Caroline Fredrickson Quotations
Caroline Fredrickson Quotes about:
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Check Quotes
It is clear that this illegal program violates our Constitution and laws governing surveillance. The president's false choice between securing our nation and preserving our Constitution must be rejected. Congress has an obligation to determine the truth, especially since the administration is unwilling to check itself. Hearings like this help ensure steps are taken so the rule of law is respected by all, even the president.
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Admitted Quotes
Lawmakers must not forget their oaths and disregard the administration's infringement of average Americans' constitutional rights. The White House has repeatedly admitted to the use of warrant-less wiretaps and has yet to be held accountable. Checks and balances on presidential power are essential to protect the rights of Americans.
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Actions Quotes
Our government is based upon a separation of powers and a system of checks and balances. The actions taken by the president undermine the very foundations of our country. We urge the relevant Congressional committees to investigate how the president abused his power as our chief executive. We applaud Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter for committing to hold oversight hearings. The American people deserve to know the truth.
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Act Quotes
Regardless of what happens with this agreement, Congress can, and must fix the Patriot Act to better protect the privacy and freedom of ordinary Americans. At the same time, until the Bush administration stops the illegal NSA program to spy on Americans and stops ignoring the rule of law, any reforms to the Patriot Act could be ignored under the extreme philosophy of power embraced by this president. No matter the result of the Patriot Act, we hope all senators involved in these negotiations will resist pressure from the administration. Congress must restore the rule of law and insist that innocent Americans' rights be protected against the overreaching of the White House. We can, and must, be both safe and free.
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Adopted Quotes
The president cannot use the pursuit of national security as a carte blanche to undermine the very freedoms that define America. This administration - like that of President Nixon - has apparently secretly adopted a legal view of the Executive Branch's power that is unbounded. A commitment to the Constitution and our laws demand an independent investigation.
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Act Quotes
The Patriot Act debate is far from over, and we will continue to fight for reforms to protect civil liberties. While Congress failed to adopt much-needed reforms to the law to better protect freedom and privacy, lawmakers also rejected pressure from the White House to include significant and unwarranted expansions of government power. We applaud those fair-minded lawmakers that have fought to bring the law in line with the Constitution, and together, we will continue to push for reforms to keep America safe and free.
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Assert Quotes
When presidents have overstepped the rule of law, history demonstrates how it undermined our core freedoms. We hope that Congress will assert its proper oversight role and demand accountability from the administration. The American people deserve no less from their government. Freedom and liberty must not be trumped by presidential power.
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Congress Quotes
Too much of the debate over immigration reform has ignored one of the greatest threats to our privacy. The proposed employer verification system would require Americans, regardless of citizenship, to get a 'permission slip to work' from the government. If Congress wants to reform immigration, then it should, but it shouldn't use this legislation as a clandestine means to subvert our constitutional right to privacy.
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Access Quotes
The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy, and an essential protection of that right is the Voting Rights Act. Every voice must be heard and every vote must be counted. State and local governments continue to adopt voting laws, practices and procedures that deny equal access to voting - without the Voting Rights Act, there would be little protection against these efforts to deny some of us our right to vote. The Voting Rights Act is necessary to help ensure that every American citizen is able to exercise the franchise.
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Address Quotes
These provisions, if adopted, would have a chilling effect on the First Amendment rights of the American people. The right of the people to petition the government must not be denied or abridged. Congress can and should take steps to address corruption and the undue influence of special interests without sacrificing the rights of Americans to petition government.
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Approach Quotes
These proposed amendments pose serious problems, in effect barring the courthouse door for many immigrants who deserve their day in court. Too many provisions of the various immigration bills paint immigrants as the new scapegoats. Congress must approach the issue in a manner that upholds our commitment to our core American values.
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Against Quotes
As Congress comes back to work out the differences in the House and Senate bills to reauthorize the Patriot Act, a commitment to freedom must prevail. The more we learn about the Patriot Act, the clearer it is that too much power was granted to the government, with too few safeguards against abuse. While neither reauthorization bill is perfect, we call on Congress to use the Senate bill as its guide as it reconsiders the Patriot Act.
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Attempts Quotes
This country and our Constitution guarantee freedom of speech and association. Censorship at our borders is directly contrary to fundamental American values. Attempts to suppress freedom of speech and association are beneath our country - not to mention a waste of government resources intended to keep Americans safe.
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Absolutely Quotes
The board has an opportunity to show that it is not in the pocket of the president and is truly concerned with the liberty and privacy of the American people. Given the ever-growing expansion of the government's law enforcement powers, effective oversight is absolutely essential. We hope that the board will provide real oversight, and not simply the illusion.
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Above Quotes
The attorney general took an oath to uphold the Constitution and serve the American public - not to push the White House's agenda. In America, no one is above the law, not even the president. The attorney general has an obligation to investigate this gross violation of the law, and at the bare minimum, should be providing answers to Congress. Effective oversight cannot occur without the full facts.
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Act Quotes
Serious problems remain in the Patriot Act that require serious reforms. Unfortunately, the proposed changes to the reauthorization bill do not correct the secret record search powers and do not require that there be any individualized suspicion of wrongdoing by Americans before their financial, medical, library or other records can be searched. Common sense reforms could have required that records sought be connected to a suspected terrorist or terrorist organization. We will continue to press for these and other needed reforms to protect American freedoms.
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Burdens Quotes
Immigration reform should not become the means to undermine the Constitution, nor should it place undue burdens on the American worker. Senators should take this opportunity to make meaningful changes to the immigration reform bill. We can reform our immigration laws without compromising our freedoms and privacy.
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Access Quotes
In recent weeks the battle over reproductive rights has been at a fever pitch, but anti-choice members of Congress have yet to list prevention as a top priority. Instead, foes of reproductive rights have not supported bills to increase access to contraceptives. Instead, they continue to pour money into abstinence-only programs that discourage people from using contraceptives. This modest amendment would help prevent many unwanted pregnancies, and the Senate should adopt it.
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Censorship Quotes
The idea that immigration law is being used as a tool of censorship is unacceptable. By regulating speech at our borders, we are sending the wrong message to the world. We must not have a double standard regarding the freedom of speech and dissent. That is one of the strengths of our democracy.