Freedom to Read Supporters Celebrate Victory, Look to Redouble Efforts

On Wednesday, June 15, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Rep. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) Freedom to Read Amendment to the Commerce, Justice, State (CJS) Appropriations Bill by a vote of 238 - 187, sending a clear message to the Bush administration that Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act needs to be amended to protect Americans' right to privacy. The amendment, which was co-sponsored by Reps. Butch Otter (R-ID), John Conyers (D-MI), Ron Paul (R-TX), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Tom Udall (D-CO), cuts Justice Department funds for bookstore and library searches under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act.

Rep. Bernie Sanders

"This is a tremendous victory that restores important constitutional rights to the American people," said Sanders. "The passage of this amendment helps reign in an Administration intent on chipping away at the very civil liberties that define us as a nation. We must do all we can to protect Americans from terrorism, but we must do it in a way that does not undermine the basic constitutional rights that makes us a free country. American citizens from across the political spectrum have made it clear that they do not want the government monitoring their reading habits. This amendment ensures that Big Brother will not be reading over our shoulders."

The vote represents a significant victory for Sanders and the many civil liberties advocates and free speech groups, including the Campaign for Reader Privacy, who believe that Section 215 is a dangerous erosion of constitutional rights. However, on Tuesday, the Bush Administration had warned that it would veto the House Appropriations Bill if it included any amendments that would weaken the Patriot Act.

"This victory once again clearly demonstrates the enormous power of booksellers to influence public policy," said ABA COO Oren Teicher. "The participation of booksellers in this effort was nothing short of extraordinary.

"We'd also like to congratulate and thank Rep. Sanders. As was said at ABA's Celebration of Bookselling 10 days ago, America's readers have never had a better friend or stronger supporter than we have in Bernie."

Teicher expressed appreciation to ABA's colleagues in the Campaign for Reader Privacy -- the American Library Association, the Association of American Publishers, and PEN American Center -- for their myriad efforts.

AAP President Pat Schroder congratulated Congressman Sanders and other members of the House Patriot Act Reform Caucus on last night's win and promised the publishing industry's continued support in the fight to restore safeguards to Section 215.

While the victory was significant, Teicher stressed that the fight to amend Section 215 is not over. The battle will now shift to the U.S. Senate and to the long-term reauthorization of the provisions of the Patriot Act that expire at the end of the year (including Section 215). "Yesterday's vote means we are well on our way to protecting the privacy of America's readers," he said. "With the House on record in opposition to Section 215, a clear and unambiguous message has been delivered that this provision goes too far ... and, if it's going to survive in the reauthorized version, it must be changed.

"While I hope everyone will stop for a minute and savor this incredible victory, yesterday's vote means we must redouble our myriad efforts with regard to Section 215."

To keep the momentum of the free expression victory going, Teicher urged Campaign for Reader Privacy supporters to:

• Keep collecting signatures on the petitions.
• Go to http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll258.xml to see how their member of Congress voted. If the vote was "aye," send a short fax or e-mail of thanks today, saying something along these lines: "On behalf of _____ (the name of the store and its location), we want to thank you very much for supporting Rep. Sanders' amendment to the Patriot Act yesterday. We -- and America's readers -- really appreciate your vote." (Teicher noted, "It is particularly important to do this if your member of Congress happens to be one of the 38 Republicans who voted with us yesterday.")
• Send an e-mail today to Rep. Sanders to thank him for his efforts. (The e-mail may be sent in care of Sanders' legislative assistant, who helped shepherd this effort, [email protected].)

For more information about the Campaign for Reader Privacy, go to http://www.bookweb.org/read/7679. Watch for further updates in upcoming editions of BTW. --David Grogan