ACLU Urges Senators to Oppose Unconstitutional Surveillance Bill

Congress should not rubberstamp executive power grab

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: (202) 675-2312, media@dcaclu.org

Washington, DC – With the Senate debate continuing and a vote expected on the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 this Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union once again urged senators to vote against the unconstitutional bill, which will allow the government to monitor calls and emails without a warrant and without meaningful court review.

The following can be attributed to Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office:

“After two and a half years of outrage over warrantless wiretapping and an ever-expanding executive branch, it’s untenable that Congress would be on the verge of sanctioning the lawless behavior of the Bush administration. The ramifications of this legislation are enormous. No president should have this power.

“Congress is poised to strip the courts of their authority and, in doing so, not only frustrate citizens but eviscerate the Fourth Amendment and the constitutionally mandated separation of powers. Americans have been making their voices heard by calling and emailing their senators. So our question to the Senate is: Are you listening? We do not want the government in our living rooms.

“Though there are several amendments being offered that would improve this bill, the most important vote cast will be that of final passage. There must be as many ‘no’ votes as possible. Senators need to remember that not only is America watching, but history is as well. The legacy of the 110th Congress should not be that of bowing to and granting vast spying powers to the executive branch. Senators must step back and either fix this unconstitutional bill or vote it down.”

To read the ACLU’s letter to the Senate, go to:
/safefree/general/35782leg20080625.html

For more information about the ACLU’s work on FISA, go to:
www.aclu.org/fisa

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