FISA Fight: Leahy and Conyers on amnesty

Patrick Leahy has upped his efforts in his opposition to fellow chair Jay Rockefeller's insistence on blanket, retroactive amnesty for the telcos. It's a rare thing for a member of the Senate to so actively and publically oppost the actions of a fellow Senator and committee chair.

He's joined with House judiciary chair John Conyers in asking for your help (by e-mail):

As the chairmen of the U.S. House and Senate Judiciary Committees tasked with modernizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), we are working hard in Congress to pass a FISA bill that protects our national security, preserves our civil liberties, and denies the Senate's retroactive immunity to phone companies that participated in the Bush-Cheney Administration warrantless surveillance program.

Now we're at a critical juncture. The House and Senate have passed different versions of the new FISA legislation, and we are meeting to resolve those differences.  The president and his Republican allies are using this opportunity to pressure our colleagues to give in and grant retroactive immunity.  President Bush has been irresponsibly making false claims that we are more vulnerable to terrorism until a new bill is passed.

That's why we need your help, right now, to push back against the White House while the final FISA bill is being negotiated. Will you write a letter-to-the-editor of your local newspaper to speak out and build grassroots support for fixing FISA the right way? Help us respond to White House scare tactics, preserve our civil liberties, and reject the Senate's telecom immunity.

You can take action at FixFISA.com. This is an opportunity to fight back against Bush's fearmongering and scare tactics. It's a chance to spread the truth in your community and encourage your representatives in Congress to do the right thing.