Real Patriots Don’t Need An Act

The Sticker — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:11:59 +0000

Remember that promise they made us way back in 2001? Congress said it would pass the Patriot Act, with its many unconstitutional attacks against our civil liberties, but they said it would be okay, because the law would include a “sunset”. It would expire after four years, just to be used during the time of national emergency.

Well, the national emergency has come and gone, but the Patriot Act remains. It was renewed, in spite of previous promises, in 2005, and now, in 2009, it’s the Senate Democrats who are leading the charge to renew the Patriot Act. They’re trying to pass S. 1692, a bill to put off the sunset yet again.

Like the original Patriot Act, S. 1692 fails to protect Americans’ constitutional rights. Good senators like Russ Feingold and Dick Durbin supported an amendment that would have at least guaranteed that the Patriot Act’s worst powers would only be used in cases of suspected terrorism or foreign spying, but their amendment was dismissed. Worse yet, it was other Democrats who made up the deciding votes to kill the reform. The following Democrats voted no to reforming the Patriot Act:

Senator Patrick Leahy
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senator Al Franken
Senator Charles Schumer
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
Senator Amy Klobuchar
Senator Ted Kaufman
Herb Kohl

It’s time to talk back to these Democratic leaders. They were elected to take a stand against the abuses of the Bush era, not to extend them! This bumper sticker gives a direct message about what’s at stake: Patriots Against the Patriot Act

This video contains more explanation of the problems with the new Patriot Act extension:

Liberals Can Wave The Flag Too

The Sticker — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:12:20 +0000

The simpleton element of Republican ideology shows itself whenever Republicans start talking about the flag. They have little competitions with each other about who loves the flag the most, and they work up into a fury whenever they see someone who doesn’t have little flags plastered all over their clothes, their cars, and their homes.

What these Republicans forget is that anybody can wave the flag. It’s really not a big deal. Anyone can buy a flag lapel pin. Anyone can stick a big American flag outside their homes. It doesn’t mean anything.

Real patriotism is harder than just displaying a flag. Real patriotism means knowing who your representatives in Congress are, and how they’ve voted on issues that matter to you. Real patriotism means calling up elected officials and telling them what you think about what’s they’re doing in your name. Real patriotism means talking back to power, instead of just worshipping it.

But, Republicans understand patriotism on the level of the symbol, and not the meaning that lies beneath the symbol. Fine. If what it’s going to take for us liberals to get Republicans to pay attention to something more than glitzy superficial patriotism is to wave the flag, then we can wave the flag. That’s easy…

…and that’s the point of this bumper sticker. Republicans can wave the flag, but liberals can wave the flag too.

Progressive Bumper Sticker » patriotism

Real Patriots Don’t Need An Act

Liberals Can Wave The Flag Too