40 ordspråk av Caroline Fredrickson

Caroline Fredrickson

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As Congress comes back to work out the differences in the House and Senate bills to reauthorize the Patriot Act, a commitment to freedom must prevail. The more we learn about the Patriot Act, the clearer it is that too much power was granted to the government, with too few safeguards against abuse. While neither reauthorization bill is perfect, we call on Congress to use the Senate bill as its guide as it reconsiders the Patriot Act.

I think one of the fundamental roles of Congress is to exercise oversight of the executive branch. And it's not happening.

Congress must assert its proper role and seek the truth. A government that fails to honor its own laws is a government that fails its people. With the proper oversight and action, Congress can help restore the constitutional system of checks and balances.

Regardless of what happens with this agreement, Congress can, and must fix the Patriot Act to better protect the privacy and freedom of ordinary Americans. At the same time, until the Bush administration stops the illegal NSA program to spy on Americans and stops ignoring the rule of law, any reforms to the Patriot Act could be ignored under the extreme philosophy of power embraced by this president. No matter the result of the Patriot Act, we hope all senators involved in these negotiations will resist pressure from the administration. Congress must restore the rule of law and insist that innocent Americans' rights be protected against the overreaching of the White House. We can, and must, be both safe and free.

Our democratic system relies on transparency and candor from the executive, and so far, we have seen neither. The White House was quick to defend the program, but when pressed for the facts, it has refused to provide them. Congress must conduct oversight and let the American public know the answers to the critical questions surrounding this illegal program. An aggressive public relations campaign and secret hearings cannot restore the public's confidence.

Serious problems remain in the Patriot Act that require serious reforms.

Serious problems remain in the Patriot Act that require serious reforms. Unfortunately, the proposed changes to the reauthorization bill do not correct the secret record search powers and do not require that there be any individualized suspicion of wrongdoing by Americans before their financial, medical, library or other records can be searched. Common sense reforms could have required that records sought be connected to a suspected terrorist or terrorist organization. We will continue to press for these and other needed reforms to protect American freedoms.

Lawmakers must not forget their oaths and disregard the administration's infringement of average Americans' constitutional rights. The White House has repeatedly admitted to the use of warrant-less wiretaps and has yet to be held accountable. Checks and balances on presidential power are essential to protect the rights of Americans.

The Patriot Act debate is far from over, and we will continue to fight for reforms to protect civil liberties. While Congress failed to adopt much-needed reforms to the law to better protect freedom and privacy, lawmakers also rejected pressure from the White House to include significant and unwarranted expansions of government power. We applaud those fair-minded lawmakers that have fought to bring the law in line with the Constitution, and together, we will continue to push for reforms to keep America safe and free.

These provisions, if adopted, would have a chilling effect on the First Amendment rights of the American people. The right of the people to petition the government must not be denied or abridged. Congress can and should take steps to address corruption and the undue influence of special interests without sacrificing the rights of Americans to petition government.

When presidents have overstepped the rule of law, history demonstrates how it undermined our core freedoms. We hope that Congress will assert its proper oversight role and demand accountability from the administration. The American people deserve no less from their government. Freedom and liberty must not be trumped by presidential power.

It is clear that this illegal program violates our Constitution and laws governing surveillance. The president's false choice between securing our nation and preserving our Constitution must be rejected. Congress has an obligation to determine the truth, especially since the administration is unwilling to check itself. Hearings like this help ensure steps are taken so the rule of law is respected by all, even the president.

The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy, and an essential protection of that right is the Voting Rights Act. Every voice must be heard and every vote must be counted. State and local governments continue to adopt voting laws, practices and procedures that deny equal access to voting - without the Voting Rights Act, there would be little protection against these efforts to deny some of us our right to vote. The Voting Rights Act is necessary to help ensure that every American citizen is able to exercise the franchise.

Congress cannot approve an illegal program when so many questions remain unanswered. When the rule of law has been broken by anyone, especially a president, the proper response is a full and independent investigation.

This amendment is a commonsense step in the right direction. Politicians of all stripes should rally behind this effort to promote health families and healthy pregnancies.

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