OK, this is an odd one - a petition, but important information. Popping it up in here as this is the first I have seen on it.
http://defundthensa.com/ Dear Internet,
It's been just over a month since new information on the NSA’s dragnet domestic surveillance program was leaked to the public. Tomorrow, Congress is voting on an amendment that would block funding for NSA programs using Section 215 of the Patriot Act to mass collect the call records of innocent Americans.
A win tomorrow may start a chain reaction that leads to real reform - but it won't happen unless we speak up. We have one day to convince Congress to act.
A critical vote is happening tomorrow, July 24th, on the Defense Appropriations Bill in the House of Representatives. The bill gives taxpayer money to fund defense programs, including the NSA, which is part of the Department of Defense.
Yesterday, an important bipartisan amendment to that bill was green-lighted to be voted on tomorrow. Proposed by Rep. Justin Amash (MI), the amendment would remove funding for NSA programs using the Patriot Act for blanket collection of phone records and metadata from phone service providers.
The summary of the amendment on the House of Representatives website reads:
Ends authority for the blanket collection of records under the Patriot Act. Bars the NSA and other agencies from using Section 215 of the Patriot Act to collect records, including telephone call records, that pertain to persons who are not subject to an investigation under Section 215.
In other words, while the amendment would not actually defund the NSA or all NSA surveillance, it would defund surveillance conducted under Section 215 of the Patriot Act of millions of ordinary Americans who are not the targets of any investigation.
The vote on this bill is critical. We need to flood Congress with calls in support of the amendment, and hold our representatives accountable.
If you care about the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution and if you believe that privacy is critical to liberty, now is the time to act.
Just a few dozen calls to a single representative can change the way they vote. You can also contact Congress via Demand Progress's website.
This critical amendment to secure our privacy won't pass without public support. One in ten people who visit this site will take action and call their representatives.
Will you be one of them?
