ACLU and American Conservative Union Launch New Ads, Right-Left Partnership Calls for No Expansions of Patriot Act

September 28, 2004

The American Civil Liberties Union and the American Conservative Union today launched a new print advertisement in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel urging Congressman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) not to “confuse the Patriot Act with patriotism” and specifically asking Congress not to include any expansions of the controversial Patriot Act in any legislation to implement the 9/11 commission’s recommendations.

“As this unusual alliance demonstrates, preserving freedom and privacy are not limited to one political ideology,” said Laura W. Murphy, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. “Nowhere in the 9/11 commission’s report was there a call for an expansion of the Patriot Act. Any legislation designed to implement the commission’s recommendations should not include any Patriot 2 powers.”

“Preserving freedom and liberty is an ideal that transcends party politics,” added David Keene, Chairman of the American Conservative Union, the nation's oldest conservative organization. “While few would disagree with the need for many of the anti-terrorist tools included in the Patriot Act, any legislation passed in haste is likely to need fine-tuning. As Congress implements the recommendations of the 9/11 commission, we must always remember that it is our way of life and the freedoms that make this nation unique that we are defending."

Following the release of the 9/11 commission’s report, multiple measures have been introduced in Congress to implement their recommendations. In the advertisement set to run today in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the ACLU and ACU call upon lawmakers to not include any expansions of the Patriot Act in any legislation to implement the 9/11 commission’s recommendations. Similar ads are running in Alaska, Washington D.C. and Utah.

Resolutions against sections of the Patriot Act have already been passed by several communities in Wisconsin. These localities, including Madison, Milwaukee and Douglas County, are part of more than 356 communities across the country of all political stripes – including four states – that have passed resolutions calling for a fix to troubling sections of the Patriot Act. Many contain language calling for the most controversial provisions of the Patriot Act to be brought back in line with American traditions. In total, almost 54 million Americans are represented by these resolutions.

In the Senate, the leading legislation is the Collins-Lieberman “National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004” (S. 2845), which closely mirrors the commission’s findings, and according to the ACLU, contains none of the provisions of the draft “Patriot Act 2” legislation leaked from the Justice Department last year. The Senate is expected to vote on this legislation as early as Wednesday.

The House leadership unveiled their bill late last Friday, and their “9/11 Commission Implementation Act,” which contains several Patriot 2 provisions, and other expansions on law enforcement powers not called for by the 9/11 commission. The ACLU called the House bill a “virtual wish list for law enforcement that would undermine liberty.”

Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard from the co-sponsors of the bi-partisan Security and Freedom Ensured (SAFE) Act of 2003, a measure designed to fine tune the Patriot Act. Senators Larry Craig (R-ID) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) highlighted the controversial provisions of the Patriot Act, citing the 'John Doe' roving wiretaps, "sneak-and-peek" searches, and the law enforcement access to "business" records, including library, financial and medical records. The SAFE Act aims to protection against government abuse without hindering law enforcement.

“Commitment to the Constitution should transcend political ideologies,” said Christopher Ahmuty, Director of the ACLU of Wisconsin. “The right and left don't often agree – but when they do, it’s because of their commitment to preserve freedom and liberty. Congressman Sensenbrenner must listen to the millions of Americans who demand that we be both safe and free.”

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