In a recent debate over extension of the Patriot Act’s unconstitutional regime of unreasonable search and seizure against huge numbers of Americans, Schakowsky stood on the side of liberty. H.R. 514 renewed the worst abuses of the Patriot Act without even any attempt at reform, but Schakowsky did not let the legislation pass without her opposition.

Representative Schakowsky explained, in a speech on Capitol Hill, that she opposed the legislation because, “Among the provisions extended in this bill is section 215, which allows the government to gain access to anyone’s private, confidential records, including their medical, financial, library, and bookstore records, without first presenting evidence linking those records to a suspected terrorist or spy. It also fails to allow for court oversight of these secret orders, and prohibits the recipient of such orders from challenging the legality of the order for a year.”

Thank you, Jan Schakowsky, for your stand against the Patriot Act. Your opposition to Big Brother spying powers is just one reason we can say: Jan Schakowsky speaks for me…

…but of course, in the U.S.A., it is not the role of a citizen to merely be spoken for by political leaders. A good opportunity to speak for yourself is present this coming weekend, Saturday March 12. At noon on that day, Americans who care about their constitutional freedoms will gather outside the U.S. Capitol Building in protest, demanding repeal of the Patriot Act.

The legislation: An amendment to extend the most abusive parts of the Patriot Act – without any reforms at all. These unconstitutional spying practices are almost never used in relation to cases of suspected terrorism, and even when they are used, the chances aren’t good that they result in actionable information.

In short, the Patriot Act isn’t doing much to actually protect Americans from terrorism. What the Patriot Act is accomplishing is the creation of a Big Brother system of federal government spying against its own citizens, leading Americans to always suspect that even their most private activities are being watched.

Such a state of continual fear of government espionage is inherently incompatible with the survival of democracy. That’s why this bumper sticker rallies the American people to the defense of liberty – to repeal the Patriot Act. We don’t need Big Brother to spy on our private lives.