Everyone Everyone Everyone Needs to Know About This

[dampscribbler]

Earlier this week, Michael Chabon Wrote to Neil Gaiman about the First Amendment Project being in financial trouble, and Neil posted it on his weblog, here. The First Amendment is threatened not only by those individuals and organizations who prefer to operate unchallenged (and those who support that preference), but by decades of neglect in our educational system. This week, the results of a poll of US High School students were relased. More than one in three students responded that the First Amendment goes "too far" in the rights it guarantees. (according to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6888837/ ) Americans cannot afford any further deterioration of our First Amendment rights, and organizations like FAP help protect us all. Please visit their website to find out more, consider making a contribution now, and pass this along to anyone and everyone you know.

The text of the letter from Michael Chabon, as posted on Gaiman's blog:

I'm on the board of the First Amendment Project
(http://www.thefirstamendment.org ). It's a nonprofit advocacy organization
that among other functions provides legal counsel to writers, artists,
journalists and others facing prosecution on first amendment
grounds--an organization "dedicated to protecting and promoting
freedom of information, expression, and petition." Recently the
Project represented the teenager, George T., who was prosecuted AND
CONVICTED on criminal charges in California for writing violent poems.
The appeals court overturned the conviction.

The Project is also planning a campaign to combat and remedy the
shocking deficit of respect for and understanding of First Amendment
issues revealed by that recent Knight-Ridder poll of American young
people.

They're also about to run out of money. They went broke defending a
San Diego environmental activist who was sued by a huge real estate
developer for petitioning to protect bald eagles. The plaintiffs
tried--and failed--to sue her under RICO (federal anti-racketeering!)
laws!

TFAP won the court battle but it was a classic Pyrrhic victory. One
more like that and they are lost.

They need money.

There is so much to care about and we face so many demands for our
time, attention, and money. I know. But the First Amendment... it all
starts there, doesn't it? It seems to me that there's really no point
to anything else without that basic guarantee.

If you could manage to contribute even just a little, it would make a
difference. I hope you will. And I'll hope you'll forgive this
importunate but timely plea.

You can make a donation just by clicking here or entering
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=4512 in your browser.

Thanks.

MC

Comments

[tamyranev.livejournal.com]

That is some scary stuff. I think that survey of high school students was sited by the Oregonian a few weeks ago in a short piece about the journalist back east who's in jail for refusing to reveal his source.

[dampscribbler.livejournal.com]

I know there was a similar poll recently of "Americans" -- presumably adults out of high school -- that revealed that a similar percentage thinks the 1A goes too far, but try as I might I couldn't find it this morning, so no linky. :-(

It's very scary. I'll be making a contribution in Aunt Donna's name. Having been a newswoman, I think she would approve.

[tamyranev.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a good idea. :-)

[dampscribbler.livejournal.com]

That should read "in Aunt Donna's honor."

[pdanielson.livejournal.com]

I saw a couple of posts a while ago talking about that poll, I think it was on David Neiwart's blog (http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/). This sort of prosecution is becoming so much more common, and the danger is that people are going to become accustomed to it. It's hard to decide what I'm going to do with my law career. Defending cases like this is definitely worthwhile, but I think I might actually get more satisfaction by going after conservatives and putting them on the defensive for once. If they're always going to whine about being "persecuted," there might as well be some actual persecution to whine about. :-P

[dampscribbler.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Paul, I'll cruise around Orcinus and see what I can find. I haven't visited there in a long time....

I like the idea of you as an attack dog.