Update 8/10/08: A pdf copy of the final Netroots Platform is attached at the bottom of this page. The Civil Rights and Civil Liberties plank starts on page 7. The first paragraph of the Restore our Constitutional Rights and Demand Accountability section is a slight modification of our "Constitutional Issues" plank and the Get FISA Right section is our "Get FISA Right" plank. The development of the Netroots Civil Rights plank was described in the discussion forum.

Update 8/8/08: A pdf copy of the current Democratic Platform Draft is attached at the bottom of this page. The section Reclaiming Our Constitution and Our Liberties starts on the bottom of page 49. Join in the discussion about this in the forum.


Help ensure that FISA is revisited when our new president and new congressional delegation take office in 2009: Get FISA reforms on the Democratic Party platform. Senator Obama has asked that we take an active role in shaping the platform via platform meetings held throughout the country:

1. Find an upcoming Listening Platform event near you, and RSVP.
2. Print either the FISA flyer or the Constitution flyer (whichever one you feel more comfortable using).
3. Hand out flyers to other attendees, and request the 3-bullet position statement (front of the flyer) be added to the platform.

Note: We made the flyer a two-sided half sheet to save some trees. Print copies of the first page, then put those pages back into the printer drawer, and print the second page onto the back side.

FINAL COPY: This text is now locked down and has already been sent to the designer who is creating the flyers.

Constitutional-Issues Position Statement (content of Flyer A):

Position Statement (front of flyer):

• Stop government practices that violate the constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech, privacy, and due process, including warrantless surveillance on Americans, secret evidence in military courts, torture, illegal imprisonment of U.S. citizens and others, and arbitrary racial and religious profiling.

• Repeal or substantially amend laws that violate constitutionally guaranteed rights, including the Patriot Act, the FISA Amendments law, the Military Commissions Act, related executive orders, and executive signing statements. Replace these with laws that reaffirm our fundamental rights and hold accountable all parties who violate those rights.

• Restore constitutional rights that the Bush administration has eroded through its lawless theory of unchecked executive power, including dissent, free speech, assembly, habeas corpus, privacy, due process of law, and equal protection.

About Get FISA Right (back of flyer):

The Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act, FISA Amendments, Presidential Executive Orders and Signing Statements have all legalized actions that violate our constitutionally guaranteed rights. With these powers, the Bush administration has:

• Accessed medical , tax, and financial information of US citizens
  
• Broken into homes and conducted secret searches (often without citizens' knowledge)
• Held individuals in jail indefinitely without charges
• Designated anyone of their choice as an enemy combatant
• Tortured prisoners, in violation of the Geneva Convention

Getting FISA Right is the first major step to restore our Constitutional rights.

Get FISA Right began as a group of proud nonpartisan Obama supporters on My.BarackObama.com (MyBO). Within two weeks, we boasted more than 24,000 members who were impassioned with the belief that by working together, yes we can change Washington, DC. Although we disagreed with Senator Obama's vote on the FISA Amendments Act, we also believe that we have strengthened the Obama campaign by providing a feedback mechanism and by demonstrating the strength and passion of Obama's grassroots support.

The U.S. Constitution is the bedrock of our way of life. It is not a left or right issue, it is not red or blue or even purple - it is an American issue. The United States Constitution guarantees certain civil liberties, including the right to privacy and due process. Together, with Barack Obama as our President, yes we can restore the Constitutional rights of all Americans and roll back Bush's abuses of power.

FISA-only Position Statement (content of Flyer B):

Position Statement (front of flyer):

• Repeal or substantially amend the FISA Amendments Act, which threatens Fourth Amendment and other fundamental rights. Replace the FISA Amendments Act with a law that restores fundamental rights and holds all parties accountable who violate those rights.

• Conduct a full investigation of illegal government surveillance programs, make public the legal opinions that justified them, and hold accountable those who ordered illegal warrantless surveillance.

• Restore the rule of law and end unchecked unitary executive power by bringing to justice all corporate entities, government agencies, and persons who violated the Fourth Amendment and other fundamental rights.

About Get FISA Right (back of flyer):

The FISA Amendments Act allows the government to spy on Americans without warrants, a violation of the Fourth Amendment right to
privacy. It also grants broad immunity to the telecommunicationscompanies for illegal wiretapping that was conducted at the request of the Bush administration. On "Law & Order", criminals get immunity if they testify against other criminals; on July 9, the phone companies who spied on us got immunity in return for doing absolutely nothing. Much of what happenedis still unknown: the extent of the illegal wiretapping, who ordered it and the legal opinions used to justify it.

Get FISA Right began as a group of proud nonpartisan Obama supporters on My.BarackObama.com (MyBO). Within two weeks, we boasted more than 24,000 members who were impassioned with the belief that by working together, yes we can change Washington, DC. Although we disagreed with Senator Obama's vote on the FISA Amendments Act, we also believe that we have strengthened the Obama campaign by providing a feedback mechanism and by demonstrating the strength and passion of Obama's grassroots support.

The U.S. Constitution is the bedrock of our way of life. It is not a left or right issue, it is not red or blue or even purple - it is an American issue. The United States Constitution guarantees certain civil liberties, including the right to privacy and due process.Together, with Barack Obama as our President, yes we can restore the Constitutional rights of all Americans and roll back Bush's abuses of power.