Bill of Rights Defense Campaign

BILL OF RIGHTS Defense Committee - Working with communities to uphold the Bill of RightsWe the People
Bookmark and Share

Raise Your Voice

Contacting your congressional representatives

One snail mail letter is worth 1,000 signatures on a petition—and a phone call is priceless. Phone calls take only a short time and bear far greater weight than automated messages.

  1. Find your members of Congress, including both senators and your representative in the House.

  2. Call their offices and ask to speak to a legislative aide who addresses government surveillance issues, congressional oversight, or votes on matters referred to the Judiciary Committee.

  3. Introduce yourself as a constituent and offer your name and address. Always be respectful and polite—even with representatives who oppose your interests.  Use these talking points (PDF) to help with your calls.

    • Vote NO on Reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act until it is amended to add strong protections for civil liberties.

    • Rein in the FBI and COINTELPRO 2.0: Congress must conduct more careful oversight and prevent the FBI from investigating innocent Americans without any evidence or even suspicion of a crime; or profiling based on race, ethnicity, religion or political belief.

    • Cut spending: When addressing the bloated federal budget, start with wasteful programs justified in the name of national security that offend both fiscal conservatism and constitutional rights. See also: Specific budget recommendations.

  4. Ask for a response. Be sure you understand where your members of Congress stand on specific issues.

  5. Email BORDC to let us know how your calls went. Make sure your voice is counted!

  6. Follow up: write a letter in response to your conversation. This will help you build a relationship with your legislators, which will increase your influence on their actions in the future.