[Davis Democrats] Sen. Patrick Leahy(D-VT)FISA vote on Tuesday -- chair of Judiciary Committee needs your help

[John Chendo]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Patrick Leahy <info at leahyforvermont.com>
Reply-To: <notice-reply-85uebiurz7tw5tbm at ga3.org>
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:31:55 GMT
To: John Chendo <jac07 at dcn.org>
Subject: FISA vote on Tuesday -- I need your help

  
   <http://www.leahyforvermont.com>
  
  Dear John, 
Tomorrow the Senate will hold a critical vote. Tell Congress to pass a FISA
bill that protects our national security and preserves our civil liberties!
<http://ga3.org/campaign/fisa/85uebiurz7tw5tbm?source=fisa>
 <http://ga3.org/campaign/fisa/85uebiurz7tw5tbm?source=fisa>

Tuesday is a critical day in our fight to stand up for American values and
preserve our freedoms while protecting our national security.

Tomorrow the Senate will vote on amendments to FISA, the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act, the law governing the use of wiretaps and
other means to conduct surveillance of foreign threats.

Unfortunately, the new FISA bill we'll be voting on Tuesday still has many
problems.  I will do everything in my power -- including joining my
colleague Chris Dodd in a filibuster against this legislation -- to fix it.

Now I need your help to encourage more of our House and Senate colleagues to
stand with us.  

Tell Congress that any new FISA bill must both protect our national security
and preserve our civil liberties. Please email your home state Senators and
Member of Congress now!
<http://ga3.org/campaign/fisa/85uebiurz7tw5tbm?source=fisa>

I strongly support surveillance targeting foreign threats and terrorists who
wish to do us harm -- but we must take care to protect Americans' liberties
in the process.  That's what the FISA amendments we passed through the
Judiciary Committee would have done.

Our Judiciary Committee amendments also would have given the existing FISA
Court a more meaningful role in overseeing law enforcement's expanded
surveillance activities, providing a crucial independent check on potential
government excess. We must not forget that earlier abuses of power are the
reason FISA was enacted in the first place.

Unfortunately, the Bush-Cheney Administration and its allies oppose these
safeguards.  They are voting in lockstep to kill all of our efforts to
improve the new FISA bill, basically telling Senate Democrats to "take it or
leave it."

Here's what they need to know: Passing legislation through the U.S. Senate
isn't a "take it or leave it" enterprise.  Not when they want to park
Americans' civil liberties in a blind trust.  They lost their credibility on
"just trust us" long ago.  Will you help convince Senators and Members of
Congress to agree to our common-sense changes to improve this bill and
protect the rights of all Americans?

Tell Congress that any new FISA bill must both protect our national security
and preserve our civil liberties. Please email your home state Senators and
Member of Congress now!
<http://ga3.org/campaign/fisa/85uebiurz7tw5tbm?source=fisa>

In addition, the Bush-Cheney Administration is trying to avoid any and all
accountability for conducting illegal, warrantless surveillance for the past
5 years.  They are insisting on granting blanket retroactive immunity to
phone companies for their warrantless surveillance activities beginning in
2001, activities which explicitly violated existing FISA law and violated
the privacy rights of Americans.

Clearly, the Bush-Cheney Administration does not want their law-breaking to
be exposed.  Retroactive immunity would assure that they get their wish.

When the public found out that the Bush-Cheney Administration was violating
FISA and spying illegally on Americans without warrants, the Administration
and phone companies were sued by citizens whose privacy rights were
violated.  These lawsuits may be the only way that the Bush-Cheney
Administration is truly held accountable for its flagrant disrespect for the
rule of law.

Well, no one -- no citizen, no company, no Senator, and no President -- is
above the law.  By offering blanket immunity to telecom companies, the
Administration is trying to avoid accountability -- and that is
unacceptable.

Tell Congress that any new FISA bill cannot grant blanket retroactive
immunity to phone companies. Please email your home state Senators and
Member of Congress now!
<http://ga3.org/campaign/fisa/85uebiurz7tw5tbm?source=fisa>

I'm going to do everything I can to fix the FISA bill on Tuesday -- but I
need your help to do it.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,
                
Patrick Leahy
U.S. Senator

P.S.  The first votes are just hours away. Please email your home state
Senators and Member of Congress now -- so I can show my colleagues the
strong support that exists for fixes to this FISA bill!
<http://ga3.org/campaign/fisa/85uebiurz7tw5tbm?source=fisa>

Visit LeahyForVermont.com <http://www.leahyforvermont.com/>  | E-mail
Congress <http://ga3.org/campaign/fisa/85uebiurz7tw5tbm?source=fisa>
Paid for by Leahy for U.S. Senator Committee, Inc.
PO Box 1042
Montpelier, VT 05601
 
  

 
 

   
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