Supporters of democracy had a crucial victory last week, when a federal court told the FBI to lift a gag order that limits the Patriot Act debate. If affirmed on appeal, the judge’s ruling would allow our client to speak about the dangerous provisions that allow FBI demands for library and Internet records.

This win in court could not be better timed for our work in Congress. And the momentum is on our side. As a joint “conference committee” prepares to meet on Patriot Act renewal, nearly 100 lawmakers have already joined “Dear Conferee” letters asking their colleagues to support the Senate reforms to the Patriot Act.

While not perfect, the Senate bill is a significant improvement over the proposals in the House version, which would do nothing to fix serious civil liberties threats in the Patriot Act and would actually make the law worse in many respects. You can help right now. Please click here to urge your own senator or representative to sign on to a “Dear Conferee” letter.

We still have a chance to make a difference. Last week, thousands of you organized or attended events to watch the premiere of “Beyond the Patriot Act,” the first episode of the ACLU Freedom Files, the new television series from the ACLU and Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films (the company behind Unconstitutional and Outfoxed).

>From Florida to Alaska and California to Massachusetts, hundreds of concerned Americans turned out to watch this ground-breaking program. Even Mississippi, recovering from Katrina, carried on the fight to defend the Constitution.

>From a screening in South Carolina, host Heather Parks writes, “Everyone at the meeting either felt violated, or the possibility of being violated. The Patriot Act effectively dilutes and destroys the ‘checks and balances’ written into the Constitution that protect some of the most basic of our freedoms--we are finding that people are really scared and enraged about that.”

At Arizona State University, nearly 40 people gathered for a campus screening. Host Zarinah Nadir says many attendees had never realized the full implications of the Patriot Act. "Many of them were law students--very well informed and very well read--but they were amazed and shocked."

We need you to take action now because whether Congress includes some needed reforms to the Patriot Act this year will be decided in the next few weeks.

September 14, 2005

Today's Additional Actions:

Sign the "Let John Doe Speak" Petition

Every day, the Bush Administration operates with a stunning disregard for fundamental democratic principles -- nothing demonstrates this better than the FBI using a Patriot Act power to gag a citizen from participating in the Patriot Act debate.

You can make a difference in our fight today by signing our "Let John Doe Speak" petition.

The ACLU represents John Doe, a member of the American Library Association with first-hand knowledge about the FBI's use of National Security Letters to demand people's library records. Our client is eager to share information with the public and Congress today, while our leaders are still debating Patriot Act reform.

Last week a Connecticut court ordered the FBI to lift the gag preventing our client from discussing this critical and relevant information, but as of this hour, he stands in silence.

As the clock is ticking towards House and Senate votes on the Patriot Act, John Doe is being prevented from participation by our own government.

Click here to sign our petition telling Attorney General Gonzales to stop gagging librarians from participating in the Patriot Act debate.