Safe and Free

Press Releases

Legislative Alerts

Past Events

Resources

Our world changed on September 11, 2001. After the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, DC, our country searched for a way to respond. The result was the USA PATRIOT Act, a 342-page piece of federal legislation passed in the middle of the night by Congress and marketed as a method of protecting our nation from future terrorism. In fact, many sections of the PATRIOT act undermine the fundamental freedoms of the Bill of Rights, and are written so broadly that they apply to all of us, whether we are suspected of terrorist activity or not. For example, the USA PATRIOT ACT:

• Allows the government to search your home and not even tell you. The PATRIOT Act expands law enforcment's ability to conduct secret "sneak and peek" searches of your home. Investigators can enter your home or office, take pictures and seize items without informing you that a warrante was issued, for an indefinite period of time. (Section 213)
• Collect information about what books you read, what you study, what you buy, and what medical care you receive. The USA PATRIOT Act gives law enforcement broad access to any types of records - medical, financial, gun, library, educational, sales, etc. - without probable cause of a crime. It also prohibits the holders of this information, like librarians, from disclosing that they have produced such records, under threat of imprisonment. The court orders are issued by a secret intelligence court in Washington, and judges have little power to deny applications. (Section 215)
• Seize a wide variety of business and financial records, and in certain instances access the membership lists of organizations that provide even very limited Internet services (message boards on your church website, for instance) using "national security letters," or NSLs, which are issued at the sole discretion of the Justice Department. The PATRIOT Act expanded access to these NSLs, which also impose a blanket gag order on recipients and are not subject to judicial review. (Section 505)
• Read parts of your emails and monitor what you look at online. The PATRIOT Act lets the governmet get records that could show the subject lines of your emails and details about your Web surfing habits (like your recent research on Google), all without probable cause. (Section 216)

The ACLU has led the fight against these dangerous provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act, and continues to call on our legislators to reform the PATRIOT Act. We can be both safe and free.

Press Releases

June 13, 2006: ACLU of Tennessee Delivers Petitions on Warrantless NSA Spying, Continues to Demand Investigation

May 24, 2006: ACLU of Tennessee Joins Nationwide Action Against NSA Spying on Americans' Phone Calls (25 KB)

Letter to Tennessee Regulatory Authority (129 KB)

September 13, 2004: Media Advisory - GREENWALD FILM, "UNCONSTITUTIONAL" PREMIERES IN NASHVILLE TOMORROW (9-14); PANEL DISCUSSION TO FOLLOW

September 8, 2004: ACLU Hosts Exclusive Tennessee Film Premiere of Latest Robert Greenwald Documentary in Knoxville

September 8, 2004: ACLU Hosts Exclusive Tennessee Film Premiere of Latest Robert Greenwald Documentary in Nashville

May 26, 2004: On Eve of Bush Visit to TN, ACLU-TN Says President is Misleading Tennesseans

September 25, 2003: ACLU-TN Statement Criticizes AG Ashcroft's Closed-to-the-Public Visit to Nashville; Statement by ACLU-TN Director

September 18, 2003: "One Nation Under Surveillance" event on Saturday, Sept 20 at ACLU Meeting in Nashville

September 17, 2002: "Bush/Ashcroft Assault on Civil Liberties" at ACLU-TN program on Saturday, 9-21

July 30, 2003: ACLU Files First-Ever Challenge to USA PATRIOT Act: Tennessee Agency is a Plaintiff

February 25, 2002: Nadine Strossen, ACLU President, Speaks Thu., Feb. 28

November 19, 2001: ACLU Know Your Rights Pamphlet: What to Do If You're Stopped by the Police, the FBI, the INS or the Customs Service

 

Legislative Alerts

April 23, 2007: Support Repeal of REAL ID Act - Urge your State Senator to Support SJR248 - contact today

October 3, 2003: Help Fix the USA PATRIOT Act - Recruit Senator Frist

September 24, 2003: ASHCROFT COMING TO Nashville on Thursday 9-25 - Join in Protest at Millennium Maxwell House Hotel

January 24, 2002: Urge Attorney General Ashcroft not to Relax Restrictions on FBI Spying on Domestic Religious and Political Organizations - Contact AG Ashcroft Now

November 16, 2001: 11-16-01 -- Washington Update

October 26, 2001: ACLU Response to Senate Passage of Anti-Terrorist Act -- Washington Update -- 10-25-01

October 4, 2001: The latest update on the Anti-Terrorism Bill

October 3, 2001: Ensuring a Safe and Free Society

September 25, 2001: After September 11 - A Safe and Free Society

 

Past Events

September 19 and 20, 2004: USA PATRIOT ACT Speaker to Lecture in Nashville

September 14, 2004: Premiere Screening of Greenwald's " Unconstitutional" in Knoxville and Nashville

October 20, 2003: ACLU's Laura Murphy headlines panel on War on Terrorism and Civil Liberties

September 22, 2003: "Reclaiming Our Rights: A Community Response to the USA PATRIOT ACT"

September 20, 2003: ACLU-TN "One Nation Under Surveillance" event on Sept 20

April 24, 2004: Protest re Enemy Combatant Doctrine

March 18, 2003: ACLU's Steinhardt at Tennessee Tech Conference on Homeland Security

February 28, 2002: Nadine Strossen, ACLU President, Speaks Thu., Feb. 28

September 22, 2001: ACLU-TN Annual Membership Meeting: "Technology, Morality and Privacy: Civil Liberties Issues in the 107th Congress"

 

Resources

"Know Your Rights: What to Do If Questioned by Police, FBI, Customs Agents or Immigration Officers"

English (47 KB)| Spanish (57 KB) | Arabic (268 KB) |
Urdu (284 KB)| Hindi (155 KB) | Punjabi (178 KB) |
Farsi (366 KB)| Somali (85 KB)

Safe and Free - National ACLU