E-Actions for Freedom

Oakland, CA: Attend Independent Policy Forum on PATRIOT Acts I & II

PATRIOT Acts I & II: The New Assault on Liberty?
Next Independent Policy Forum (11/13/03)
Featuring James Bovard, David Cole, and Margaret Russell
http://www.independent.org/tii/forums/031113ipf.html

The recent unveiling of White House plans for PATRIOT Act II has
raised concerns nationwide about the state of American civil
liberties in a time of crisis. Since the attacks on September 11 and
the enactment of the USA PATRIOT Act, the Bush administration has
clashed with civil libertarians over allegations of constitutional
violations and the excessive use of government powers.

With an expansion of the PATRIOT Act now before Congress, what do the
American people stand to gain or lose from its passage? Is the
increased power of law enforcement a necessary response to terrorism
or a reckless assault on our constitutional protections?

Please join the Independent Institute's Center on Peace & Liberty and
our panel of distinguished experts as we examine the key issues in
this crucial national debate.

SPEAKERS:

JAMES BOVARD is author of the new book, TERRORISM AND TYRANNY:
Trampling Freedom, Justice and Peace to Rid the World of Evil, and a
Policy Advisor at the Future of Freedom Foundation. He is a frequent
contributor to PLAYBOY, AMERICAN SPECTATOR, and INVESTOR'S BUSINESS
DAILY. He is the author of five books and a past recipient of the
Free Press Association's Mencken Award for his book, LOST RIGHTS.

DAVID COLE is professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center.
He works as a staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights,
specializing in First Amendment litigation and other constitutional
issues. He is the legal affairs correspondent for THE NATION, a
columnist for LEGAL TIMES, and a commentator on National Public
Radio's program, "All Things Considered." He is the author of the
books, ENEMY ALIENS, and TERRORISM AND THE CONSTITUTION: Sacrificing
Civil Liberties in the Name of National Security.

MARGARET RUSSELL is professor of law at Santa Clara University. She
serves on the ACLU National Board and is the Chair of the ACLU of
Northern California. She received her J.D. from Stanford University
where she returned after public advocacy work to serve as the
Director of Public Interest Programs and Assistant Dean of Student
Affairs. She has traveled to Nicaragua to act as an election monitor
and to South Africa to consult with the African National Congress on
constitution drafting.

WHEN:
Thursday, November 13, 2003
Reception and book signing: 7:00 p.m.
Program: 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.

WHERE:
The Independent Institute Conference Center
100 Swan Way
Oakland, CA 94621-1428
For a map and directions, see
http://www.independent.org/tii/tii_info/about.html#map

TICKETS: $35 Special Admission: Includes one copy of TERRORISM AND
TYRANNY, by James Bovard, or ENEMY ALIENS, by David Cole. (20% off
cover price!). Admission without a book is $15 per person (or $10 for
Independent Institute Members). Reserve tickets by calling (510)
632-1366.

Praise for the featured books:

ENEMY ALIENS, by David D. Cole:

"A powerful book . . . David Cole lets the facts speak, and the
result is gripping."
--THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS

"Brilliantly argued."
--Edward W. Said, late Professor, Columbia University

"David Cole is one of the country's great voices for civil liberties today."
--Anthony Lewis, columnist

"Careful and thorough professional advice about how to protect
immigrants' rights . . . the essential book in the field."
--James Woolsey, former Director, Central Intelligence Agency

TERRORISM AND TYRANNY, by James Bovard:

"Invaluable....the best one-stop source I've seen for what various
officials actually said at various times, suffused with intelligent
analysis."
--Alan Bock, columnist, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

"Bovard is...a one-man truth squad who is more than a match for
legions of protectionists in American government and industry."
--George Will, columnist, WASHINGTON POST

"If you want to know what is really going on in President Bush's War
on Terror, read TERRORISM AND TYRANNY..."
--Charley Reese, syndicated columnist

"Meticulously documented from contemporary news accounts, this rant
against Bush's 'aura of righteousness' may well leave readers as
angry as its author."
--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

For further information about this event, see
http://www.independent.org/tii/forums/031113ipf.html

Stop RAVE Act II

Stop RAVE Act II

Congress is considering a sequel to the RAVE Act that is even more draconian than the first. If enacted, the Ecstasy Awareness Act would throw people in jail who organize raves or similar electronic dance events if some of their customers used drugs. Fax your Representative and tell him or her not to co-sponsor this dangerous bill.

Help Stop "Drugs and Terrorism" VICTORY Act

From the Drug Policy Alliance:

***Taking Away More of Our Rights
***New "Drugs and Terrorism" Bill Must Be Stopped

Senators are drafting a "drugs and terrorism" bill that could treat many non-violent drug offenders as terrorists and strip away civil liberties from every American. Unless you tell your Senators "No way!" it could be introduced soon.

Fax your Senators here!

It was bad enough that the government used tax payer dollars to produce ads calling marijuana users terrorists. Now things are more serious and the government is trying to create new laws to boost their 'drug war' in the name of fighting terrorism.

'Vital Interdiction of Criminal Terrorist Organizations (VICTORY) Act of 2003' could turn out to be more devastating for us (the ones these laws should protect) than the PATRIOT Act. The Drug Policy Alliance has been working behind the scenes to secure opposition to the bill in Congress and help remove some of the most dangerous provisions. Now we need your help.

Most recent drafts of the legislation would expand the Justice Department's already overbearing PATRIOT Act powers to provide extra penalties for drug sellers alleged to provide funding to terrorist groups (even if they do not know that they are connected with terrorists). Dramatically expanding the government's 'big brother' powers, the VICTORY Act also allows the government to spy on citizens without the checks and balances needed to prevent abuse.

Frightening as it is, Drug Policy Alliance believes that with enough pressure the VICTORY Act can be stopped before it's even introduced. Fax your Senators today to urge them not to co-sponsor or support the VICTORY Act. If Senator Hatch cannot find enough co-sponsors for his legislation, he may be forced to rethink this unnecessary legislation.

ACTIONS TO TAKE

1) Fax your Senators here.

2) Forward this alert to your friends and family

A draft of the bill obtained by the Drug Policy Alliance can be read here.

Help fund promotion efforts for "BUSTED: The Citizen’s Guide to Surviving Police Encounters"

My friend, Troy Dayton is working on the winter release of a controversial new instructional video called BUSTED: The Citizen’s Guide to Surviving Police Encounters. From what I know of Troy, if he's working on it, it's a good thing. It certainly sounds good -- if you've ever been subject to a less-than-ideal police encounter, you know that it's not as fun as it appears. This is a message Troy asked me to pass on, and I hope you'll act to help him and Flex Your Rights.

This film teaches people what the laws are and it exposes all the tricks and intimidation tactics that police use and how to legally avoid them. Believe it or not there are a few rights we still have in America. This movie shows you how to use them through realistically recreating the actual stress of real police encounters.

We’ve all had friends get busted for stupid things because they weren’t prepared to assert their rights or because they were unclear on specifically what their rights were. Especially when you’re not doing anything illegal, it’s our civic duty to not consent to warrantless searches to ensure that cops play by the rules and to be an example for others.

Check it out at www.flexyourrights.org. They’ve gotten some great testimonials from some big names and the website has screenshots, useful information about the laws, and a place to donate to the effort.

Flex Your Rights needs to raise $50,000 by January 1 to pay for media, distribution, advertising, and outreach efforts powerful enough to hit their goal of having 100,000 people view BUSTED in the first year. Anyone who donates $35 or more gets a free copy of BUSTED when it comes out this winter. There are other benefits for giving more. Because the work they are doing now is geared towards creating exposure around the winter release, $1 donated now is worth like $10 given four months from now. All donations are tax-deductible. Put “friend of Troy’s” in the notes field.

You can donate via secure server here.

Troy has been raising money for non-profits for years and he has never asked me to donate before. I can definitely see how this could go big and make a measurable difference in people’s lives.

BUSTED is a production of the Flex Your Rights Foundation made possible by a grant from the Marijuana Policy Project. It’s directed by award-winning director, Roger Sorkin and narrated by Ira Glasser, who was the president of the ACLU for 23 years.