Suggestions for People Concerned About Civil Liberties

The "War on Terror" and The Constitution (PDF, 6.7 MB): This booklet, published by BORDC, details how "war on terror" policies have allowed the government to violate the Constitution and explains how those violations affect each of us as individuals. Printed and bound copies with full color covers will be available for purchase ($3 each plus shipping; bulk discounts available) on or about September 17, 2008.
If you or a friend teach K-12, visit our web page of resources for K-12 educators and students, which includes links to resources for teaching about civil liberties, the USA PATRIOT Act, discrimination, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Stay informed! Visit our Articles and Links pages for more information about the USA PATRIOT Act and related topics.
Inform local business about how the PATRIOT Act and other anti-terrorism policies harm businesses and what they can do to protect themselves and their clients. Bring them copies of BORDC's booklet, The PATRIOT Act and American Business.
Show a documentary, put on a play, or read a book from our list of recommended resources.
Copy fliers about the issue and distribute them at events (or give them to drivers stuck in traffic and in need of some reading material!).
Download, print, and distribute bookmarks with the Bill of Rights printed on them to your local schools and libraries. (Ask for permission first!). Available in English and Spanish.
Write a letter to the editor about civil liberties issues.

Talk with your friends and neighbors about organizing a Bill of Rights Defense Committee in your city or town. Feel free to borrow from our Tools page the ideas for holding public forums, a timeline, fliers and booklets, resolutions, and other tools that communities nationwide have developed. Host meetings in your community. Contact us about your progress, so we can post it on our web page.
Join the statewide effort to pass a resolution in your state.
To help voters know where candidates for local, state, and national office stand on civil liberties issues visit our Engaging Candidates on Issues Related to the Bill of Rights page. Create a voter guide (you may want to use BORDC's 2006 voter education packet as a model).

Keep up to date on proposed legislation to help restore civil liberties and legislation that may further erode liberties.
Call or write your senators and representatives in Washington.

Prepare yourself and members of targeted populations, such as Muslims, Iraqi students and Iraqi Americans, for visits by the FBI, INS, or police.
Find out if there's a detention center in your region, and how you can plug into the growing activism to support communities most threatened by repressive post 9-11 "anti-terror" laws.

Other Resources