"Naturally, the common people don't want war... (but) it is always a simple matter to drag people along ... All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country. --Herman Goerring at the 1946 Nuremberg trials. The "USA PATRIOT Act," meant as a temporary, emergency roll-back of American civil liberties after the 9/11 attacks, may become permanent this week. Senators from both parties are resisting the removal of these freedoms, but they need our support right now. In the weeks after the World Trade Center attack, Congress felt the need to take drastic action. One of their most extreme steps was to restrict or eliminate a whole list of freedoms and liberties, which for generations have defined what it means to be an American. Many representatives didn't even read the "USA PATRIOT Act" before voting it into law. The only redeeming feature of the Act was that the repeal of these liberties would be temporary. Now that the expiration date for those restrictions has arrived, Congressional leaders are trying to push through a new version which would extend the lifetime of some of them and make the others last forever. Tell your Senator not to make the PATRIOT Act's emergency measures permanent. To send a message to your Senator, go to: http://action.truemajority.org/campaign/patriot_act_renewal
