Oppose the Patriot Acts While You Still Can

This is it. Patriot 1 was bulldozed through Congress while Americans were still in shock over the events of September 11. With the pretext of protecting ourselves against acts of terrorism, our civil rights have been significantly reduced. With our attention now diverted to the Middle East, John Ashcroft and his ilk have been pressuring Congress to adopt the Domestic Security Enhancement Act (aka Patriot II), which, if passed, will further erode the rights our forebears fought so hard to win and make all sunset provisions of the first Patriot Act permanent.

Under the Patriot Act, the following things are now legal:

  • Information about you collected through tapping your phone or computer can be given to the CIA without a court order.
  • The government can enter and search your home without your knowledge or probable cause.
  • The FBI can demand that your library give them a list of all the books you've borrowed, without your knowledge.
  • Civil disobedience can be designated as "terrorist activity."
  • If you are arrested, your conversation with your attorney can be recorded and used against you.
  • Religious and political organizations can be surveiled without any good reason.

    • This is not a complete list.

    Under the Patriot Act II, the following things may also become legal:

  • Your credit report can be accessed by federal agents without a court order.
  • Your DNA can be collected without your consent.
  • You can't sue the government for any damages caused by the Patriot Acts, including being spied on illegally or another citizen falsely accusing you of being a terrorist.
  • Your email can be read by the government.
  • You can be arrested and given extra sentence time for encrypting that MP3 you downloaded from Napster.
  • You can be detained and held indefinitely by the Justice Department without being charged or anyone knowing about it.
  • It would be very difficult to make use of the Freedom of Information Act.
  • If the government doesn't like what you're doing, your citizenship can be revoked.

    • While this is not a complete list either, note that Patriot II will do away with your rights granted by the first and fourth amendments of the Constitution. Theoretically, a member of the Green Party who is actively criticizing our government can disappear off the face of the planet and no one would know anything and no one could do anything about it.

    The Paul Revere Project

    The Paul Revere Project's goal is to record congressional members' position on Patriot II. By making phone calls and sending faxes, emails, and letters, citizens put pressure their federal legislators to oppose Patriot II. By building pre-emptive opposition to the bill before it gets to Congress, we will be more likely to stop it from passing.

    The Northern Panhandle Greens and other concerned Idahoans have studied the proposed "Patriot II" and have come to the conclusion that an immediate national campaign to stop it before it can be introduced into Congress is vitally necessary. To participate, go to the Freedom page for more information, links, and instructions.

    Patriot II Summary

    An excellent summary of the potential excesses of Patriot II entitled "Patriot II: The Sequel - Why it's even scarier than the first Patriot Act" is available by clicking this link.

    What exactly is the PATRIOT Act all about? Lang Baker wrote a comprehensive explanation of the law in a recent issue of Green Seed. Read it here.

    Download the Is the Patriot Act Really Patriotic? flyer (PDF).

    Download the How the PATRIOT Act Has Taken Away Your Constitutional Rights fact sheet.

    Take Action Now

    Click here to send a fax opposing additions to the PATRIOT Act. Visit our Links page to get to the phone numbers, fax numbers, and email addresses for the Idaho Senators and your Representative in Congress - write them, email them, call them, and call them yet again saying you do not want them to support Patriot II. Ask them if they will commit to oppose it, and let us know what they say to you.

    The Bill of Rights Defense Committee's web site provides complete and current information on the history and status of matters pertaining to the Patriot Acts. For background information and more suggestions and tools for opposing this legislation, please visit their page.

    		 


    Paul Revere Project

    Boise Patriots

    Volunteer Saturday

    Greens meet every Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm at the Green Party Office, 500 W. Idaho, Suite 202, in Boise. It's a great way to get involved, help the Greens, and meet fun people. Coffee and bagels are on us.
    We are working with the following Greens to oppose Patriot II:

    Green Party of Delaware

    Iowa Green Party

    Green Party of Pennsylvania

    Join the Idaho Green Party: With both major parties passing these frightful laws, it's time to join the Idaho Green Party. Each additional member gives our voice more power. And your donation keeps our work going.