These links are provided for your reference. MCCCL makes no special endorsement for these links and their sites just because they are listed here.

General | If Rights Been Violated | NJ | National | NY | PA | International | More Info

If are seeking to get involved in a civil liberties effort in your area, and...

• Live in New Jersey: Look at the MCCCL State & Local Efforts page. Help the efforts in your community or start one. and the sites.
• Live outside of New Jersey but within the USA: Look at the American Civil Liberties Union and the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (especially its Local Efforts page) sites.
• Live outside of the USA: See the International Resources section.

General

• Sample Resolutions:
  • ACLU's Sample Draft
  • Ewing Township
  • Mercer County
• Section 215 and Libraries
  • Campaign for Reader Privacy
  • The USA PATRIOT Act in the Library (Good background info)
• Blogs
  Note: Blogs tend to be strong on opinion and expressions. They are a great resource for viewpoints but may not always be the best references for facts. MCCCL makes no special endorsement for these sites and their opinions.
  
  
  • Operation Eroding Freedom (One of the "Conservative Voices" concerned about the impace of some of the USA PATRIOT Act provisions.)
  • We hate the PATRIOT Act Journal
  • Library Autonymous Zone: PATRIOT Act Archive
• Other
  
  
  • Graphix4Change - A graphics art site offering works, some of them for free download, to raise awareness concerning various issues. Among the works is The Patriot Act - The Home Version game. Even if you don't want to assemble the game and play, take a look at some of the cards, especially the last two pages of the Free Speech cards [PDF].

If You Believe Your Civil Liberties Have Been Violated

• Contact the ACLU Chapter in your area. See below for links.
• If you believe your civil rights or civil liberties have been violated by a Justice Department employee can email your complaint to the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General at:
  
  U.S. Department of Justice
  950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
  Washington, D.C. 20530
  Email: inspector.general@usdoj.gov
  Fax: 202-616-9898
• If you believe your civil rights or civil liberties have been violated by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel, or that racial or ethnic profiling has occured, you may file a complaint with the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

New Jersey Resources

• MCCCL Current Local Efforts
• ACLU-NJ
• NJ Bill of Rights Defenders
• U.S. Representives (find NJ Respresenative's Web sites and contact info)
• NJ State Legislator Listing 2005
• Votes on the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act by New Jersey's Representatives (25 Feb 2006)
• Recorded Votes of the Representatives from New Jersey in US Congress (17 Nov 2005)
• More Recorded Votes of New Jersey Representatives & Senators (1 Jan 2006)
• List of Correct Votes on the House Bills

National Resources

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
  USA National Site: http://www.aclu.org/
  Local chapters for the New York and Pennsylvania listed below with the respective state sections. For other states, use the "In the States" menu at the bottom of the ACLU home page.
  
  • ACLU Safe & Free Info: http://www.aclu.org/safeandfree/
  • Pocket "Bust Card" guide to police encounters and what are your your rights & practical suggestions for safety.
  • ACLU.TV: http://www.aclu.tv/
    ACLU's videos about the USA PATRIOT Act and related civil liberties issues, including Beyond the Patriot Act. You can order free DVDs for screenings in your community via this site. You can also view the the videos online in Windows Media Player or Qpple QuickTime player. (Tech note: Your browser needs to have JavaScript enabled to view the videos.)
• Bill of Rights Defense Committee: http://www.bordc.org/
  Info on Local Efforts and on Victories across the USA
• Center for Constitutional Rights: http://www.ccr-ny.org/

New York Resources

• New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU): http://www.nyclu.org/
• New York City Bill of Rights Defense Campaign: http://www.nycbordc.org/

Pennsylvania Resources

• ACLU of Pennsylvania: http://www.aclupa.org/

International Resources

• ACLU - International Civil Liberties: http://www.aclu.org/International/InternationalMain.cfm
• Amnesty International: http://www.amnesty.org/
  • Amnesty International's Links to Other Human Rights organizations (Excellent!): http://web.amnesty.org/web/links.nsf/nonAIsites
• Liberty (UK): http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/
• Statewatch (Europe): http://www.poptel.org.uk/statewatch/
• Freedom House: http://www.freedomhouse.org/

 

More Info on the USA PATRIOT Act and Related Matters

Full Name of the Act: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001 [H.R.3162; 107th Congress]

• USA PATRIOT Act
  as passed by Congress (PDF 419 Kb; HTML version)
• ACLU - Safe & Free
• ACLU-NJ PATRIOT Act Info
• The USA PATRIOT Act in the Library
  Learn how the US PATRIOT Act can affect libraries and their users. See the clever "five technically legal signs for your library" libraries use to tell their patrons if the FBI has visited to inquire about the patrons. Learn anout NJ laws that protect library privacy and find various useful resources.
• Operation Eroding Freedom
  The USA PATRIOT Act is of concern to people of diverse social & political views. This site voices concerns from a conservative viewpoint.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation
  This site focuses upon the Act's impact upon online communications.
• Wikipedia USA PATRIOT Act Entry
  Somewhat helpful, especially the outside links, but can be misleading. (See this Law Blog entry.) As with everything on the Net, verify the information.
• Security and Freedom Ensured (SAFE) Act of 2003 (S1709)
  A bill to amend the USA PATRIOT ACT to address major liberties problems.
  
  ACTION NOTE: SAFE might get vetoed. Send free faxes of support. Here's how....