July 6, 2004 Letter to Representative Moran
PO Box 8208
Alexandria, VA 22306-8208
July 6, 2004
The Honorable James P. Moran
U.S House of Representatives
2239 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-4608
As your constituent, I urge you to support Representative Sanders’ amendment to the appropriations bill for the Justice Department that would forbid the FBI from searching your library and book-buying records without probable cause of any crime or intent to commit a crime.
The amendment is part of the groundswell against the USA Patriot Act. Resolutions against the Patriot Act have passed in more than 330 communities across the country. These communities cover millions of people who are concerned about the USA Patriot Act and its impacts on civil liberties. In response to one section of the Patriot Act alone, many librarians across the country have decided to put up signs warning patrons that the FBI may be snooping in their records.
The Sanders amendment would restore constitutional protections. The Fourth Amendment guarantees protections from unreasonable searches and seizures. The “Freedom to Read” amendment would help uphold the key principles of privacy and checks and balances against unlimited government power.
When Congress voted for the Patriot Act, it insisted that some of the legislation’s most controversial provisions were temporary and would come up for review. Now is the time for Congress to fulfill its initial promise and deliver a robust and full review of the Patriot Act and how the government is using its extraordinary law enforcement powers.
As a former Marine and veteran of the Gulf War, I am appalled at my nation’s adoption of fascist police state tactics, such as the PATRIOT Act. I urge you to help roll back the police state and look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter.
Sincerely,
James Landrith
August 11, 2004
Mr. James Landrith
PO BOX 8208
Alexandria, Virginia 22306-8208
Dear Mr. Landrith:
Thank you for contacting me concerning the Sanders amendment to the 2005 Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations bill.
As you may know, Representative Sanders offered an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, State (CJS) Appropriations bill that mirrors the intent of his legislation, H.R. 1157, the “Freedom to Read Protection Act.” I am a cosponsor of this bill, which would reinstate legal standards for investigations of libraries and bookstores, which were in place before the passage of section 215 of the USA Patriot Act.
During consideration of the CJS bill, Representative Sanders’ amendment was defeated after the House Republican Leadership held open the vote an additional twenty minutes until they were able to persuade enough members to change their votes to defeat the amendment. I am troubled by the House Majority’s actions and their track record of trampling on the rights of the minority in the House. As a supporter of the amendment, you can be assured that I will continue to work in favor of appropriate efforts to repeal provisions of the PATRIOT Act, such as Section 215, that run the risk of violating our American civil liberties.
Please feel free to visit my updated website at http://www.house.gov/moran that contains information on topics that may be of interest. Thank you again for contacting me.
Yours truly,
James P. Moran
JPM/ado