Does Bush Mean It?

Before we can begin restoring lost liberties, we must put this lame duck Congress on notice that Americans want Congress to do its job: not act as a rubber stamp for the president. Here are two things you can do right now: Call Congress Ask five friends to call as well Dear Friend, Congress is back for their “lame duck” session. But if President Bush has his way, the impact on all of our rights will be anything but lame. That is why we urge you to take action today to protect fundamental due process and privacy rights during the remaining time of the 109th Congress. At a recent press conference, President Bush said, "... it is now our duty to put the elections behind us and work together with the Democrats and Independents on the great issues facing this country." But does he mean it? We aren’t so sure, since he is pushing the lame duck Congress to legalize and expand the illegal NSA wiretapping program. Let us be clear: It is our duty to do everything in our power to hold Bush to his word and hold fast against this dangerous agenda that has already damaged our nation. We must help our leaders to lay a groundwork for genuine change immediately, in the waning days of this 109th Congress, and then build on the promise of restoration and bipartisanship as soon as the 110th Congress convenes. The New York Times summed up the situation in a recent editorial: Without missing a beat, Mr. Bush made it clear that, for now, his idea of how to “put the elections behind us” is to use the Republicans’ last two months in control of Congress to try to push through one of the worst ideas his administration and its Republican allies on Capitol Hill have come up with: a bill that would legalize his illegal wiretapping program and gut the law that limits a president’s ability to abuse his power in this way. There are two things you can do right now to hold President Bush to his promise: Call Your Members of Congress Ask Five Friends to Take Action Please, call your Members of Congress right now. Ask them to vote "NO" on any bills, including appropriations bills, that rubberstamp the NSA program to spy on Americans without individual warrants or to grant immunity to those who participated in the program. Member of Congress District Phone D.C. Phone Senator Cantwell 206-220-6400 202-224-3441 Senator Murray 206-553-5545 202-224-2621 Representative Smith 253-896-3775 202-225-8901 We recommend you call their district offices first. If you want to make an even bigger impact, you can call both their local offices and their D.C. offices. Please let us know how your calls go here. To look up different Members of Congress, use this link. Here are the most important things to tell them: Americans have had enough of the unethical legacy of the 109th Congress. Immunizing the telecommunications companies that participated in warrantless spying is unethical because it denies proper oversight. Please use all means necessary to block attempts by this Congress to pass legislation that undermines the Constitution and American values such as checks and balances and the rule of law. The American people have spoken, and Bush says he will act in a bipartisan manner. Current proposals to rubberstamp NSA spying are a capitulation to the Bush administration, NOT bipartisan compromise. Congress needs to know the facts before legislating. Please investigate warrantless spying by the NSA as soon as possible. American voters have reinvigorated our system of checks and balances. They finally had enough of the 109th Congress — a Congress that has repeatedly rubber-stamped abuses of power, violated our most basic rights and stained our nation's legacy as the standard bearer for the protection of human rights. The abuses of power and serious infringements on our constitutional rights that have taken place can be reversed, but doing so will take effort. By asking this Congress to leave a final legacy that respects the rule of law and the will of the people, we can begin restoring our lost liberties and healing our democracy. You and other outspoken supporters of the ACLU deserve a great deal of the credit for helping lift the cloud over our democracy. But we are not done yet. It's still up to you and me — each and every one of us — to end the abuses and the utter absence of accountability that have been the hallmarks of our government over the last five years. So, please, pick up the phone and call Congress today! Sincerely, Anthony D. Romero Executive Director, ACLU and Caroline Fredrickson, Director ACLU Washington Legislative Office