Dear Friends,
It's October and before this month is over, we'll know which members of Congress stood up for civil liberties and which ones failed freedom. Our job now is to put them on notice — before they vote — that we won't tolerate wavering, waffling, or wimping out.
Members of Congress need to hear that you expect them to do the right thing. Send a loud and clear message right now: Fix FISA and Defend the Constitution.
The ACLU's Don't Wait for '08 campaign — a 100-day effort urging Congress to restore liberties lost during the relentless Bush assault on our rights — is at a critical "make-or-break" point with FISA votes coming as early as next week. Unbelievably, there's a push to make permanent the vast new spying powers that Congress gave to the President for a six-month period that ends in February, 2008.
Help us continue the FISA Flood of 2007 by overwhelming Congress with your voice demanding immediate action to defend freedom. Write. Call. Demand Action. Make noise now before our rights are stripped away permanently.
Tell your members of Congress: Fix FISA and Defend the Constitution.
We've had enough of hoping Congress will stand up for our rights only to see members of the House and Senate disappoint us. With your help, our Don't Wait for '08 campaign will get every member of Congress to go on record right now on four critical issues:
- Ending warrantless spying
- Shutting down Guantanamo Bay
- Restoring habeas corpus
- Stopping torture
If this Congress has the political will, it can advance all four of these key issues before the end of 2007. But that will only come from intense grassroots pressure. That's why it is so essential that we pressure Congress now to protect the Constitution.
Tell your members of Congress: Fix FISA and Defend the Constitution.
The ACLU has asked every member of Congress to tell us where they stand on these four freedom-defining issues no later than October 17th. You can help generate the grassroots pressure to get as many members of the House and Senate as possible on record by that deadline.
We're zeroing in on these four critical issues and, especially on FISA warrantless spying, events could move quickly. Only by deluging Congress now with phone calls, emails and grassroots activity can we generate the overwhelming public pressure we'll need to restore the Constitution. Tell your members of Congress: Fix FISA and Defend the Constitution.
Thanks for all you do and for acting as urgently as the situation demands.
Sincerely,
Caroline Fredrickson, Director
ACLU Washington Legislative Office
P.S. As you read this, the ACLU's FISA Flood of 2007 initiative aimed at flooding Congress with FISA-fixing emails, phone calls, and letters is gaining broader and broader support. A number of colleague organizations, bloggers and online activist communities are joining in. But, it all starts with the energy and passion of ACLU activists like you. Let's make sure Congress hears us loud and clear.