Last night, the U.S. House voted to shred the Constitution by passing H.R. 514, a bill to extend three controversial provisions of the Fourth Amendment-destroying “PATRIOT” Act until December 8, 2011.
After C4L’s members helped thwart the statists’ initial attempts to pass it early last week, they rammed it through last night by a vote of 275-144.
Although you and I were unable to permanently defeat the “PATRIOT” Act in the House, our actions had a much bigger impact than the establishment could have ever predicted, and C4L will continue to hold those who trade liberty for supposed “security” accountable.
Now the fight shifts to the U.S. Senate, where Rand Paul is prepared to lead the battle to defend the Bill of Rights.
Last night, the Senate tried to sneak through a 3-year extension under unanimous consent, but Senator Paul prevented this by standing up and objecting.
If you haven’t yet watched Senator Paul’s statement regarding why he opposes the so-called “PATRIOT” Act, click on the image below to view it.
Contact your senators right away. Make sure they get the message that you expect them to follow Senator Paul’s lead in championing civil liberties over political expediency.
The habit of statist “solutions” will die hard in Congress. Until this year with Campaign for Liberty taking the lead, no major organized opposition to the “PATRIOT” Act was undertaken. Now, for the first time, thousands of phone calls and emails are hitting Congress just as the leadership of both parties is saying reauthorization is no big deal.
The statists will probably prevail this time. But they may not. And, most importantly, as we have seen time and again (Audit the Fed), fights that seem hopeless one year become opportunities a year or two later. The harder you fight for liberty today, the sooner we will prevail in the future.
Campaign for Liberty refuses to surrender this fight. Thanks for all you do in defense of freedom, and I hope you’ll continue to help us see the battle through to victory.
In True Patriotism,
John Tate, President
