Urgent Action Alert -EFF: Stop Specter's Surveillance Bill!

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

Don't Let this One get AWAY!!!

http://action.eff.org/site/Advocacy?id=235

If that is a problem go to the below link, scroll down to ALERTS
Stop Specter's Surveillance Bill!

http://action.eff.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ADV_homepage

"EFFector Special Action Alert, July 11, 2006 [e-mail]

* Action Alert - Stop Specter's Surveillance Bill!

EFF's lawsuit against AT&T aims to expose and stop its
collaboration with the NSA's massive spying program. But
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) has drafted a bill that would
sweep this illegal activity and any further government
surveillance under the rug, shuffling legal challenges out
of the traditional court system and into the shadowy FISA
courts. Tell Congress to reject this proposal and let cases
like EFF's have a fair hearing in court.

Specter's bill would stack the deck against anyone suing to
stop illegal surveillance, including the wholesale violation
of the Fourth Amendment alleged in EFF's case. The FISA
courts' secret proceedings -- where only the government gets
to present arguments -- violate our nation's tradition of
openness and transparency in the court system. Burying legal
challenges in these secret courts will cut off meaningful
judicial review.

Worse still, the bill tries to make an end-run around the
Fourth Amendment by creating a secret, Congressionally-
sanctioned approval process for future dragnet spying
programs. Without the public ever knowing, the Attorney
General would be able to covertly obtain general warrants
that let the government spy on everyone.

Specter will no doubt try to sneak this bill through quickly
and without scrutiny -- act now to stop it in its tracks."

http://action.eff.org/site/Advocacy?id=235

If that is a problem go to the below link, scroll down to ALERTS
Stop Specter's Surveillance Bill!

http://action.eff.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ADV_homepage

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

1. kick

It's a petition to the Senate, to your Senators.

It has a letter ready for you to alter as you see fit.

Below is the final version I sent:

"As a constituent who cares deeply about respect for the rule of law, and the Fourth Amendment, I request most urgently that you oppose Senator Specter's draft bill transferring challenges to the "Terrorist Surveillance Program" and future "electronic surveillance program(s)" to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and Court of Review (FISC and FISCR).

I also urge you to oppose any other bill that would take such challenges out of the traditional court system.

The bill would also remove crucial Congressional and judicial checks on Executive power, Specter's bill would gut these Congressional restrictions by endorsing the Executive's authority to bypass them.

Our government should not be able to secretly obtain blanket approval for current or future dragnet surveillance programs. The Fourth Amendment exists precisely to prevent such general warrants -- it was a direct response to the English Crown's indiscriminate, abusive searches during colonial times. Specter's end-run around this founding principle is plainly unconstitutional.

I am only one of what I believe to be a huge number of Americans who are very tired of the evasiveness, secrecy, and arrogance of an executive branch AND by the DO NOTHING Congress that has failed utterly to provide the checks and balances our Founding Fathers felt to be so vital to our system of Democracy.

Please oppose Specter's bill and allow challenges to the spying program to have a fair hearing in court."



:kick:

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

2. Kick again

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

3. oomph!

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

4. Pushing it back up, up, up. Phew, this is a steep hill and the

thing is very heavy.

Phew

[hootinholler]

5. One more rec needed.

:kick:

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

6. Thanks for the kick and rec! Re your sig, if we take back the House

and we finally get to imp peach *, the chain man, the rummy, and the rest:

Conyers will become President!!!

If race were not a factor, I believe he would have been so a long time ago.

[Mandate My Ass]

7. specter is becoming quite the fascist enabler

I wish he'd stop his fake blathering outrage everytime another scandal erupts because his actions are in direct opposition to his words.

K&R

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

8. It's a real shame. He knows right from wrong, but he succombs to the

pressure of the moment from the neocons, WH etc etc.

Where is the "John Dean" of the * administration?

Where are the Republicans of real values, integrity, and courage?

(looking around)

[snappyturtle]

9. Where are the Repukes of real values..........

there out there on the circuit spewing happy talk about how well the economy is doing and turning a blind eye on Iraq.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

10. They are playing follow the leader, being the good little

followers and authoritarian type personalities that made adolf such a success for a while.

[dogday]

11. Specter is such a big pile of doo-doo

he says one thing and does another... Always a dog and pony show with him.....

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

12. True. And still I recall being asked by MoveOn I think it was

to ask my Senator to support Spectre for the chairmanship of the judiciary committee, for fear of who else they might put in that position.

A dyed in the wool neocon, rather than a wishy washy moderate who can't stand up to the powers that be.