September 28, 2004
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Lee joined Congressman Bernie Sanders at a press conference today to receive petitions, gathered at bookstores and libraries nationwide, urging the repeal of Section 215 of the Patriot Act.
Section 215 of the Patriot Act gives the FBI access to "books, records, papers, documents and other items" when the agency gets a warrant from a special secret federal anti-terrorism court. Library or bookstore staff who reveal that an investigation is under way can be charged with a felony.
The petitions were presented by author Salman Rushdie, president of PEN American Center; former Colorado Rep. Patricia Schroeder, president of the Association of American Publishers; and Carla Hayden of the American Library Association.
Congresswoman Lee, a leader in the effort to repeal portions of the Patriot Act, issued the following statement:
“Thank you for these petitions and for joining us in our effort to overturn Section 215 of the Patriot Act. We get the message loud and clear and we are here today to say we will not give up our fight to correct this gross injustice.”
“We all know the Patriot Act was passed in a blind rush, and in that rush to judgment Congress trampled some important civil liberties – including the right to read.”
“Justice is supposed to be blind, but lawmakers should not be. We must not sacrifice our fundamental freedoms in the Age of Ashcroft. We cannot allow basic Constitutional freedoms to be a casualty of the war on terrorism.
I ask you, what kind of patriot would allow that to happen? Let’s restore to all Americans the freedom to read.”
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Barbara Lee Receives Petitions to Repeal Patriot Act Provision
Calls for restoring freedom to read
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Lee joined Congressman Bernie Sanders at a press conference today to receive petitions, gathered at bookstores and libraries nationwide, urging the repeal of Section 215 of the Patriot Act.
Section 215 of the Patriot Act gives the FBI access to "books, records, papers, documents and other items" when the agency gets a warrant from a special secret federal anti-terrorism court. Library or bookstore staff who reveal that an investigation is under way can be charged with a felony.
The petitions were presented by author Salman Rushdie, president of PEN American Center; former Colorado Rep. Patricia Schroeder, president of the Association of American Publishers; and Carla Hayden of the American Library Association.
Congresswoman Lee, a leader in the effort to repeal portions of the Patriot Act, issued the following statement:
“Thank you for these petitions and for joining us in our effort to overturn Section 215 of the Patriot Act. We get the message loud and clear and we are here today to say we will not give up our fight to correct this gross injustice.”
“We all know the Patriot Act was passed in a blind rush, and in that rush to judgment Congress trampled some important civil liberties – including the right to read.”
“Justice is supposed to be blind, but lawmakers should not be. We must not sacrifice our fundamental freedoms in the Age of Ashcroft. We cannot allow basic Constitutional freedoms to be a casualty of the war on terrorism.
I ask you, what kind of patriot would allow that to happen? Let’s restore to all Americans the freedom to read.”
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