Rhode Island Democrats need to call the office of Sheldon Whitehouse and remind him to take his backbone with him when he goes to work to at the United States Senate tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the scheduled date for the Senate’s final vote on the FISA Amendments Act, a bill that would endorse George W. Bush’s program to spy without any oversight on the personal communications of millions of Americans. The FISA Amendments Act also violates the Constitution’s ban on ex post facto laws, the fourth amendment in the Bill of Rights, the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment, and the system of check and balances calibrated throughout the Constitution.

The FISA Amendments Act is a terrible law, and there’s a great deal more wrong with it than just retroactive immunity for telecommunications corporations. Yet, Senator Whitehouse is waffling.

A day before a vote on the FISA Amendments Act, Senator Whitehouse’s aides say that he is still trying to make up his mind about what to do about the FISA Amendments Act tomorrow. They say that he’s considering amendments removing telecommunications immunity, as if that would make up for everything else that’s wrong with the proposed law.

The FISA Amendments Act is corrupt beyond amendment. So, Rhode Island, it’s time to call Sheldon Whitehouse at (202) 224-2921 and tell him that you want him to defend the Constitution and vote NO on the FISA Amendments Act.