"The Fight to Stop the Patriot Act Expansion Begins Now"

ACLU Action Network

The debate around the Patriot Act is approaching a crucial moment of
decision. Will we sit back while the Bush Administration sacrifices
our liberty, or will we answer freedom's call and help Congress
bring the Patriot Act in line with the Constitution?There are significant flaws in the Patriot Act, flaws that threaten
your fundamental freedoms by giving the government the power to access
to your medical records, tax records, information about the books you
buy or borrow without probable cause, and the power to break into your
home and conduct secret searches without telling you for weeks,
months, or indefinitely.

Some of these flawed provisions are set to expire at the end of the
year. But President Bush wants to make them permanent, and the House
and Senate have been holding hearings in preparation for votes that
are expected this June and July.

We must not permit this power grab to go unchecked. We have less than
two months to stop the Bush Administration's Patriot Act
expansion plans.

You have an important role to play in the fight. Your Members of
Congress are accountable to you, their constituent. Many of them
know that the Patriot Act needs to be fixed, not expanded. And
if they have the courage of their convictions, they won't give
in to this latest Bush Administration power grab. But
they've got to hear from every American who knows that the
Patriot Act erodes our fundamental privacy and due process rights.

Defend the Constitution and your own fundamental freedoms by urging
Congress to reject an expansion of the Patriot Act: action.aclu.org/patriotactsunsets.

In the coming weeks we'll be asking for your help to stop these
efforts to increase secret government surveillance and search
powers. The Patriot Act imposes restrictions on your
privacy that no democratic and free society should
tolerate.We need you to use your power as a concerned citizen to stop
the government from stripping away your rights.

The Patriot Act's extreme powers do not have to be a fact
of life. We can make sure many of its infamous provisions expire at
the end of this year. We have an opportunity to stop Congress
from expanding secret government surveillance and removing proper
checks and balances.

What can you do?

Refuse to Surrender Your Freedom right now by clicking here to send an
email to your Members of Congress. Tell them you oppose the
Patriot Act's expansion.

Patriot Sunset

Next week we are going to be asking you to call to your Members of
Congress on this issue. Together we are going to "light up
the phones" in Congress and make sure our voices are heard.

What can you do if you really care about this issue?

You can also support the ACLU's work on this issue. By becoming
a member or making a donation, you help us pay for ads and other
public education materials that help raise awareness about this
critical issue. Please give your support now.
Contribute.

Have you talked to your friends and neighbors about the Patriot
Act? Check out our talking points and issue materials and learn
more about how to share your concern with others and mobilize your
local community or your friends online.

PatActLanding

How does all this help?

We know that there is widespread opposition to Patriot Act. When we
speak out and communicate this opposition to our elected officials,
they notice. Members of Congress from across the political spectrum
have their own doubts about the Patriot Act and in light of the
growing bipartisan opposition, these leaders will see that they cannot
support this flawed legislation.

Public outcry has helped us stop legislation and other government
actions in the past. It is up to us to use our power again. Just
last month the Senate Intelligence Committee responded public pressure
by holding an unplanned public hearing on the Patriot Act. We must
keep pushing for Congress to make the right choices.

Through public pressure and aggressive lobbying, we are going to put
such pressure on Congress that they will be forced to stop attempts to
expand the Patriot Act. What the Patriot Act needs is the common
sense and reasonable fixes the ACLU has endorsed, not
expansion.

Every Member of Congress will be able to vote on this issue. Your
action will help us stop the Patriot Act's expansion. Click here
to write your Members of Congress today.

Patriot Sunsets

June 2, 2005

Urge your Members of Congress to Stop Expansion of the Patriot
Act

Patriot Sunsets

Recent Success Stories

In hundreds of communities across the country,
concerned residents are taking a stand to prevent the erosion of their
freedoms under the PATRIOT Act. Local resolutions, such as one passed
in Sitka Alaska, have called attention to this issue and Congress is
taking notice.

Learn more
ACLU Action Center