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STOP PATRIOT ACT II BEFORE IT BECOMES LAW!

The Dept. of Justice, under Attorney General John Ashcroft, has drafted the "Domestic Security Enhancement Act" (aka Patriot Act II) which would grant to the government new, ominous law enforcement and intelligence gathering powers. How could this affect you? Here's a partial checklist:

• Are you politically active?  Patriot Act II would allow the government to spy on your First Amendment-protected activities, by applying an overly broad definition of "terrorism," using wiretapping and other electronic surveillance under the authority of the top-secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
• Concerned about keeping your credit reports and other personal information private?  Under Patriot Act II, the government could gain secret access to credit reports without your consent or judicial process.  Other personal information, without any connection to activity in terrorist organizations, could be shared with local and state law enforcement.
• Worried about immigrants' rights?  Patriot Act II would authorize secret arrests in immigration cases.
• Think your genetic information is just that: yours?  Think again!  The act would allow for the sampling and cataloguing of citizens' genetic information without court order or consent.
• Angry about overreaction during a time of increased national insecurity?  The proposed act would allow the government to strip your citizenship, even if you are only engaging in lawful activities of a group designated as a "terrorist organization" by the Attorney General.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY!

1. SEND A LETTER TO SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN at 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510.  The most effective letter is in your own words, handwritten or typed on plain paper or personal stationery.  Why should you write to Senator Feinstein?  She has been monitoring the executive's actions under the USA PATRIOT Act (now Public Law #107-56), through her positions on the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committees.  Recently, she took a leadership role in demanding a halt to the Pentagon's system for Total Information Awareness.
2. Let the ACLU, co-sponsoring this letter-writing campaign with the AFSC, know that you have sent a letter by contacting: Sanjeev Bery, ACLU Organizer/Advocate, [email protected], ACLU of Northern California, 1663 Mission Street, Ste. 460, SF, CA  94103.  (415) 621-2493 OR (415) 255-1478 fax.  THANK YOU!