Privacy Digest

Write a Letter to the Editor to Stop Telecom Immunity!: "Write to your local newspaper, blog or community website, and fight the latest round of shameful behavior by Congress and the telcos by taking the news to the public.

Your emails and phone calls to Congress have made an impact, as House representatives begin to speak out against telecom immunity. As Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said at a recent press conference, "These are not individual citizens without resources, these are major telecom companies with a phalanx of lawyers that understand the Constitution and the law."

The RESTORE Act represents the House's attempt to restore civil liberties lost to the executive branch in August, when Congress passed the "Protect America Act." For the moment, the RESTORE Act has no telecom immunity provision. But next week, the whole House will have a floor vote on the RESTORE Act -- there will be openings for last-minute amendments, and immunity is nearly guaranteed to be one of them. Including immunity in legislation could jeopardize EFF's case against AT&T -- one of the last, best hopes for judicial review of the wholesale surveillance of ordinary Americans.

We still need to get the word out, and we need your help. Write to your local newspaper, blog or community website, and fight the latest round of shameful behavior by Congress and the telecoms by taking the news to the public. Here are some important points to make:

* Congress shouldn't let the phone companies off the hook. When individuals break the law, they must stand up to their mistakes in court. Why should the telcos be able to buy their way out of the American system of justice?
* Congress should stop warrantless surveillance of ordinary Americans. Your senators and district representative must ensure that whenever a U.S. person is surveilled, the government must first get an individualized warrant.
* Congress shouldn't legislate in the dark. Your senators and district representative should oppose any expansion of spying authority until a full, thorough, and public investigation is complete.

For a list of your local media:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/

When submitting a letter to the editor, be sure to include your name, address and phone number so the newspaper, blog or community website can contact you for verification, and do your best to follow any guidelines on word count while still making a thorough and clear argument.

Until the end of October, you can opt to send your completed draft to letterhelp@eff.org. We'll do our best to proofread the letter and make sure that you've got the main points. Naturally, this is completely optional -- feel free to send your letter directly to your local newspaper, blog or community website.

(Read Original Article - Via EFF Action Alerts.)