RE: Don’t legalize warrantless surveillance on Americans!

Dear Senator ,

I am disturbed that the Senate is considering hasty action on legislation to give the president broad authority to spy on people in the U.S. who are not even suspected of involvement in any kind of crime. I very strongly urge you to oppose S. 2453, which would allow the president to set up a “big brother” surveillance system to watch all of our overseas calls and all of our e-mail with little oversight. Congress should not re-write the laws to accommodate the president’s covert actions.

S. 2453, which is supposed to rein in surveillance of innocent citizens, actually includes:

Legalization of the president's program of warrantless surveillance on Americans, a program that is illegal under current law and unconstitutional.
A diminished role for the court that oversees the NSA's warrantless domestic spying, making oversight by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) optional. We know that when this administration doesn't believe in getting court warrants even when required, making them "optional" is making them non-existent.
A new, unconstitutional process for challenging surveillance, via a secret appeals court composed of judges hand-picked solely by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who supports expansive presidential powers.
An information blackout by the Executive Branch against the Congress or our courts when it comes to the names and number of Americans monitored by the spying program. Without any oversight, countless journalists, lawyers, hotel clerks and others will inevitably be swept into round-the-clock monitoring of their phone conversations, indefinitely.

This bill is no “compromise.” It would give the president a blank check to spy on Americans without a warrant and without mandatory judicial review of his actions.

The Executive Branch should not be allowed to weasel out of obeying the Supreme Court and federal law. Congress is overdue in asserting and affirming its role of keeping the president in check and reining in the president's sweeping interpretation of power. Please oppose S. 2453 and do everything you can to defeat it!

Most Sincerely,

EAN Alerts Email List | Tell a Friend | Links | Contact | Site Map