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Representative RE: Support the "Freedom to Read Protection Act" Dear Representative , I strongly urge you to stand up for the basic rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution by supporting the "Freedom to Read Protection Act" (HR. 1157). This act would restore key constitutional protections removed by the USA PATRIOT Act by exempting libraries and bookstores from the laws that allow the FBI to conduct searches of personal records without probable cause of criminal activity. With the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act, the FBI gained the power to search library and book-buying records without probable cause of any crime or intent to commit a crime. Furthermore, librarians and others who are required to turn over records are not allowed to say that the search has occurred or that records were given to the government. This means that average Americans can have their privacy violated wholesale without justification or proper judicial oversight. Questions from Members of Congress to the Department of Justice about the use of this power have gone unanswered or have received a superficial response. A University of Illinois survey shows libraries were targeted at least 175 times in the year after 9/11--yet the FBI refuses to explain how or why. Resolutions against the PATRIOT Act have passed in at least 104 communities in 24 states, including one state-wide resolution in Hawaii. These communities represent approximately 11.1 million people who are concerned about the USA PATRIOT Act and its impacts on civil liberties. In response to one section of the PATRIOT Act alone, many librarians across the country have decided to put up signs warning patrons that the FBI may be snooping in their records. The Fourth Amendment guarantees protections from unreasonable searches and seizures. The Freedom to Read Protection Act will uphold the key principles of privacy and limited government power. Please support the "Freedom to Read Protection Act" (HR. 1157) and do everything you can to ensure its passage. Most Sincerely,
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