Stop The Secret Expansion Of The PATRIOT Act

Some Members of Congress are trying to expand the USA PATRIOT Act by slipping language into an intelligence agency bill that is debated and amended largely behind closed doors. We need to tell the Intelligence Committees and other Members of Congress that these issues are too important to be debated and decided in secret!

Any expansion of the PATRIOT Act is premature at this point. The "sunset" provision of the PATRIOT Act, under which a handful of its provisions expire unless renewed by Congress, doesn't take effect until December of next year (2005). Congress has not finished its oversight work to determine how the new powers in the PATRIOT Act have been used and whether they were needed to begin with. As part of that process, and as part of any further changes to the surveillance laws, Congress should include oversight mechanisms and judicial checks and balances. That's not what the authors of this sneak move have in mind.

This is your chance to have some impact. Call your legislator about the Patriot Act expansions -- and remind him to resist the Assault Weapons Ban when you do.

Posted on 2004-06-15 00:38:06.0 by matthew@triggerfinger.org

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Super secret legislation

by Say Uncle

Matt reports that congress is trying to sneak parts of PATRIOT Act 2 through the back door while, as is usual, no one is watching....

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