Senator
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

RE: Protect our freedom--fix the Patriot Act!

Dear Senator ,

As a concerned American, I strongly urge you to oppose plans to make the Patriot Act permanent, and to instead support the SAFE Act and its common sense fixes to the law. The Patriot Act was passed without proper debate in the terrible weeks after 9/11. Many of your colleagues had little idea what was in the bill when they voted for it. We have an opportunity today to revisit the law, fix it as needed and ensure that our law enforcement and intelligence services have the tools they need--subject to appropriate judicial and Congressional oversight.

Disturbing provisions of the Patriot Act include Section 213, which makes it easier for government agents to get courts to issue "sneak and peek" search warrants, allowing them to break into my home, rifle through my belongings, swab for DNA, copy files from computers, seize property and keep me in the dark about the search for an indefinite amount of time. This provision is permanent, but would be reformed under the SAFE Act. At a minimum, it should be limited to a set amount of time and only allowed in true emergencies. The Justice Department recently admitted that 90% of these sneak and peeks have been used in cases that have nothing to do with terrorism.

Section 215 lets the FBI apply for secret court orders to compel libraries, bookstores, hotels, hospitals and other institutions to turn over personal records without showing any facts connecting records to a foreign terrorist, let alone probable cause that a person did anything wrong. The judge is required to issue such an order if federal agents certify that they want these records for a foreign intelligence or terrorism investigation. The business that receives the order is forever gagged from telling anyone about it. This provision is set to expire. It should not be made permanent. It should be fixed to require a showing of specific facts connecting records to a foreign terrorist and there should be a meaningful right to challenge, as supported by the SAFE Act.

Section 505 broadens the government’s ability to issue "national security letters," which allow the FBI to demand records about me from financial institutions, Internet service providers, telephone companies, credit agencies, insurance companies, car dealerships, and libraries that provide Internet services to patrons--all without going through a judge or demonstrating any facts connecting my records to a foreign agent or foreign terrorist. If not repealed, this provision should be amended to incorporate the modest SAFE Act fix and should include an expiration date

The freedoms guaranteed to all Americans in our precious Bill of Rights must be protected. We need not sacrifice freedom for security! Please support SAFE Act amendments to any reauthorization bill and prevent the Patriot Act in its current and flawed form from being made permanent.