Tell U.S. Senate to Reject Telecom Immunity
 
Resent-Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:10:12 -0600 (CST)


Consider for a moment that your government has engaged in widespread
spying on Americans' phone calls and emails.  Consider further that
many of this nation's telecommunications companies knowingly helped
the government with this surveillance.

Now how would you feel if these telecommunications companies were
granted complete immunity against lawsuits brought by customers
whose privacy rights were violated?

We hope you feel -- as we do -- that this would be entirely
inappropriate.  If you do, we urge you to take a minute and send
an email to your U.S. senators before they vote on this issue as
early as tomorrow (January 24).

Take action by following the link:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2165/t/1027/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22486

Starting in 2001, the Bush administration's National Security Agency
engaged in a massive warrantless wiretapping program in violation
of our Constitution.  The administration blatantly ignored laws and
procedures under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)
designed to protect the privacy rights of citizens.

The government could not have conducted this warrantless surveillance
without assistance from the nation's telecommunications companies,
which willingly -- and, quite likely, illegally -- turned over
customer records to the government.  The claims by these companies
that they were acting in the best interests of the country in order
to enhance national security have been undermined by recent reports
that government wiretaps have been cut off by the very same companies
when the government failed to pay its bills on time.[1]

It seems the telecommunications companies care more about their
profits than our protection.

The U.S. House has already passed an update to FISA that does NOT
include immunity for the telecommunications companies.  As the
Senate considers its own legislation, it is imperative that it
exclude immunity, as well.

Please convey this message to your two senators by following the
link:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2165/t/1027/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22486

Thank you for taking action.

Best, Steve

Steve Fox Campaign Director American Freedom Campaign

[1]  "FBI wiretaps cut off over unpaid bills," Guardian Unlimited,
January 11, 2008 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2239189,00.html)