We've achieved a huge breakthrough. Tens of thousands of ACLU supporters like you spoke out, and our lawmakers listened. Because of our collective action, the Defense Authorization bill is headed for the Senate floor without an outrageous provision that would have granted this and all future presidents a blank check to involve the U.S. in a worldwide war without end.

This is exactly the kind of thing we can achieve when we take a strong, vocal stand for freedom.

And we need your voice again. Although you succeeded in defeating the worldwide war provision, the Senate bill includes several dangerous provisions that would erode our civil liberties by giving the military expanded powers to investigate and detain civilians both abroad and inside the United States.

Urge Senator Leahy and the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold immediate public hearings on these provisions. (Do not forward: This link will open a page with your information already filled in.)

If enacted in its current form, the Senate bill would:

• Explicitly authorize the federal government to indefinitely imprison without charge or trial civilians arrested within the United States itself, including some U.S. citizens.
• Mandate military detention of some civilians who would otherwise be outside of military control, including suspects arrested within the United States itself.
• Transfer to the Department of Defense core prosecutorial, investigative, law enforcement, penal, and custodial authority and responsibility now held by the Department of Justice.

We need a full public examination of these dangerous measures before this bill reaches the Senate floor.

Please act now. Urge Senator Leahy and the Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on efforts to restore McCarthy-era military detention policies.

We proved our ability to have a big impact when we successfully challenged efforts to authorize worldwide war without end. Now, we have to do the same on attempts to dramatically expand military involvement in investigating and detaining civilians, including on U.S. soil.

We don't have much time. Please contact Senator Leahy today.

Thanks for acting,