Derechos: Urgent Actions

There is a growing debate in Congress concerning Plan Colombia. There needs
to be an end to US military aid to Colombia. The almost 5 billion dollars
the US has sent in military aid since 2000 has had horrendous results in
Colombia. It has paid for military and para-military human rights abuses
including massacres, disappearances, kidnapping, and threats of social
justice and labor activists and their families.

The movement in Colombia, including large agricultural workers union of
FENSUAGRO, is demanding that the US stop sending military aid and advisors
to Colombia. As long as the Colombian government spends their resources
fighting, killing, and torturing the Colombian people the solidarity
movement in the US should demand an end to all aid ­ both military and
“humanitarian” ­ to Colombia.

Now is a key time to end Plan Colombia. The foreign aid bill is set to go
to the floor of the House on June 20th. Between the Colombian President
Uribe’s and Coca-Cola, Chiquita and Drummond’s death squad scandals and the
unpopularity of Bush’s foreign policy in general, the Democrats are
considering ending Plan Colombia. We need to stand together to say a clear
no to aid to Colombia. Please do everything you can to demand an end to Plan
Colombia. Call Congress at 202-224-3121 or go www.house.gov. Thanks for
your support.

Peace,

Meredith Aby & Tom Burke
Colombia Action Network (colombiasolidarity.org)

P.S. When you call, ask to speak with the foreign policy aide. Here is a
sample script for your call:

"I am a constituent calling to encourage Rep. _________ to vote for NO funds
for Colombia in this year's foreign aid bill. It is critical that we change
our policy with Colombia - for the past seven years, almost 5 billion
dollars were sent through Plan Colombia. This money has been spent
supporting a brutal right wing government which uses death squads to kill &
intimidate trade unionists, human rights workers & peasants. I support an
end to US support for the Uribe government. Please vote against any
amendments to the bill which would increase US aid to Colombia."

I
== CONGRESS VOTES THIS WEEK ON CUTTING FUNDING TO THE SOA/ WHINSEC ==

June 19, 2007

SOA Watch has received confirmation that THIS WEEK Congress will vote on an
amendment to close the School of the Americas/ WHINSEC. Representative Jim
McGovern of Massachusetts will introduce an amendment to the Foreign
Operations appropriations bill to cut funding for the school!

SEND AN EMAIL AND FAX TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
-http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/soaw/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=11949
(Be sure to click the "Send a Fax" box to have the fax sent).

Dear Friend:

I am writing on behalf of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP) and an innocent man on death row in Georgia named Troy Anthony Davis.

In 1991, Troy Anthony Davis was convicted of murdering a police officer in Savannah – despite the lack of physical evidence connecting him to the crime. The only evidence used to convict Mr. Davis was the testimony of nine eyewitnesses, of which, all but three have recanted their sworn statements since trial. Despite this newly emerged evidence proving his innocence, a federal law passed in 1996 prevents Troy from using these new eyewitness affidavits toward his defense.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Troy’s cert petition, thus paving the way for a death warrant to be issued. Our coalition, which also includes Amnesty International and the NAACP are engaged in a letter writing campaign of global proportions, in an effort to appeal to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, who are the only entity remaining which can grant Troy clemency.

So far, we have generated thousands of letters from all across the country, London, Australia, Norway, Cuba, Canada, Portugal, and more. In addition, notable activists like Professor Charles Olgetree, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Sister Helen Prejean have written letters in support of Troy to the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

Now the Board needs to hear from you and your network.

So, here’s how it works:

1) Go to this site: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/ncadp/content.jsp?content_KEY=2776

2) Copy and paste the letter into a Word document• Print it out on your personal/school/company letterhead if possible.

3) Sign at the bottom of the page, and print your name and mailing address under the signature to give your letter more weight.

4) Send your letter to:

Amnesty International

730 Peachtree St.

Suite 1060

Atlanta, GA 30308

Attn: L. Moye

Or, fax it to 404-876-2276

Amnesty International will be collecting all the letters and delivering them to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles. So that’s all you need to do! If you have time, feel free to handwrite the letter or to write one in your own words.

And the most critical thing to increase the impact: tell your network about this campaign, and ask them to write too!

In addition, two social network websites have been created at Facebook and My Space in support of Troy. Please join these networks so you can stay informed about Troy’s case. In addition, there are new blog posts about Troy’s case which you may link from your website.

Thank you for all you do,

Gregory

Gregory A. Joseph

State Policy Director

National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

202-331-4090 - office

202-331-4099 - fax

646-346-4289 - mobile

www.ncadp.org

gjoseph@ncadp.org

The ACLU’s FISA Flood Campaign — a monumental outpouring of grassroots energy — is in full swing. Congress is feeling the pressure to remedy the August legislation that handed expansive and unnecessary new powers to the Administration.

Two bills aimed at cleaning up the mess were introduced in the House yesterday, but only one, the FISA Modernization Bill, does the job.

Tell your Representative to support the FISA Modernization Act instead of the RESTORE Act.


Dear Friend,

Thanks to the vocal outcry from activists like you, the ACLU’s FISA Flood campaign is getting through to Congress. But our work is not over.

Congress must remedy the situation it created in August when it handed the Bush Administration vast new powers to invade our privacy with no meaningful oversight from the courts or Congress. When Congress failed freedom, it caused a massive outcry from freedom-loving people across the country.

Tell your representative: Stand up for the Constitution, fix FISA.

As the result of the outcry, two bills were introduced yesterday to fix the disastrous Protect America Act that was rushed through Congress in August, rubberstamping the administration's warrantless wiretapping program. Both were efforts to fix FISA, but we must make it clear that only the FISA Modernization Bill does the job.

Tell your representative to support the FISA Modernization Bill instead of the RESTORE Act.

The RESTORE Act caves in to Bush’s fear-mongering in a major way by allowing for program or basket “warrants,” which aren't really warrants at all. They're the modern-day equivalent of allowing government agents to sit in our living rooms, recording our personal conversations. Only they're more frightening, because the government now has the capacity to monitor us remotely and without our knowledge, and to save the information in a secret database forever.

Please, call your representative now to stop basket warrants from being used against Americans.

Tell him or her to support the FISA Modernization Bill of 2007 instead of the RESTORE Act.

Here are some talking points for your call:

1. Please support the FISA Modernization Act of 2007 introduced by Representative Rush Holt, instead of the RESTORE Act. Only pass a FISA modernization bill that has individualized warrants.

2. Blanket or program “warrants” that allow the government to vacuum up the international telephone calls and emails of Americans aren’t really warrants at all, and they aren’t constitutional.

3. Americans are looking to Congress to stand up to the Bush Administration, not cave in to threats of being labeled soft on terrorism.

It’s no surprise that the Bush Administration is again using the threat of terror to bully Congress into giving them more power than they need to keep us safe. To counter these misrepresentations, Congress needs to hear that America can be both safe and free by passing a FISA Modernization bill that protects our constitutional rights.

Once you’ve called your representative, please tell us that you called and if possible, how your call went. This information is extremely helpful to our staff when they meet with Members of Congress, because they’re able to convey how many of their constituents care about fixing FISA. Please tell us if you called and how your call went.

Thank you for taking action and being involved.

Sincerely,

Caroline Fredrickson, Director
ACLU Washington Legislative Office

P.S. We won’t let a single member of Congress off the hook when it comes to abandoning the Constitution. Our Don’t Wait for ’08 campaign needs your help as we approach our October 17 deadline. Please take a few minutes now to ask your member of Congress: Will you defend the Constitution?

Then, watch for updates on which Members of Congress have made the Commitment to the Constitution and news of how you can help us target the ones who haven’t.

© ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10004