aclu.org/site/Advocacy?alertId=687&pg=makeACall&page=UserAction

We've just heard that the House of Representatives is expected to vote this afternoon on legislation to "modernize" FISA. The FISA "modernization" bill is actually an administration power grab -- expanding the National Security Agency's access to all of our international telephone and email communications -- regardless of any known connection to terrorists. Even if you've already called your lawmakers, and even if they've said they'll vote against it, we need you to pick up the phone right away and tell them to vote NO on FISA Modernization.

Lawmakers -- both Democrats and Republicans -- are determined to pass a FISA "modernization" bill before they leave for this summer recess, which was supposed to start today, but they're determined to stay over the weekend. Knowing this, your calls are more important than ever.

For talking points and to tell us you called, go to:

https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?alertId=687&pg=makeACall&page=UserAction

Thank you so much,

Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director

American Civil Liberties Union

-----Original Message-----

From: Caroline Fredrickson

Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2007 1:06 PM

To:

Subject: Urgent: Stop the Spying Sellout

NO NEW POWERS

Congress needs to hear from you right now -- before they grant the president new spying powers.

Take Action Now Before Congress Sells Out Our Privacy and Hastily Rewrites Our Spying Rules.

https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?alertId=687&pg=makeACall&page=UserAction

Dear Friend,

We need you to take action right now -- before Congress sells out our privacy.

President Bush is facing more resistance than he expected as he tries to undo oversight for NSA spying. This morning, The Los Angeles Times exposed that the Bush Administration's real motivation is a disagreement with the top-secret FISA court that limits spying abuses. If Congress gives Bush what he wants, those legal limits won't be in his way.

Take action right now -- before Congress sells out our privacy.

https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?alertId=687&pg=makeACall&page=UserAction

Thanks to your phone calls, Democratic leaders in Congress are re-evaluating their stance on Bush’s proposed overhaul of the spying rules. But the fight is not over. We need you to keep calling.

President Bush wants Congress to give Attorney General Alberto Gonzales exclusive power to decide who is “reasonably believed to be outside the United States” and to force Internet and telecommunications companies in the United States to comply with requests for data or access to emails and phone calls without warrants and without court review. That low standard and lack of accountability will undoubtedly sweep up the phone calls and emails of Americans who are on the other end of the communication, putting our privacy at risk.

Make no mistake, if Congress doesn’t take a stand now, Bush will continue to bulldoze over Congress and play on lawmakers’ timidity and political calculation in the months ahead. No president should have powers to spy on Americans’ emails or phone calls without individual warrants, period.

Take Action Now Before Congress Sells Out Our Privacy.

Democratic leaders in Congress now claim they won’t put Gonzales in charge of spying. And they also claim they won’t agree to any “compromise” on NSA surveillance unless the rules require warrants in some form to spy on Americans, and some court review.

But details remain murky. There is still a very real danger Democrats will go along with much of what the administration has been pushing for, putting our telephone and email communications at risk.

We face extraordinary circumstances, so we are asking you to keep the pressure on. Congress is set to vote on this today or tomorrow, before they go home for recess.

Take Action Now Before Congress Sells Out Our Privacy.

Sincerely,

Caroline Fredrickson

Director

ACLU Washington Legislative Office

P.S. Your phone call today will help send a strong message that we expect our members of Congress to protect our privacy. Please, call your representative today and tell your friends.

You can read this morning's Los Angeles Times article here.