Booksellers Resolution to Review Section 215 of the US P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act

Booksellers, print out and sign: Petition to Review Section 215 • Home RESOLUTION ON THE USA PATRIOT ACT AND RELATED MEASURES THAT INFRINGE ON THE RIGHTS OF BOOKSTORE CUSTOMERS AND BOOKSELLERS WHEREAS, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) affirms the responsibility of elected and appointed representatives of the United States to protect and preserve the freedoms that are the foundation of our democracy; and WHEREAS, bookstores are vital institutions for promoting unfettered access to information and ideas for individuals and communities; WHEREAS, the PNBA holds that suppression of ideas undermines a democratic society and that surveillance and intimidation are agents for censorship; and WHEREAS, privacy is essential to the exercise of free speech, free thought, and free association; and, in a bookstore, the subject of customers' interests should not be examined or scrutinized by others; and WHEREAS, certain provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act and other related measures expand the authority of the federal government to investigate citizens and non-citizens, to engage in surveillance, and to threaten civil rights and liberties guaranteed under the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights; and WHEREAS, Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act denies booksellers free speech rights and immediate access to legal counsel when contacted by law enforcement; and WHEREAS, the denial of free speech and civil rights makes resistance and legal review unfeasible, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) opposes any use of governmental power to suppress or intimidate individuals seeking the exchange of information and ideas; and, be it further RESOLVED, that the PNBA encourages all booksellers to inform their customers about Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and other related measures and about the dangers to individual privacy and the confidentiality of bookstore records resulting from those measures; and, be it further RESOLVED, that the PNBA urges booksellers everywhere to defend and support customer privacy and access to knowledge and information; and, be it further RESOLVED, that the PNBA will work with other organizations, as appropriate, to protect the rights of inquiry and free speech; and, be it further RESOLVED, that the PNBA take actions as appropriate to obtain and publicize information about the surveillance of bookstores and customers by law enforcement agencies; and, be it further RESOLVED, that the PNBA considers that sections of the USA PATRIOT ACT are a present danger to the constitutional rights and privacy rights of bookstore customers and booksellers and urges the United States Congress to: 1) provide active oversight of the implementation of the USA PATRIOT Act and other related measures, and the revised Attorney General Guidelines to the Federal Bureau of Investigation; 2) hold hearings to determine the extent of the surveillance on bookstores and our customers; and 3) repeal the sections of these laws and the guidelines that threaten or abridge the rights of inquiry and free speech; and, be it further RESOLVED, that this resolution be forwarded to the President of the United States, to the Attorney General of the United States, to Members representing the Pacific Northwest in both Houses of Congress and to others as appropriate.