Dear ACLU Supporter,

If all goes according to schedule, tomorrow, Senator Kohl and the other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee will cast votes that could finally fix provisions of the Patriot Act that have undermined our fundamental freedoms for far too long.
 
It’s urgent that you call Senator Kohl’s office right now and let him know that you support bold action on Patriot Act reform.

Contact Senator Kohl now and urge him to vote for genuine Patriot Act reforms.

As an ACLU lobbyist who has worked on the Patriot Act for more than six years, I can say first-hand how much your calls matter. The Thursday mark-up of Patriot Act legislation in the Judiciary Committee will set the stage for later action in the full Senate. Senator Feingold and nine other Senators have introduced the JUSTICE Act, a very strong bill which effectively reins in many of the out-of-control government powers embedded in the Patriot Act.
 
It’s absolutely crucial that the legislation that emerges from the Judiciary Committee embraces the strong measures Senator Feingold has put forth. Senator Kohl’s vote could be absolutely essential to the outcome.
 
Call Senator Kohl now -- and urge him to vote tomorrow for genuine Patriot Act reforms.

It helps us to know how many calls have been made because then we can follow-up with the senator’s office. So, after you make the call, I hope you’ll report back and let us know that you’ve contacted the Senator’s office.

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this.

Sincerely,

Michelle Richardson
Legislative Counsel
American Civil Liberties Union

P.S. Here are some of the most crucial elements of the JUSTICE Act -- ones that you should urge Senator Kohl to support tomorrow:

• Protecting the privacy of records by reining in the government’s use of National Security Letters to collect the records of innocent people far removed from an actual terrorism suspect.
• Protecting humanitarian activities by preventing prosecution of people who work with or for charities that give humanitarian aid in good faith to war-torn countries.
• Protecting First Amendment rights by requiring that the government convince a court that a National Security gag order is necessary.
• Protecting privacy of communications by amending last year’s sweeping FISA Amendments Act to better protect Americans' phone calls and emails.

© ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004

Sometimes, it’s good when nothing happens.

 Recently, you urged Congress not to establish a new, permanent system of indefinite detention
-- imprisoning people without charges and without trial -- and while our work is not over, your advocacy is having a major impact.

Thanks largely to your efforts, it was reported last week that President Obama will not seek legislation or issue an executive order on indefinite detention that would have made it more permanent and harder to end. For more information, read this Washington Post article that ran last week.

Members of Congress and their staff told me specifically that they did not want the Administration to seek legislation on indefinite detention because they were hearing from their constituents that such a system is un-American.

 It’s not the end of this issue by a long shot. The U.S. is still holding people without charge at Guantánamo Bay, and it’s critical that once the prison camp is closed, the Administration does not continue to indefinitely imprison detainees for terrorism crimes elsewhere. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit seeking more information about indefinite detention at Bagram Air Force Base which could become the new Guantánamo -- except with more prisoners, in harsher conditions, and no access to lawyers.

 With your help, the ACLU will continue to fight -- in Congress and the courts -- for a complete end to indefinite detention. And we’ll be counting on your continued leadership on this and other important issues -- including reforming the Patriot Act and demanding accountability for torture -- in order to restore an America we can be proud of again.

Thanks for all you are doing to pave the way for progress.

Sincerely,

Anthony D. Romero Executive Director American Civil Liberties Union

© ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004