[North-NV-Greens] LAST CHANCE TO STOP the PATRIOT ACT!

[Bob Tregilus]

* * * LAST CHANCE TO STOP the PATRIOT ACT! * * *

Your call to Congress is urgently needed!

Our congressional representatives return to Capital Hill on *December 
12* when they will resume debate on the reauthorization of the USA 
PATRIOT Act.

NOW is the critical time to influence their decision!

As you likely know, the Patriot Act reauthorization is currently 
gridlocked. The conference committee convened to resolve the differences 
between the Senate and House versions of the bill has reversed months of 
bipartisan negotiations. The reauthorization bill adopted by the 
conference committee actually makes the original law even worse!

Heeding the growing call for reform from across the political spectrum, 
a bipartisan group of Senators are threatening to filibuster the 
conference report unless meaningful revisions to protect civil liberties 
are included in the bill.

If we want to be successful in changing this flawed legislation WE MUST 
KEEP THE PRESSURE ON and let Congress know that people across the 
country are watching this vote.

TELL YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES TO VOTE NO ON THE PATRIOT ACT 
REAUTHORIZATION BILL

#####    ##    #####

Please contact your congressional representatives NOW!

Even if you have done so in the past, it's imperative that you contact 
them again! Remember, every call counts for hundreds who fail to call.

Senator Harry Reid (All of Nevada)
528 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3542 / Fax: 202-224-7327
Email: http://reid.senate.gov/email_form.cfm

Senator John Ensign (All of Nevada)
356 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-6244 / Fax: 202-228-2193
Email: http://ensign.senate.gov/forms/email_form.cfm

Representative Shelley Berkley (Las Vegas area only)
439 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-4708
Phone: 202-225-5965 / Fax: 202-225-3119
Email: http://www.house.gov/berkley/contact/email.html

Representative Jim Gibbons (Small part of Las Vegas & rest of Nevada)
100 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-6155 / Fax: 202-225-5679
Email: http://wwwc.house.gov/gibbons/contact_feedback.asp

Representative Jon Porter (Las Vegas area only)
218 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-3252 / Fax: 202-225-2185
Email: http://www.house.gov/porter/contact/zip_contactform.htm

#####     ##    #####

Summary of Draft Patriot Reauthorization Act Conference Report (revised) 
11/17/2005:

* Personal records that are not related to a crime, spy or terrorist 
investigation could still be obtained from libraries, bookstores, 
doctors, internet providers, financial institutions or other businesses 
using either a secret order under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance 
Act (FISA) or a "national security letter" (NSL) that can be issued by 
an FBI official without any court oversight. Both FISA orders and NSL’s 
would contain a potentially permanent “gag” order barring recipients 
from disclosing the release of the records to anyone (except their 
attorney), with new criminal penalties.

* Recipients of NSL requests for records would be allowed to contact an 
attorney, but would have only an illusory right to challenge such orders 
for records and gag orders in court, since the court would be required 
to accept as conclusive the government's mere assertion of national 
security, diplomatic relations, or an ongoing criminal investigation. 
Government is not required to destroy the information gathered by these 
letters  even if it is unrelated to the investigation for which it was 
sought.

* The bill allows sneak-and-peek searches under a broad standard not 
limited to terrorism cases. New 30 and 90-day time limits could be 
waived or renewed indefinitely, allowing such searches to continue to 
remain secret for weeks, months or even years.

* The bill still allows secret eavesdropping and secret search orders 
that do not name a target or a location, with only after-the-fact 
oversight by a court. Government would be allowed to obtain what amounts 
to a blank warrant to eavesdrop on a telephone conversation or secretly 
search a home or business and fill in the names and locations later.

* Includes harmful new provisions. Provisions that were not included in 
either the House or the Senate bill have been added to the conference 
report that would, among other things, create new death penalties and 
seriously alter habeas corpus. Many of the provisions are completely 
unrelated to the PATRIOT Act and serve to make it a "Christmas tree" 
bill, violating House rules to pass a clean bill.

* Omits modest limits on a host of additional Patriot Act surveillance 
powers. Many Patriot Act surveillance powers are made permanent with no 
change, or even with expanded scope. For example, FISA surveillance of 
non-U.S. persons can continue for as long as a year with no additional 
court review. Likewise, confidential information gathered in criminal 
investigations can continue to be shared with the CIA or foreign 
intelligence agencies without adequate privacy safeguards, or even 
notice to the court overseeing the criminal investigation.

* Provides a new, seven year sunset on only three provisions out of 
scores of new surveillance powers obtained by the government in the 
Patriot Act. The bill provides an excessively long, seven-year sunset on 
only three specific provisions, despite broad bipartisan support in the 
House and Senate for a shorter, four-year sunset period.

American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada
775/786-6757

Nevada Campaign to Defeat the Patriot Act
http://ncdpa.org