Reid and the Constitution
Carolyn Fredrickson
If it’s not constitutional, don’t let the Senate vote on it.
That’s the message we need to send to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as the Senate makes its latest attempt to fix the horrible FISA bill they passed back in August.
More than two years ago, the nation learned that the National Security Agency is spying on Americans without warrants or a court order. And over the last two years, we’ve been waiting for Congress to stand up to Bush Administration abuses and bring NSA spying in line with the Constitution.
The Senate returns next week. And the temporary fix to the NSA problem expires soon. Now, Senator Reid has a choice to make. He can finally bring to the floor of the Senate FISA legislation that protects our right to privacy and due process. Or, he can once again fail to stand up to the Bush Administration’s demands for unnecessary and dangerous broad powers and bring up for a vote a shameful, unconstitutional bill.
Sign the ACLU petition to Senator Reid now.
We’re engaging thousands of ACLU members and asking them to call their senators. We’re running radio ads in key states. We’re holding dozens of meetings with senators and their staff in their home-state offices. And, we’re working with a broad coalition of organizations to make sure any spying legislation Congress passes protects our privacy and the rule of law.
If enough of us act, then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — the most powerful member of the Senate — will be forced to actually lead on this issue, not cave in to President Bush and his allies in Congress once again.
Tell Senator Reid to uphold the Constitution.
Two critical issues are at stake: will members of Congress insist on meaningful judicial oversight rather than unconstitutional surveillance tactics that allow the government to gather huge amounts of phone and email data on Americans without a warrant? And, will they insist on holding telecom companies accountable for their cooperation with illegal government spying operations?
A bill consistent with freedom and in line with the Constitution would do both of those things. That's why we're telling Senator Reid to only bring a constitutional FISA bill to the Senate floor.
Your petition will be delivered to Senator Reid and your Senators next Wednesday, January 23 — a day after the Senate is back from its holiday recess. Sign the petition: send a loud and clear message that we will not stand for telecom immunity or basket warrants.
We’re fighting as hard as we can in Congress. If the Bush Administration gets its way from a spineless Senate, we’ll keep fighting this unconstitutional program in the courts.
Thank you for taking action and for standing with us.
Sincerely,
Caroline Fredrickson, Director
ACLU Washington Legislative Office
P.S. We’re running radio ads targeting key senators—asking them to take a stand against an unconstitutional FISA bill. Listen to our radio ads here (mp3 format).
ACLU,