act due to expire in 2009, the ACLU is pushing Congress to subject NSLs and other surveillance authorities to a complete overhaul. Together, we can build an America that repects civil rights - an America we can be proud of.
Join us for the 2009 Action Summit
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Together with activists from around the state, learn how you can help the ACLU reform the Patriot Act and restore protections for the privacy and security of Americans.
The Summit is your opportunity to hear from Caroline Fredrickson - the Director of the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office - about plans to amend the National Security Letter provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act to expand court oversight of FBI document requests, require a mandatory showing of a connection to terrorist activity and rescind unconstitutional gag restrictions.
Along with ACLU members from around the state, you will help build the plan to mobilize your community in support of overhauling the Patriot Act. And, together we'll be contacting legislators from the Summit's Action Center to urge them to take action to renew privacy protections for American citizens.
2009 is our chance to restore many of the rights and freedoms denied by the original Patriot Act legislation. Won't you join us?
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