Hi I dont know if this has already been covered but I just received this:
From: Downsizer Dispatch
Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 6:07 AM
Subject: Something bad is about to happen
D o w n s i z e r - D i s p a t c h
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Something bad is about to happen.Only you can stop it, and the
clock is ticking.
We hate to sound apocalyptic.We loathe the politics of fear (even
if it works!).So we're not looking to scare you.But you need to
know that the end is near for "archaic" ideas like ...
* the right to security in your home and papers * the right to be
free from unreasonable searches * the safety net of judicial warrant
requirements * the right to a trial by a jury of your peers in a
system of due process * reasonable bail and recourse for false
arrest * protection from cruel and unusual punishment
Those were great ideals for "dead white men," but apparently your
children won't need them anymore.Because, you know, the
politicians need to protect you and your children from terrorism.
But the politicians need to get a grip, and a sense of proportion.
You don't turn the country upside down for light and transient
causes.You're more likely to die in your car, or be struck by
lightening, than be harmed by terrorism.We don't fret about such
risks, so why are destroying American freedom in the name of an even
smaller risk?
A bill is about to pass the House.It permits unlimited spying on
your internet usage and telecommunications, the Fourth Amendment be
damned.For brevity, I'll call it the "Spying on Americans Act," or
SPA for short.
The SPA is likely to pass the Senate too, but there we have a chance
to stop it.
Under SPA . . .
* The President can spy on you without a warrant * You'll never
learn that his spys have done so, until they use the information
against you (legally or not) * Your phone and internet providers
can't refuse to provide information about you * Or tell you they've
done so after the fact
The result will be more warrantless searches than in all of U.S.
history.And if that history is any guide, it's only a matter of
time before this power is used for reasons other than "national
security."
The House may vote any minute.The Senate will likely vote Tuesday.
THIS IS URGENT.I'll tell you what to do in a moment, but first,
there's more bad news.
Congress also has a plan for non-citizen residents and ANYONE on
foreign soil.
Senator Bill Frist wants to be your President, so he's pandering to
the "my country right or wrong" crowd.He wants to leave the Senate
with a bang.He thinks he can do this by combining the
Tribunal/Torture bill with the Spying on Americans Act.
And the news on the Tribunal/Torture bill just got worse.There was
a "lesser evil" version of this bill from Senators Warner and
McCain, but Warner and McCain just rolled over.The new bill will .
..
* Allow the President to detain people indefinitely without charges,
* Deny detainees access to courts to challenge their detention or
their treatment.* Create special military tribunals with reduced
standards of due process * Deny detainees the protection of the
Geneva Convention's Common Article 3 * Allow the President to define
torture
But you may not hear it reported this way in the media, because the
politicians are playing clever games with words.Take note: The
protections of Common Article 3 aren't defined in the legislation,
so Congress can claim they've left these protections in place.But
it isn't true, because now only the President decides what those
protections actually are, and no accused person can even claim the
protection of Common Article 3 before the special tribunals this
legislation creates.
Nice trick.The protections are still there, but the President
decides what they are, and no one can use them.
Do you want this President to have this power?Do you want future
presidents to have it?Do you want to risk that these powers won't
be applied to citizens as well, as soon as the politicians have the
slightest excuse for doing so?
So here's what the Senate will face Tuesday . . .
* A bill permitting spying on Americans without a warrant.
* Another bill creating special tribunals and permitting torture.
* A proposal to combine these bills.
None of these bills will be read, and none of us will have a chance
to review them before the vote happens.But they are likely to
pass, because the Republicans control both chambers and their
President is in big trouble.He's broken existing laws in a number
of ways, and now he needs new legislation to cover his butt after
the fact.
This shouldn't be possible in our system, but a court decision on
the President's illegal spying opened the door for Congress to do
this.We have no checks.We have no balances.The courts have
failed to do their duty and the Republican Congress is a rubber
stamp for a lawless Republican President.
Are we exaggerating?Are we being partisan?We aren't telling you
the half of it.This President has violated so many laws in so many
ways it would take a book to catalog them.And we aren't being
partisan because plenty of Republicans in Congress agree with us,
they just need public encouragement to develop a little backbone.
This is your role.
These bills will pass in the House, but we need to have as many
votes against them as we can muster.This will help us in the
Senate.Senate rules make it possible for us to stop these bills in
that chamber.YOU need to make a BIG NOISE.And know this ...
You won't be alone. We're working with more than a dozen national
organizations to make this BIG NOISE.
We need to pull out all the stops.Please, PLEASE, pay close
attention to these instructions.DO ALL FOUR OF THE FOLLOWING
THINGS AS SOON AS YOU CAN!!!
1) Go to the DownsizeDC.org campaign opposing warrantless spying:
"No Warrant?No Search."Send a message to your Senators and your
Representative.Tell them to resist in every way they can the
combination of this bill with the Tribunals bill.Urge them to do
everything in their power to block, stop, and/or filibusters this
bill.And if it still comes up for a vote, tell them to vote NO,
and that you'll be watching.The message to Congress for this
campaign has been reconfigured to make this easy for you.
2) Go to the DownsizeDC.org campaign opposing the new tribunals: "No
Torture!No "Star Chamber Courts!"Send a message to your Senators
and your Representative.T ell them torture is un-American,
useless, and counter-productive.Urge them to keep the warrantless
spying bill separate.Implore them to do everything they can to
block, stop, and/or filibuster this bill.And if it still comes up
for a vote, tell them to vote NO, and that you'll be watching.The
message to Congress for this campaign has been reconfigured to make
this easy for you.
3) We have a targeted list of Senators.If your Senator is on the
list, it's urgent that you call and leave a message ASAP.Remember,
this vote is scheduled for Tuesday.Tell them you're a constituent.
Keep it short, simple, and polite.Make notes before you call.
Make the points already made in #1 and #2 above.Here's the list .
..
Idaho - Larry Craig202-224-2752
Rhode Island - Lincoln Chaffee202-224-2921
South Dakota - Tim Johnson202-224-5842
Louisiana - Mary Landrieu202-224-5824
Michigan - Carl Levin&nb sp; 202-224-6221
Arkansas - Blanche Lincoln202-224-4843
New Jersey - Robert Menendez202-224-4744
Alaska - Lisa Murkowski202-224-6665
Florida - Bill Nelson202-224-5274
Nebraska - Ben Nelson202-224-6551
Nevada - Harry Reid202-224-3542
Maine - Olympia Snowe202-224-5344
New Hampshire - John Sununu202-224-2841
Remember, this is urgent.We're about to lose precious rights.We
need extraordinary effort.So I want to ask you to do one more
thing ...
4) Tell everyone you know to do the same thing.Pass this message
to friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and customers.Maybe
they'll think you're un-patriotic for opposing torture and for
mistrusting politicians with such great powers.SO WHAT!And if
you received this message from a friend, and it's not Wednesday,
September 27, 2006 yet, there's still time.Act fast and then pass
this message to everyone you know.
Keep in mind, you're not alone.And we can still win by blocking
this in the Senate.The Senate is eager to get back home and
campaign.Most observers believe they'll pack up and head home
Saturday.Delay the vote and we may stop the danger.
DC Downsizers, rise up and take a stand for the 4th and 8th
Amendments.Do your part.We're counting on YOU.
Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.
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