[ACLU-NM] Action ALERT! Urge the Senate Not to Conduct Patriot Act Debates Behind Closed Doors

[Kimberly Lavender]

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED!
GRASSROOTS ACTION ALERT
Urge the U.S. Senate to reverse its decision to 
debate the Patriot Act behind closed doors on Thursday

PROBLEM
The Senate Intelligence Committee has scheduled a meeting to mark-up and
vote on legislation to expand the Patriot Act and make it permanent,
this Thursday, May 19.  But the meeting will be closed to the public,
cutting you and all constituents out of the political process.  

WHY IT MATTERS
Debate about the amending or expanding the Patriot Act should be held in
full public view.  Americans are concerned about controversial
provisions of the Patriot Act that place ordinary citizens at increased
risk of having their homes as well as records about their health, their
wealth, and the activities of their daily lives secretly searched. The
Thursday Committee debate and vote constitutes an effort to disregard
our legitimate concerns and move toward reauthorizing the Patriot Act in
its entirety, without full open, public debate.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
Contact the Senate Intelligence Committee staff directly at
202-224-1700.  Urge the Committee to:

*	Hold any and all meetings to debate and vote on Patriot Act
reauthorization with full access by the American public.

Contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives and urge them to:

*	Support the bipartisan SAFE Act, now before Congress, which
would maintain government authorities necessary to keep Americans safe
from terrorism and help ensure appropriate checks on that power to
protect our fundamental liberty.

Call Committee Members at the Capitol Switchboard: 1-877-762-8762 
Members of the Committee include:

	Pat Roberts-KS
	John D. Rockefeller, IV-WV
	Orrin Hatch-UT
	Mike Dewine-OH
	Carl Levin-MI
	Diane Feinstein-CA
	Christopher Bond-MO
	Ron Wyden-OR
	Trent Lott-MS
	Evan Bayh-IN
	Olympia Snowe-ME
	Barbara Mikulski-MD
	Chuck Hagel-NE
	Jon Corzine-NJ
	John Warner-VA
	Saxby Chambliss-GA

	 

For more information, visit www.checksbalances.org
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=15813527&url_num=1&u
rl=http://www.checksbalances.org> . 


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