Calling all Ohio residents...(Via CCYD):

Sweeping federal “national security” legislation such as the USA PATRIOT Act needlessly expanded wide-ranging police powers and threatens the very rights and freedoms that we are struggling to protect. Now, the Ohio Senate will soon be considering its own “Ohio PATRIOT Act” and we need your help to stop it.

By unnecessarily expanding police powers, the Ohio PATRIOT Act attacks free speech and allows for indiscriminate invasions of privacy. To date, five Ohio municipalities (Cleveland Heights, Oxford, Oberlin, Toledo and Yellow Springs) have passed resolutions expressing concerns regarding the state of civil liberties. If successful, this legislation would pull Homeland Security funding from these communities simply because concerned citizens exercised their right to free speech. Residents of Ohio should not have their security jeopardized for voicing concerns about the PATRIOT Act.

This bill would allow law enforcement agents to sweep in and force everyone in any location the government deemed a potential terrorist target -- which could be a football game, public gathering or even a national monument -- to show identification. This unwarranted power could be used to harass peaceful protestors and subject people to unreasonable searches.

This bill also requires that the names of all state government employees -- contract companies and their employees included -- be checked against the national terrorist watch list. Serious concerns have been raised about the accuracy of this terrorist watch list and little information has been made available to the public. For example, it is unclear how individuals end up on the list, how innocent people can get their names removed and how the list is maintained. Innocent people could be denied a job or contract position because their name erroneously appears on this secretive government list.

Take action! Urge your State Senator to oppose the Ohio PATRIOT Act and to defend freedom.

Click here for more information and to take action.