Sen. Kennedy could vote today on reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act. The new version is so bad that several Senators are talking about blocking it and this could be our last chance. Can you call him and tell him you oppose the new PATRIOT Act?

Senator Edward Kennedy Phone: 202-224-4543

I called Congress
http://political.moveon.org/call?tg=FSMA_1&cp_id=146&id=6381-1485063-wQwMojAs6UtD8ze.qKqdCQ&t=1

After months of negotiations, the Senate could vote on reauthorizing the USA PATRIOT Act today­and you can help block it. The version they're voting on goes even further than the original PATRIOT Act in some places and does not include many needed reforms.

Several senators have expressed concern about the new PATRIOT Act and some, like Russ Feingold (D-WI) and John Sununu (R-NH), are even talking about blocking it with a filibuster.1 This could be our last chance to stop the new and unimproved PATRIOT Act. Your calls at this critical moment could make all the difference. Can you call Sen. Kennedy and tell him that you oppose the PATRIOT Act?

Senator Edward Kennedy Phone: 202-224-4543

Then, please let us know you called by reporting your call here:

http://political.moveon.org/call?tg=FSMA_1&cp_id=146&id=6381-1485063-wQwMojAs6UtD8ze.qKqdCQ&t=2

Reporting your call will help make this action more effective­this way we can track who's feeling the heat.

The new PATRIOT Act does nothing about some of the biggest problems in the law.2

* The government still isn't required to show a connection between you and a suspected terrorist before they can go through your private records, like medical, library, school, and other records.
* The government is allowed to get "sneak and peek" search warrants from courts to search your home or business and not tell you about it for a month or even much longer. They can do this even in cases having nothing to do with terrorism.

Americans of all political stripes have expressed concern and outrage over the invasive powers in the PATRIOT Act­but some in Congress refuse to listen.

Now that several leaders in Washington have expressed concern over the new draft of the PATRIOT Act, we may actually be able to block it. But they need to hear from you. Your call could make a big difference.

Senator Edward Kennedy Phone: 202-224-4543

Thanks for all you do,

–Eli, Nita, Tom, Justin and the Moveon.org Political Action Team Friday, November 18th, 2005


For more information on the PATRIOT Act please visit the ACLU website:

ACLU talking points on conference draft of legislation: http://www.aclu.org/patriotdraft

Main Patriot Act page: http://www.reformthepatriotact.org Sources:

1. "Patriot Act Filibuster Threatened," San Francisco Chronicle, November 18, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1168

2. "Senators Threaten to Hold Up Patriot Act," Washington Post, November 17, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1169


Informant: Martin Greenhut

Elizabeth de la Vega writes that shortly after Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was indicted for obstructing justice and making false statements to a government agent and a grand jury, Libby's attorneys suggested that they would use the standard he's-a-busy-man-who-can't-remember-everything defense.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111805O.shtml

Both the Army and the Marines fell short of their goals for hiring roadside bomb defusers by about 20 percent in each of the last two years. The Army Reserve failed to fill about a third of its more than 1,500 intelligence analyst jobs. And the National Guard has had consistent shortages filling positions involving tanks, field artillery and intelligence.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111805L.shtml

Vice President's popularity and influence have waned along with public support for Iraq conflict.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111805K.shtml

The US House of Representatives on Friday narrowly voted to trim social programs for the poor along with farm subsidies, student loans and other federal benefits as part of a $49.9-billion package of spending cuts.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111805J.shtml

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1118-08.htm


Informant: John Calvert



Admiral Turner: Cheney 'Vice President for Torture'

Admiral Stansfield Turner, who was in charge of the Central Intelligence Agency during the 1970s, said Dick Cheney was overseeing torture policies of possible terrorist suspects and was damaging America's reputation by doing so.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111805I.shtml

In einem dieser Zentren, das sich in Frankreich befindet und von dem aus weltweite Operationen zur Ergreifung oder Tötung von mutmaßlichen Terroristen geplant und durchgeführt werden, sollen auch deutsche Geheimdienstvertreter mitarbeiten.

http://www.telepolis.de/tp/r4/artikel/21/21382/1.html

Ledger-Enquirer

11/17/05

Army Spc. Katherine Jashinski, fighting back tears as she explained why she is a conscientious objector, set the tone for this week's SOA Watch protest just outside the gates of Fort Benning. What started 15 years ago as a protest to close the School of the Americas, which trains military personnel from Central and Latin America, is also becoming an anti-war movement. Jashinski, a member of the Texas Army National Guard, is fighting deployment to Afghanistan and seeking a military discharge. A U.S. District Court judge in San Antonio last week refused to grant the 22-year-old Army cook a temporary restraining order that would have delayed her deployment to join her unit, already in Afghanistan. She reported to Fort Benning this week for weapons training...

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/13194463.htm


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Canton Repository

11/17/05

The federal government wants to peer into your computer communications, forcing companies that provide high-speed access or Internet-based telephone service to design -- or redesign -- their networks to accommodate surveillance. On Monday, the Federal Communications Commission gave broadband Internet service and voice-over-Internet Protocol services, or VoIP, 18 months to ensure that their networks are wiretap-ready. This followed the FCC's formal release of the order in September. Privacy advocates say law enforcement agencies already can wiretap Internet services. They criticize the FCC for overstepping its bounds by requiring businesses to devise systems to the specifications of the federal government...

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=253434&Category=23


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp