|
The need for increased oversight and additional checks on government powers is more apparent now than ever. Americans learned in December 2005 that the government has been violating the laws governing secret surveillance and that, since the Patriot Act loosened restrictions on National Security Letters (NSLs), the FBI has been issuing thousands and thousands to ordinary Americans with no connection to suspected foreign terrorism. The president himself has authorized intelligence investigators to spy on U.S. citizens in America without warrants, in direct violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Are personal records of individuals not even suspected of wrongdoing being swept into extensive federal databases for government use at will? We have no way of knowing. This certainly is not what our forefathers intended when they guaranteed all Americans freedom from unreasonable search and seizures. Yet some Members of Congress have turned a blind eye to these blatant abuses, bowing to pressure from an administration that has refused time and again to support the inclusion of sensible civil liberties safeguards in the Patriot Act.
What Congress Must Do
We are vigorously urging Congress to fully investigate the administration’s spying on U.S. citizens. Not only is Congress failing to act with haste in this regard, but it is considering multiple pieces of legislation that would block or weaken any such investigation, in essence enabling the administration to continue such activities unfettered. Americans must demand more.
We invite you to join us in our efforts to restore checks and balances to the American government. As a member, you will be included in our mailing list and will receive periodic updates and calls to action from PRCB. Thank you for your interest and support as we move forward with the most important mission any American can undertake: Protecting the Constitutional liberties of all American citizens.
|
