Mr.

Steven Place
4425 Preserve Drive, Apt 208
Melbourne, FL 32934
July 7, 2008

Mr. Mel Martinez

United States Senator
356 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Mr. Martinez:

I am writing to you today in regards to the FISA Amendments Act. As a constituent, I feel
that it is my patriotic duty to contact you and explain how this piece of legislation, if
passed, will severely damage our democracy and for what it stands.

I respectfully request that you act on these measures:

• Vote “YES” on the Dodd-Feingold amendment, which would strip telecom immunity
from the bill entirely.

• Vote “YES” on the Bingaman amendment, which would delay implementation of

telecom immunity until after Congress has received the Inspectors General report
on the President’s warrantless surveillance program.

• Vote “NO” on the cloture motion to end debate on the FAA.

• Vote “NO” on the FISA Amendments Act.

The reasons for the above request are as follows:

The legislation violates the constitution. The 4th amendment guarantees citizens the
right against unreasonable searches and seizures unless a Warrant is issued. The
legislation goes directly against what the constitution says and what it represents. If the
government wishes to legislate measures as stated in the FAA, it needs to submit a
constitutional amendment.

The legislation protects corporations from legal action. This should be decided by the
courts, not the legislative branch. By enacting this amendment, it will set a legal precedent
with which the judicial branch will lose power over creating legal and civil action against
corporations. Furthermore, the bill wishes to grant retroactive immunity for actions that we
do not know. Even closed hearings to Senators with clearances on the Intelligence
Committee have not proven a rationale for this amendment.
The legislation expands power of the executive branch. By giving the executive
branch legal authority to bypass warrants during searches, you restrict the system of
checks and balances that our government needs in order to function properly.

The legislation gives the executive branch leverage over opponents. Expanding on
the previous point, this amendment would give the executive branch tools with which they
could suppress political opposition. If a whistleblower had information that would weaken
the position of the executive branch in any way, warrantless wiretapping could be used to
bully, blackmail, or manipulate opponents by adding deterrents. This method could be
expanded to political opponents, advocates, and even Senators. By giving even the
availability to the executive branch, we reduce the principles of our democracy.

This is not about politics, but morals. I ask you to transcend partisan lines as I encourage
you to take these points into consideration. By taking the actions as listed above, you
would be taking a great step towards a stronger democracy and a better America.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Along with the mailing
address above, you can contact me with the information below.

Sincerely,

Steven Place
h: 321.282.3991
w: 321.309.7094
e: steve.j.place@gmail.com