The Cato Institute, a prominent conservative think tank with ties to the Koch brothers, released the letter its president, John Allison, sent in response to what he calls the "blatant violation of our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and to petition the government for a redress of grievances" by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). The "violation" takes the form of a letter sent by Durbin to individuals and organizations believed to have contributed to the American Legislative Exchange Council since 2005, the year in which ALEC developed model legislation based on Florida's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law.
