This message archived at:
http://www.politechbot.com/2004/07/06/patriot-act/
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Legislative Alert: Freedom to Read Act
Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 22:37:15 -0400
From: Stephen Cobb <sc@private>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan@private>
Declan...I thought this might be of interest...Stephen
>To: Members of the Book and Library Community
>
>From: Campaign for Reader Privacy, http://www.readerprivacy.org
>
>Re: URGENT–House Votes Next Week on Freedom to Read Amendment!
>
>We have just learned that the U.S. House of Representatives will vote next
>week on an amendment that cuts off Justice Department funding for searches
>of bookstore and library records under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act.
>Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will offer a Freedom to Read Amendment
>to the Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations Bill of 2005. The amendment
>is co-sponsored by Ron Paul (R-TX), John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), C.L. "Butch"
>Otter (R-ID), and Jerry Nadler (D-NY).
>
>The prospects for victory appear good. Last year, over 300 House members
>voted to bar the Justice Department from using its appropriation to
>implement another controversial provision of the PATRIOT Act, "sneak and
>peak" searches. Had Bernie not run into technical problems, he would have
>offered the Freedom to Read Amendment then, and it probably would have passed.
>
>But we can't win unless we generate a lot of telephone calls, faxes and
>e-mails to House members between now and Wednesday or Thursday when the
>CJS bill will be on the floor for a vote. It doesn't help matters that we
>have less than a week to get out the word and that the Fourth of July
>weekend will shorten our time even more.
>
>Therefore, please call your House member's Washington office TODAY and
>tell whoever answers the phone that you urge their boss to vote "yes" on
>"the Sanders-Paul-Conyers-Otter-Nadler Freedom to Read Amendment to the
>Commerce, Justice and State appropriations bill." ("CJS bill" is the
>Congressional shorthand for the appropriations legislation.) Then,
>immediately follow up by faxing a note containing the same message on your
>letterhead.
>
>If you need contact information for your Congress member, you can use the
>"Contact Congress" search aid on the Campaign for Reader Privacy Web site,
>http://www.readerprivacy.org, or go directly to the U.S. House of
>Representatives Web site, http://www.house.gov/writerep. (You can send an
>e-mail through the House Web site, but telephone calls and faxes get more
>attention.)
>
>Section 215 has created a dangerous chilling effect on First Amendment
>rights by giving the FBI the power to secretly search the bookstore and
>library records of anyone it believes may have information relevant to a
>foreign intelligence investigation. In March 2003, Sanders introduced the
>Freedom to Read Protection Act (H.R. 1157) to restore the protections for
>customer privacy eliminated by the Patriot Act. The bill has gained wide
>support and is co-sponsored by 145 House members in both parties.
>
>However, the House leadership is refusing to hold a hearing on H.R. 1157.
>The Freedom to Read Amendment will give supporters of the bill an
>opportunity to achieve its purpose through the appropriations process.
>
>Please help us spread the word about the importance of calling Congress
>today! Feel free to forward this memo or to use any part of it.
>
>Thank you for acting quickly!
>
>Christopher Finan, president
>American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression
>139 Fulton St., Suite 302
>New York, NY 10038
>telephone (212) 587-4025
>fax (212) 587-2436
>www.abffe.com
>[]
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