ACLU of PA Announces Series of Town Hall Meetings on Abuse of Executive Power

Philadelphia, PA, June 28, 2006 -- The ACLU of Pennsylvania will hold a
series of five town hall meetings across the state in July about the
ongoing abuse of executive power. The events will highlight recent
federal actions and government abuses such as torture, the NSA's
warrantless wiretap program, phone records collection, data-mining,
secret prisons, surveillance of anti-war groups, extraordinary
rendition, and indefinite detention and will offer actions that
individuals can take to defend our endangered civil liberties.

"There are new revelations about abuses by this Administration almost
everyday," said Nancy Hopkins, ACLU of Pennsylvania Executive Director.
"This is not the America most people believe in, and it is not the
America most people want."

The series, entitled "Constitution Under Siege," will kick-off in
Harrisburg on July 11 with events to follow in Philadelphia (July 12),
Allentown (July 13), Erie (July 19), and Pittsburgh (July 20). Each
event will include a panel presentation followed by a question and
answer period and a discussion of action steps. The panels will include
staff from the ACLU's Washington Legislative Office, members of the
local community, and legal perspectives from local attorneys.

All of the town hall meetings are free and open to the public. For more
information about the abuse of power issue and the town hall meetings,
go to www.aclupa.org/constitutionundersiege.

Illegal government spying, indefinite detention, and
government-sponsored torture programs are constitutional violations that
undermine our most treasured values in the name of national security.
There has never been a more urgent need for Americans to act to preserve
individual freedom or privacy. The abuse of executive power threatens
our system of checks and balances.

President Bush has violated his oath to "preserve, protect, and defend
the Constitution of the United States," and Congress has failed to hold
him accountable for his actions. Our system of checks and balances must
be maintained if American democracy is to be preserved. America cannot
hold itself up as a moral beacon to the world if we violate the rule of
law and engage in illegal spying, torture and secrecy.

For more information contact Sara Mullen, Associate Director

215-592-1513 x122, info@aclupa.org