2008 Get FISA Right Congressional Candidate Questionnaire 
 

On behalf both of our members and of all Americans who understand that the choice between freedom and security is a false one, and that our constitutional rights make us both more free and more safe, the members of Get FISA Right ask the candidate to answer the following questions. 
 

FISA-only Questions 
 

1. The FISA Amendments Act allows the government to spy on Americans without warrants, a violation of the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches. It also grants broad immunity to the telecommunications companies for illegal wiretapping that was conducted at the request of the Bush administration.
   • If elected, will you vote to repeal the FISA Amendments Act? __x_YES ___NO
   • If not, will you vote to amend or replace the FISA Amendments Act with a law that restores the rights guaranteed to Americans by the Bill of Rights and holds all accountable who violate those rights? ___YES ___NO
2. Government lawyers, their salaries paid by the US taxpayer, wrote legal opinions justifying illegal spying on US citizens. Some of those legal opinions have not been released for public review.
   • Do you support making public the legal opinions that justified illegal government surveillance programs? _x__YES ___NO
3. The Bush administration broke the law and illegally spied on the American people. Telecommunications companies were ordered to illegally tap our phones and monitor our email. To restore the rule of law, all corporations, government agencies and individuals who violated the Fourth Amendment and other basic rights need to be held accountable.
   • Will you support efforts to investigate these acts and prosecute those who broke the law? __x_YES ___NO
4. Sen. Obama has pledged that he would have his "Attorney General conduct a comprehensive review of all our surveillance programs, and ... make further recommendations on any steps needed to preserve civil liberties and to prevent executive branch abuse in the future."
   • If elected, will you support the sort of comprehensive review promised by Sen. Obama? _x__YES ___NO
   • Once such a review is complete, will you vote for "any steps needed to preserve civil liberties"? __x_YES ___NO

 
 

Constitutional Rights Questions 
 

The Bush Administration has used the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, the FISA Amendments Act, Presidential Executive Orders and Signing Statements to legalize actions that violate our constitutionally guaranteed rights. Thus empowered, the Bush administration has: 
 

• Accessed medical, tax, and financial information of US citizens
• Broken into homes and conducted secret searches (often without citizens' knowledge)
• Held individuals in jail indefinitely without charges
• Designated anyone of their choice as an enemy combatant
• Tortured prisoners, in violation of the Geneva Convention

 
 
 
 

Therefore, we would like to ask the candidate: 
 

1. Do you support allowing the government to:
   • conduct warrantless surveillance on Americans ?___YES _x__NO
   • use secret evidence in military courts? __x_YES ___NO
   • torture?___YES _x__NO
   • illegally imprison U.S. citizens and others?___YES __x_NO
   • engage in arbitrary racial and religious profiling?__x_YES ___NO
2. If elected, will you vote to repeal or substantially amend the Patriot Act? _x__YES ___NO
3. If elected, will you vote to repeal or substantially amend the Military Commissions Act? __x_YES ___NO
4. Will you vote to replace the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act with laws that reaffirm our fundamental rights and hold accountable all who violate those rights?

__x_YES ___NO

5. Will you support the next President if he revokes executive orders and executive signing statements that violate Americans' constitutional rights?__x_YES ___NO
6. On July 23rd, Salon reported that Congressional staffers and civil liberties organizations are discussing the possibility of a thorough Congressional investigation of Bush administration violations of Constitutional rights.

If elected, will you support such an investigation?___YES __x_NO

7. Will you work to restore constitutional rights eroded under the Bush administration, specifically dissent, free speech, assembly, habeas corpus, privacy, due process of law, and equal protection?__x_YES ___NO

 
 
 

Place an “X” by the appropriate response to denote your answer to our questions.

Please send your completed form as an attachment to candidates@getfisaright.com

by Tuesday, August 26, 2008