ACLU Joins Conservatives to Restore Freedoms Lost Under Patriot Act; "Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances" Hopes to Shape National Dialogue

March 23, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media@dcaclu.org

WASHINGTON -The American Civil Liberties Union said today that it has joined forces with the several conservative organizations to fix the most extreme provisions of the Patriot Act, some of which are scheduled to "sunset," or expire, at the end of the year. Former Congressman Bob Barr, a Republican from Georgia, will chair the new group, "Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances," which includes Americans for Tax Reform, the American Conservative Union and others.

"Commitment to America’s freedoms transcends any political ideology," said Laura W. Murphy, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. "The Patriot Act went too far, too fast, and now is the time to determine what freedoms have been unnecessarily lost in the name of national security. Now is the time for Congress to restore those freedoms."

The new organization is urging Congress to thoroughly review the most intrusive and constitutionally suspect provisions of the Patriot Act. Specifically, the act allows federal agents to gather highly personal information -- including library, medical and gun purchase records-- without criminal suspicion, permits secret searches of homes and businesses with indefinite notification, and expands the definition of domestic terrorism to potentially include political protest.

"Checks and balances are absolutely essential, even and especially during times of threat," Barr said. "Our message is universal: liberty is not divisible, even in the face of terrorism, and we must not allow any part of it to be sacrificed in our efforts to defeat acts of terrorism."

The growing list of member organizations includes -- in addition to the ACLU, the American Conservative Union, Americans for Tax Reform, Free Congress Foundation, the American Policy Center, Citizens' Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the Second Amendment Foundation and the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons.


http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/Safe...ID=17798&c=206

http://www.checksbalances.org/index.php