- Categories:
Patriot Act Petition Campaign Update
Printer-friendly versionIn early January, ABA launched a petition campaign to gather signatures of bookstore customers who support amending Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act, which stripped away protections for customer privacy. The goal is to garner at least one million signatures.
"We are very pleased by the enthusiastic response that has greeted the launch of our petition campaign," said ABA COO Oren Teicher. "We hope all members of ABA will seriously consider participating."
Copies of the petition are being sent to stores with Book Sense in the January White Box, and the petition is now available as a downloadable PDF. Booksellers can also order the petition by calling ABA's Information Department at (800) 637-0037, ext. 1292 or 1293.
In an effort to answer some of the more common questions that members have recently raised, ABA has prepared the following FAQ:
When should bookstores begin gathering signatures?
There's no time like the present! We want to have a significant number of signatures by the time we start presenting them to members of Congress in the spring.
What should we do with the completed petition pages?
Once you have six or seven pages (around 100 signatures), send them to ABA, c/o Oren Teicher, 828 S. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY 10591.
Do we need to make copies of the petitions for our Congress member?
No. ABA will sort the petitions by Congressional district and send copies to the booksellers who will be meeting with the member of Congress.
What other material will be available to promote the petition campaign?
ABA is planning to produce a bookmark featuring the FREADOM logo from the petition. In addition, buttons, paper stickers, bumper stickers, and T-shirts incorporating the logo can be ordered from the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression. You can order through the store on the ABFFE Web site, www.abffe.com, or call ABFFE at (212) 587-4025.
Questions or suggestions about the campaign should be addressed to Teicher at [email protected] or (800) 637-0037, ext. 1267.