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Hi friends and colleagues:<br>
Please forgive this mass email, and self promotion. As<br>
you may know, I've been subpoenaed by the Army to<br>
testify about an interview I did with 1st Lt. Ehren<br>
Watada, the first officer to publicly refuse to deploy<br>
to Iraq.<br><br>
I have taken the position that it's not a journalist's<br>
job to participate in the government prosecution of<br>
personal, political speech, and that the subpoenas<br>
erode the barrier between press and government, chill<br>
speech, stifle debate and subvert the notion of a<br>
press free of government meddling. <br><br>
I've gotten really amazing and diverse support: from<br>
the National Press Club issuing a release last week<br>
denouncing the subpoenas, to antiflag posting a<br>
message on their blog doing the same! I'm asking that<br>
you all do two things, if you are willing to spend a<br>
few quick minutes lending a hand. <br><br>
First, go to the web site<br>
<a href="http://www.defendthepress.org/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.defendthepress.org</a> to send a letter to the<br>
Army and the Pentagon asking that they drop the<br>
subpoenas of journalists in the Lt. Watada<br>
court-martial. Also, you can sign onto the journalist<br>
open letter calling on the Army to "back off." :)<br><br>
Second, please send an announcement/alert to your own<br>
friends, colleagues, lists and networks. I would love<br>
to be be able to deliver thousands of emails and<br>
letters to the Army by the end of the week, and I<br>
really need help getting that accomplished! I've<br>
drafted up a sample alert below. Feel free to edit at<br>
will and send out to whomever you'd like! <br><br>
Also, free free to call or email off list if you have<br>
any thoughts or questions.<br>
Thanks so much for your help with this!<br>
Sarah Olson<br>
415 298 5573<br>
<a href="http://www.freepresswg.org/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.freepresswg.org<br>
</a><a href="http://www.defendthepress.org/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.defendthepress.org<br><br>
<br>
</a>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br>
In May of 2006 journalist Sarah Olson did an exclusive<br>
interview with U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren<br>
Watada, just before he became the highest-ranking<br>
member of the military to publicly refuse to deploy to<br>
Iraq. Now, Olson has been subpoenaed to testify as<br>
an Army witness in the Lieutenant’s February 5th<br>
court-martial. <br><br>
Lieutenant Watada is facing 5 charges: one for not<br>
going to Iraq, and four charges of “conduct unbecoming<br>
an officer and a gentleman.” Each of the latter four<br>
charges are based on statements he made regarding his<br>
reasons for refusing to deploy to Iraq. To make these<br>
speech related charges stick, the Army formally served<br>
Olson and another journalist with subpoenaes, and<br>
several other reporters have been placed on the<br>
witness list. <br><br>
Olson believes that journalists should not be asked to<br>
participate in the government prosecution of personal,<br>
political speech. Doing so erodes the barriers between<br>
press and government, subverts the notion of a free<br>
press, chills speech, stifles debate, and scares<br>
journalists away from covering controversial topics.<br>
And she’s not alone. Women In Media & News, The<br>
Society of Professional Journalists, PEN American<br>
Center, the National Press Club and the editorial<br>
board of the Los Angeles Times have joined her in<br>
protest. Scores of prominent journalists and authors <br>
from Howard Zinn to Gloria Steinem, Barbara Ehrenreich<br>
to Sydney Schanberg -- have decried the government’s<br>
attempt to control the gather and distribution of<br>
news. <br><br>
We are asking that you join the growing ranks of<br>
people<br>
protesting the Army’s attempts to use journalists to<br>
silence the personal political speech of dissenting<br>
members of the military. Go to<br>
<a href="http://www.defendthepress.org/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.defendthepress.org</a> today and send letters<br>
to the Army and the Pentegon, asking that they drop<br>
the subpoenas of journalists in the Lt. Watada<br>
court-martial. Tell members of Congress that all media<br>
workers must be free to report the news, and that<br>
people must be able to speak with journalists without<br>
fear of retribution or censure.<br><br>
To read more about Sarah Olson's principled stand<br>
against government censorship of personal, political<br>
speech, see:<br>
<a href="http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003526248" eudora="autourl">
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003526248<br>
<br>
</a>Sarah Olson discussing her case on Democracy Now!:<br>
<a href="http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/02/1527206" eudora="autourl">
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/02/1527206<br><br>
</a>Defend The Press: <br>
<a href="http://www.freepresswg.or/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.freepresswg.or<br><br>
</a></font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
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(415) 863-9977<br>
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