TO: ACLU Action Network Members FR: Angela Colaiuta, National Field Organizer DT: 9-17-02
1) Support Civil Rights: Oppose The Faith-Based Initiative!
Over a year ago, amid great controversy, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7, a bill that would implement President Bush's plan to give taxpayer dollars to religious organizations to provide social services without requiring them to play by the same civil rights rules as everyone else.
Recent reports suggest that the sponsors of the Senate version of President Bush's faith-based initiative, Senators Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), are working to cut a bring the bill to the floor. While the Lieberman/Santorum bill, S. 1924,The "Charity Aid, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE)Act," has some improvements over the House version, it continues to jeopardize civil rights, privacy and religious freedom because it does not include explicit prohibitions against discrimination.
Without this protection, the Bush Administration will allow religious organizations to discriminate against applicants for jobs on the basis of religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, HIV status or any other characteristic that a religious organization finds objectionable.
Take action! You can learn more and send a FREE FAX to your Senators from our action alert at:
http://www.aclu.org/action/care107.html
2) Stop the Government from Turning Neighbor Against Neighbor!
In one of the most misguided responses to the terrorist attacks, President Bush is proposing a program to recruit one million volunteers to act as spies and informants against their neighbors. Due to intense public outrage, the Administration has now announced a scaled back version that would exclude postal and utility workers.
Despite what Attorney General Ashcroft and the Justice Department have said, the threat of this dangerous program, Operation TIPS (Terrorist Information and Prevention System), has unfortunately not yet abated. As it stands now, TIPS would still recruit volunteers who work in the transportation, trucking, shipping, maritime, and mass transit industries. The only way to disable TIPS once and for all is through congressional action.
Take action! You can learn more and send a FREE FAX to your Senators urging them to trash TIPS at:
http://www.aclu.org/action/tips107.html