Update 2/14: Liberal Democrats joined Republicans in voting down an extension to the Protect America Act. According to the NY Times,
The lapsing of the deadline would have little practical effect on-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
intelligence gathering. Intelligence officials would be able to intercept
communications from Qaeda members or other identified terrorist groups for a
year after the initial eavesdropping authorization for that particular
group.
If a new terrorist group is identified after Saturday,
intelligence officials would not be able to use the broadened eavesdropping
authority. They would be able to seek a warrant under the more restrictive
standards in place for three decades through the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act.
Look up your representative's Washington, DC, office phone number at http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=WJk0VniMSWYjYEhKSXhhGDtk9SnQjRzY OR call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 (available 24 hours) and ask the operator to connect you.
The most important messages you can give your representative are these:
Do not give in to the FISA Amendments Act that the Senate passed on Tuesday. The RESTORE Act passed by the House in November offers stronger protections of Americans' Fourth Amendment rights.
Do not grant immunity to telecommunications companies. Allow the lawsuits to proceed so we can find out what laws the administration violated and how Americans' privacy has been compromised. The House-passed RESTORE Act does not grant immunity.
Do not vote for a bill that allows wiretapping on Americans without the warrants that the Fourth Amendment specifically requires for government searches.
Insist on the quarterly audits of the program by the Department of Justice's Inspector General, which the House-passed RESTORE Act would provide.
Make it clear that FISA must be the exclusive means for wiretapping in the US. The RESTORE Act does so.
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