NEW CAMPAIGN: Support the “Surveillance State Repeal Act”

We’re launching a new campaign!

Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) has done a good thing. He has introduced the “Surveillance State Repeal Act (HR 2818).” Read the sample letter to Congress, below, to learn what the bill does. Then send the letter to your elected reps using our new campaign.

The hardwired message to Congress reads…

Co-sponsor the “Surveillance State Repeal Act (HR 2818).”

Here’s the sample letter to Congress that also explains the bill:

I love this bill because it…

– Prohibits the government from requiring that surveillance “back-doors” be built into my electronic devices and software
– Mandates that the FISA courts utilize technologically competent “Special Masters” — experts who can challenge the veracity of government claims about the need for surveillance
– Repeals the PATRIOT Act
– Repeals much of the FISA Amendments Act

PATRIOT was the rationale for the telephone-metadata harvesting provision. FISA Amendments was the basis for harvesting my emails. This bill would kill those Snowden-revealed programs!

But these repeals don’t gut intelligence gathering. They just make it look more Constitutional. The bill still…

– Ensures that any FISA surveillance of a US Person can only happen with a valid warrant based on probable cause . This was the original FISA standard from 1978 to 2001
– Retains the ability to surveil a specific natural person, based on a warrant , regardless of the type of communications being used
– Retains provisions dealing with the acquisition of intelligence about weapons of mass destruction from entities not composed primarily of U.S. Persons

I want to hear that you are co-sponsoring this bill immediately.

— END OF SAMPLE LETTER —

You can send your letter to Congress using DownsizeDC.org’s Educate the Powerful System.

You will receive a copy of your letter to Congress via email. Please share your letter with friends and ask them to take the same action.

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Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.