When: Tuesday, April 5 9:00am - 5:00pm EST
What: Ask the president to veto any PATRIOT Act reauthorization that does not include expanded civil liberties protections
White House Phone Number: 202-456-1111

On Tuesday, April 5, the 219th anniversary of the first veto in US history by President George Washington, the Center for Media and Democracy along with the Bill of Rights Defense Council and a coalition of other civil liberties groups are calling on President Barack Obama to veto any bill reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act without imposing meaningful reforms to protect civil liberties. The Center has previously written about national security-related spin in its New York Times best-selling book, "Weapons of Mass Deception," and the Center's new executive director has testified before the U.S Senate on behalf of the Center, and previously, in favor of crucial reforms to the Patriot Act and against propaganda related to this law.

During the election campaign, President Obama repeatedly criticized the PATRIOT Act and promised to implement reforms to protect law-abiding Americans from unchecked surveillance. But now, for the second time since taking office in 2009, he is poised to take the same position on the PATRIOT Act as President Bush in supporting reauthorization without crucial reforms.

On Tuesday, please call the White House and tell President Obama to keep his campaign promises. Ask him to veto any bill reauthorizing PATRIOT Act powers unless it includes new checks and balances to prevent abuse.

Demand that Congress and the White House restore constitutional checks and balances by extending the rule of law to our nation's intelligence agencies.

Please, call the White House on April 5 to request a veto.

For more information, please visit the national call-in day facebook page, or visit the following links:

Background information on the PATRIOT Act and the three provisions set to expire in May: [http://bordc.org/patriot]

See also the proposed JUSTICE Act, which offers solutions to many of PATRIOT's problems, even beyond the provisions set to expire: [http://bordc.org/patriot/justice.php]