Fight Renewal of the Patriot Act

My, my - another post. I think if I had more time and energy, I'd post more often as there always seems to be another outrage coming along. This is a big one! Congress is close to adopting a renewal of the Patriot Act which would extend, permanently, many measures which adversely affect our civil liberties and privacy. We all need to contact our Representatives and Senators and urge - demand - that this conference legislation not pass. They need to rethink any renewal of this legislation and scrap the notion we must sacrifice liberty for security.

Sen. Russell Feingold is leading the opposition. Please let the Senator know you support his efforts. Please also spread the word and get more people involved. You can read more on this here .

My Birthday Present

My birthday is tomorrow - 12/10! That means I want presents, lots of them! And you can make sure I get them. I'm not talking diamonds and champagne (although if someone would like to buy me a new PT Cruiser, I probably wouldn't refuse that!), but something else. You see, tomorrow is also Human Rights Day. I would like EACH of you to commit (and follow through!) to doing something for Human/ Civil Rights. Sign a petition, write a letter to the editor about an issue, contact your Representative or Senators, march, serve, donate, or do SOMETHING to help in the cause! We can't just sit idly by and watch these rights be trampled here and around the world. Everyone needs to stand up and start making a difference. It will take all of us, so each and every person must do what he or she can.

So put pen to paper, get on the telephone, take to the streets and work on those birthday presents!

Petitioning to End Genocide in Darfur

Recently my college's Amnesty Club (yes, they started a student branch supporting Amnesty International!) circulated petitions to the President to end this genocide. I was able to get 10 signatures to fill one petition and give it to the students. Even though it may not be the most effective thing (I wonder sometimes if such petitions ever really have an effect), it made me feel as though I'd done SOMETHING for the cause. It was also a good feeling to support the students - they were quite appreciative of getting that filled petition. You can download one and have people sign, too. This campaign is found at africaaction.org . Find your way to the Darfur Campaign and it's "take action now" section.


There is another step we can take as well. We can urge our Congressional Representatives and Senators to support the Darfur Accountability Act. The House version is H. R. 1424 and the Senate version is S. 495. Maybe, just maybe, our combined efforts might start to make some positive changes for these fellow humans going through such trials.