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Ricken Patel - Avaaz.org wrote:
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<title>Avaaz.org - The World in Action</title>
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content="Join with people around the world in taking action on pressing global issues.">
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<b>Incredible - nearly 400,000 signatures in one day for press
freedom! Join the massive outcry and forward the email below -</b><br>
<br>
Dear friends,
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<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 10px;"><font
color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/?cl=855181424&v=7744"><img
moz-do-not-send="true"
src="http://avaazimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wikileaksbox.jpg" border="0"
width="200"> <br>
<br>
</a>The chilling intimidation campaign against WikiLeaks (when
they have broken no laws) is <b>an attack on freedom of the press and
democracy.</b> We urgently need a massive public outcry to <b>stop the
crackdown -- let's get to 1 million voices</b> and take out full page
ads in US newspapers this week! <br>
</font>
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face="Arial" size="2"><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/?cl=855181424&v=7744"><img
moz-do-not-send="true"
src="http://avaazimages.s3.amazonaws.com/sign_english_pink.png"
alt="Sign the petition" border="0" width="200"></a></font></div>
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<br>
<br>
The <b>massive campaign of intimidation</b> against WikiLeaks is
sending a chill through free press advocates everywhere.
<br>
<br>
<b>Legal experts say WikiLeaks has likely broken no laws. Yet top US
politicians have called it a terrorist group and commentators have
urged assassination</b> of its staff. The organization has come under
massive government and corporate attack, but WikiLeaks is only
publishing information provided by a whistleblower. And <b>it has
partnered with the world's leading newspapers (NYT, Guardian, Spiegel
etc)</b> to carefully vet the information it publishes.
<br>
<br>
<b>The massive extra-judicial intimidation of WikiLeaks is an attack
on democracy.</b> We urgently need a public outcry for freedom of the
press and expression. <b>Sign the petition to stop the crackdown and
forward this email to everyone</b> -- let's get to 1 million voices and
take out full page ads in US newspapers this week!
<br>
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/?cl=855181424&v=7744">http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/?vl</a><br>
<br>
<b>WikiLeaks isn't acting alone</b> -- it's partnered with the top
newspapers in the world (New York Times, The Guardian, Der Spiegel,
etc) to carefully review 250,000 US diplomatic cables and remove any
information that it is irresponsible to publish. <b>Only 800 cables
have been published so far.</b> Past WikiLeaks publications have
exposed government-backed torture, the murder of innocent civilians in
Iraq and Afghanistan, and corporate corruption.
<br>
<br>
The US government is currently pursuing all legal avenues to stop
WikiLeaks from publishing more cables, but <b>the laws of democracies
protect freedom of the press.</b> The US and other governments may not
like the laws that protect our freedom of expression, but that's
exactly why it's so important that we have them, and why only a
democratic process can change them.
<br>
<br>
<b>Reasonable people can disagree</b> on whether WikiLeaks and the
leading newspapers it's partnered with are releasing more information
than the public should see. Whether the releases undermine diplomatic
confidentiality and whether that's a good thing. Whether WikiLeaks
founder Julian Assange has the personal character of a hero or a
villain. <b>But none of this justifies a vicious campaign of
intimidation to silence a legal media outlet</b> by governments and
corporations. Click below to join the call to stop the crackdown: <br>
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/?cl=855181424&v=7744">http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/?vl</a><br>
<br>
Ever wonder why the media so rarely gives the full story of what
happens behind the scenes? This is why - because when they do,
governments can be vicious in their response. And when that happens, <b>it's
up to the public to stand up for our democratic rights to a free press
and freedom of expression. Never has there been a more vital time for
us to do so.</b> <br>
<br>
With hope,<br>
Ricken, Emma, Alex, Alice, Maria Paz and the rest of the Avaaz team.<br>
<br>
SOURCES:<br>
<br>
Law experts say WikiLeaks in the clear (ABC)<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2010/s3086781.htm">http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2010/s3086781.htm</a>
<br>
<br>
WikiLeaks are a bunch of terrorists, says leading U.S. congressman
(Mail Online)<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333879/WikiLeaks-terrorists-says-leading-US-congressman-Peter-King.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333879/WikiLeaks-terrorists-says-leading-US-congressman-Peter-King.html</a><br>
<br>
Cyber guerrillas can help US (Financial Times)<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d3dd7c40-ff15-11df-956b-00144feab49a.html#axzz17QvQ4Ht5">http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d3dd7c40-ff15-11df-956b-00144feab49a.html#axzz17QvQ4Ht5</a>
<br>
<br>
Amazon drops WikiLeaks under political pressure (Yahoo)<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101201/tc_afp/usdiplomacyinternetwikileakscongressamazon">http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101201/tc_afp/usdiplomacyinternetwikileakscongressamazon</a>
<br>
<br>
"WikiLeaks avenged by hacktivists" (PC World):<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/212701/operation_payback_wikileaks_avenged_by_hacktivists.html">http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/212701/operation_payback_wikileaks_avenged_by_hacktivists.html</a><br>
<br>
US Gov shows true control over Internet with WikiLeaks containment
(Tippett.org) <br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.tippett.org/2010/12/us-gov-shows-true-control-over-internet-with-wikileaks-containment/">http://www.tippett.org/2010/12/us-gov-shows-true-control-over-internet-with-wikileaks-containment/</a>
<br>
<br>
US embassy cables culprit should be executed, says Mike Huckabee (The
Guardian)<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/01/us-embassy-cables-executed-mike-huckabee">http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/01/us-embassy-cables-executed-mike-huckabee</a><br>
<br>
WikiLeaks ditched by MasterCard, Visa. Who's next? (The Christian
Science Monitor)<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2010/1207/WikiLeaks-ditched-by-MasterCard-Visa.-Who-s-next">http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2010/1207/WikiLeaks-ditched-by-MasterCard-Visa.-Who-s-next</a><br>
<br>
Assange's Interpol Warrant Is for Having Sex Without a Condom (The
Slatest)<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://slatest.slate.com/id/2276690/">http://slatest.slate.com/id/2276690/</a><br>
<br>
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src="http://www.avaaz.org/act/open/855181424.gif" border="0">
<br>
<br>
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src="http://www.avaaz.org/act/open/855181424.gif" border="0"><br>
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here</a>.<br>
<br>
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