This just in...
Hello readers, I am happy to say that this blog is not dead yet! (Hopefully, it is getting better.) (Apologies to Monty Python).
Today's rant is from the Electronic Frontier Foundation's weekly news letter, the Effector. It concerns the Senate Intelligence Committee's current debate on the Patriot Act. If you are from Kansas, Utah, Ohio, Missouri, Maine, Nebraska, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, Michigan, California, Oregon, Indiana, Maryland, or New Jersey, listen up as your senator(s) is (are) on the committee. I now present the item in its entirety:
* Congress Considers PATRIOT Expansion Behind Closed Doors
EFF Supporters Fight Back
Today the Senate Intelligence Committee is considering,
behind closed doors, a bill that would not only
renew the USA PATRIOT Act's most dangerous provisions,
but would also expand the FBI's power to secretly
demand the private records of people who aren't
suspected of any crime - *without* a judge's approval.
The FBI already has dangerously overbroad subpoena powers
under PATRIOT. But if this bill passes without
modification, the FBI could use new "administrative
subpoenas" to get practically anything from anyone -
Internet logs and emails from your Internet service
provider, health records from your doctor, financial
information from your bank, borrowing records from your
library - without a judge's permission. The Justice
Department has long sought this kind of unprecedented
subpoena power for the FBI, but Congress has always
said no - even in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11
terrorist attacks.
Earlier this week, we sent out a special action alert
asking EFF supporters in the states that have senators
on the Intelligence Committee to speak out against the
bill. The response was swift. Within 24 hours, you
sent more than 1,600 faxes and emails to the committee.
Seven of the senators received 90 or more messages;
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) received more than
680 messages. Now the figure is up to 2,050 - roughly
half the number of letters typically sent over a
full week's time for alerts that are not restricted
to specific states.
We succeeded in attracting the senators' attention, but
the battle against PATRIOT expansion has just begun.
Early reports indicate that there is strong support for
the bill within the Intelligence Committee, despite the
public outcry. If you live in Kansas, Utah, Ohio,
Missouri, Maine, Nebraska, Georgia, Virginia, West
Virginia, Michigan, California, Oregon, Indiana, Maryland,
or New Jersey, and you haven't contacted your senator,
it's not too late. Take action today, and stay tuned to
EFFector and the EFF Action Center for the next steps
- your voice counts!
Say No to New PATRIOT Spying Powers:
http://action.eff.org/site/Advocacy?id=133
The above item is by, and courtesy of, the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
I am Chuck and this has been my blurb for the day.
PLEASE NOTE: This post has been edited to reflect a correction made in a revised edition of the Effector (the EFF newsletter) dated 26 May 2005. Also note that you no longer have to sign in or register with EFF to get to the Patriot Act notice. If you wish to send your senator the letter provided on the site, you merely need to enter your information (name, address, etc) in the appropriate boxes. Sorry for any problems this may have caused. --Chuck.
Today's rant is from the Electronic Frontier Foundation's weekly news letter, the Effector. It concerns the Senate Intelligence Committee's current debate on the Patriot Act. If you are from Kansas, Utah, Ohio, Missouri, Maine, Nebraska, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, Michigan, California, Oregon, Indiana, Maryland, or New Jersey, listen up as your senator(s) is (are) on the committee. I now present the item in its entirety:
* Congress Considers PATRIOT Expansion Behind Closed Doors
EFF Supporters Fight Back
Today the Senate Intelligence Committee is considering,
behind closed doors, a bill that would not only
renew the USA PATRIOT Act's most dangerous provisions,
but would also expand the FBI's power to secretly
demand the private records of people who aren't
suspected of any crime - *without* a judge's approval.
The FBI already has dangerously overbroad subpoena powers
under PATRIOT. But if this bill passes without
modification, the FBI could use new "administrative
subpoenas" to get practically anything from anyone -
Internet logs and emails from your Internet service
provider, health records from your doctor, financial
information from your bank, borrowing records from your
library - without a judge's permission. The Justice
Department has long sought this kind of unprecedented
subpoena power for the FBI, but Congress has always
said no - even in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11
terrorist attacks.
Earlier this week, we sent out a special action alert
asking EFF supporters in the states that have senators
on the Intelligence Committee to speak out against the
bill. The response was swift. Within 24 hours, you
sent more than 1,600 faxes and emails to the committee.
Seven of the senators received 90 or more messages;
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) received more than
680 messages. Now the figure is up to 2,050 - roughly
half the number of letters typically sent over a
full week's time for alerts that are not restricted
to specific states.
We succeeded in attracting the senators' attention, but
the battle against PATRIOT expansion has just begun.
Early reports indicate that there is strong support for
the bill within the Intelligence Committee, despite the
public outcry. If you live in Kansas, Utah, Ohio,
Missouri, Maine, Nebraska, Georgia, Virginia, West
Virginia, Michigan, California, Oregon, Indiana, Maryland,
or New Jersey, and you haven't contacted your senator,
it's not too late. Take action today, and stay tuned to
EFFector and the EFF Action Center for the next steps
- your voice counts!
Say No to New PATRIOT Spying Powers:
http://action.eff.org/site/Advocacy?id=133
The above item is by, and courtesy of, the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
I am Chuck and this has been my blurb for the day.
PLEASE NOTE: This post has been edited to reflect a correction made in a revised edition of the Effector (the EFF newsletter) dated 26 May 2005. Also note that you no longer have to sign in or register with EFF to get to the Patriot Act notice. If you wish to send your senator the letter provided on the site, you merely need to enter your information (name, address, etc) in the appropriate boxes. Sorry for any problems this may have caused. --Chuck.
posted by Chuck | 00:43
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