Tell Congress: Vote NO on the Intrusive Patriot Act

Tell Congress: Vote NO on the Intrusive Patriot Act

The Issue

 

Do you remember the Patriot Act? Rushed through Congress in October 2001 with little debate, this deeply flawed legislation curtails our fundamental freedoms.

The Patriot Act gave the government the power to access your medical records, tax records, and information about the books you buy or borrow without probable cause. It also gave the government the power to break into your home and conduct secret searches without telling you for weeks, months, or indefinitely.

And now, just like in 2001, legislation is moving quickly. Congress recently extended three provisions of the Patriot Act that were due to expire at the end of February. Those three provisions will now expire at the end of May.

For almost ten years the Patriot Act has given the government too much leeway to pry into our private lives. For example, section 215 of the Patriot Act permits the government to obtain things in investigations even if the person is not suspected of doing anything wrong.

Urge your Representatives to vote NO on an extension of the Patriot Act. Rather than allow the expiring provisions to be rubberstamped again, Congress should seize this opportunity to make reform of the Patriot Act a priority. It's past time that our government stopped violating the rights of everyday people who have nothing to do with terrorism.

 

avatar of the starter
American Civil Liberties UnionPetition StarterAt <a href="http://Change.org" rel="nofollow">Change.org</a> I am Senior Director of Client Services. Before joining the team at <a href="http://Change.org" rel="nofollow">Change.org</a>, I worked as Senior Campaigner at Care2 and for two years I worked as Senior Consultant at M+R Strategic Services. My foray into online organizing began in 2004, when I co-founded Equality Ohio, an LGBT rights organization and a member organization of the national Equality Federation. In my spare time I tend a small flock of chickens in my Oakland backyard.
This petition had 16,612 supporters

The Issue

 

Do you remember the Patriot Act? Rushed through Congress in October 2001 with little debate, this deeply flawed legislation curtails our fundamental freedoms.

The Patriot Act gave the government the power to access your medical records, tax records, and information about the books you buy or borrow without probable cause. It also gave the government the power to break into your home and conduct secret searches without telling you for weeks, months, or indefinitely.

And now, just like in 2001, legislation is moving quickly. Congress recently extended three provisions of the Patriot Act that were due to expire at the end of February. Those three provisions will now expire at the end of May.

For almost ten years the Patriot Act has given the government too much leeway to pry into our private lives. For example, section 215 of the Patriot Act permits the government to obtain things in investigations even if the person is not suspected of doing anything wrong.

Urge your Representatives to vote NO on an extension of the Patriot Act. Rather than allow the expiring provisions to be rubberstamped again, Congress should seize this opportunity to make reform of the Patriot Act a priority. It's past time that our government stopped violating the rights of everyday people who have nothing to do with terrorism.

 

avatar of the starter
American Civil Liberties UnionPetition StarterAt <a href="http://Change.org" rel="nofollow">Change.org</a> I am Senior Director of Client Services. Before joining the team at <a href="http://Change.org" rel="nofollow">Change.org</a>, I worked as Senior Campaigner at Care2 and for two years I worked as Senior Consultant at M+R Strategic Services. My foray into online organizing began in 2004, when I co-founded Equality Ohio, an LGBT rights organization and a member organization of the national Equality Federation. In my spare time I tend a small flock of chickens in my Oakland backyard.

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Petition created on February 14, 2011