*Please forward widely*

"We will not pay one penny
for our First Amendment rights"
Washington Post article and video of news coverage below

Click for a short ABC news video about this unprecedented attack on free speech rights.

Click to listen to the WBAI interview with ANSWER's Sarah Sloan about the fines.

To read the Washington Post article, see below.

The ANSWER Coalition will not pay one penny to the government for our First Amendment rights or to stave off their threats against us. We are working with the expert constitutional rights attorneys at the Partnership for Civil Justice to determine our next steps for legal action against this government harassment and attempted repression. With the help of thousands of individuals and other organizations around the country who value free speech rights, we are continuing and intensifying the political struggle. We need every one who has not written or called the government to do so, and if you have done so already please get a friend to do so as well.

Put this button on your website or blog

Make an urgently needed donation
Send a letter to the DC government demanding the fines be lifted
Find transportation to Sept. 15 or become a transportation center
For all your September 15th updates, go to http://www.sept15.org/.

Anti-War Group Refuses To Back Down on Signs

By Jenna Johnson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 16, 2007

D.C. and Park Service officials are protesting signs, such as this one put up by Eugene Puryear, advertising a march. (By Marvin Joseph -- The Washington Post)

The D.C. Department of Public Works accused the ANSWER Coalition of breaking city rules by putting signs on utility boxes and using a glue that the agency said will make the posters difficult to remove. The Park Service said the signs are defacing federal property.

Coalition members said the adhesive won't create problems and accused the government of a "politically motivated" bid to silence their efforts against the war in Iraq.

The city and Park Service notified the coalition on Monday that it must remove the signs. The city gave ANSWER a 72-hour deadline and warned the group that it faces nearly $10,000 in fines -- $150 for each of the 65 posters. The Park Service set no deadline but told the group that it would have to pay for the cleanup if it did not comply.

ANSWER, which has sponsored numerous protests in Washington, kept the signs in place on utility boxes, lampposts and other objects across the city, including along the Mall and near the White House.

The signs promote an anti-war march set for Sept. 15, the date that Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, is to provide a much-anticipated progress report to President Bush and Congress. Organizers are hoping that tens of thousands of people join the march, which is scheduled to begin at the White House and end at the Capitol.

D.C. officials said they identified other problems with the posters, such as more than three signs put up on one side of a single block, signs that did not state the date they were posted, and signs stuck on utility boxes. In addition, D.C. officials said, no one filed copies of the posters with the mayor's office as required, along with the name, address and phone number of the creator of the signs.

ANSWER organizers said they use legal, water-soluble paste to hang the signs and provide all sign-hangers with a copy of D.C. regulations. They argue that no one should have to notify the government of his or her political opinions.

"We don't consider these fines to have any legal basis," said Sarah Sloan, ANSWER's national staff coordinator. "So there is no need to remove the signs or pay the fines."

The group plans to appeal if fines are imposed and is considering legal action against the city, Sloan said.

The Department of Public Works decided to crack down two weeks ago when employees reported seeing large signs glued in improper places that would take 20 to 30 minutes each to remove, said spokeswoman Vera Jackson. The department often fines individuals or organizations that violate city regulations, she said, adding that this was aimed at keeping the city clean and had nothing to do with politics.

"The District hosts marches and protests all the time," Jackson said. "And the DPW never weighs in on the issues."

ANSWER'S attorney, Mara Verheyden-Hilliard of the Partnership for Civil Justice, said such a government crackdown on political posters was unprecedented. If officials truly wanted to make the city clean, she said, they would fine politicians.

"During election season, there are thousands and thousands of posters hanging off every single inch of the city," she said.

Thanks my friends and one more below....please! Ron G.

Tell Bush to shape up on workers' rights this Labor Day.

During his six year tenure, President Bush has repeatedly failed workers. As Labor Day approaches, be a good manager and tell President Bush what you think of his job performance. Remember, you pay his salary.

Send President Bush his "Performance Review" for Labor Day!

It goes without saying that Bush has ample room for improvement when it comes to protecting workers' rights. To be fair, he's a slow learner; we've identified four areas of improvement to get him back on track. Join us in telling President Bush:

• Don't bust federal employees' unions - You should allow federal employees to join a union freely and fairly. That means no more unionbusting consultants, no more bureaucratic delays, no more funny tricks.
  
  
• Stop outsourcing the federal government - Elaine Chao, a member of your cabinet, tried to outsource hundreds of jobs from the Department of Labor. Her job is to protect jobs not eliminate them!
  
  
• Pledge to sign the Employee Free Choice Act - A majority of Congress voted for this critical legislation - your administration's veto threats must end!
  
  
• Appoint judges who will respect workers' rights and not dismantle laws – Two anti-union judges on the National Labor Relations Board (NLR, have terms set to expire at the end of the year. The NLRB is there to protect workers, so give these two judges the boot and replace them with judges who will actually stand up for workers’ rights.
  

I'm sure you have your own ideas of how Bush can improve. Why don't you share them with him?

Tell President Bush to change his course on labor by sending him a "Performance Review" today.

Come Labor Day, Bush will have his feet up at his Crawford ranch. Meanwhile America's workers face unprecedented anxiety about their jobs, wages, health, and pensions. By sending your "Performance Review," you remind Bush that the nation is paying attention to his every move.

Thank you for taking action. Together, we can shine the national spotlight on President Bush's failure to stand up for America's workers - and give him a chance to do better from here on out.

Sincerely,

Liz Cattaneo
American Rights at Work
www.americanrightsatwork.org

Thank you so much!! Ron G.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And let me add what I proposed on another post about the ANSWER thing:

O'Reilly triangulates on Iraq

Dear activists, colleagues and friends,

Thanks for being part of the powerful, hard-hitting campaign with Democracy for America to Impeach Gonzales. We appreciate you using and sending around the two short films my colleagues and I at Brave New Films put together for the campaign. They've been seen by over 300,000 people!.

You may have heard of some of our documentaries: Outfoxed, Uncovered, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, and Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers. These films have been seen by millions and generated a lot of action. Lately, we've been focusing on short 2-3 minute films to promote progressive campaigns. Here are a few of our recent videos, all big hits on YouTube:

1. The Real McCain exposes the self-proclaimed "straight talker" John McCain for his changing positions on the religious right, Iraq, gay marriage, and even the confederate flag. Expect more in the "real" series as we tackle other candidates. RUDY COMING SOON. http://therealmccain.com/

2. FOX Attacks is a series of videos going after Fox News for their attacks. We've done short films on their Barack Obama attacks, and African Americans, with more coming soon. These two videos have been seen over a million times and led to the canceling of two Fox News-hosted Democratic presidential debates. MORE COMING SOON. http://foxattacks.com/

3. We also do work through our Brave New Foundation. Recently, we released Mother's Day for Peace to reclaim the Hallmark holiday for its original purpose, mothers standing together for peace. The video raised over $50,000 to bring a young Iraqi girl to the U.S. to treat injuries she suffered during the war. FATHER'S DAY COMING NEXT WEEK. http://mothersdayforpeace.com/

We have a series of aggressive, truth-telling videos in the works. We appreciate you using them to help change the world. If you don't want to receive more videos, click the link at the bottom of the email, and we'll sadly say goodbye.

Thanks for everything you do,
Robert Greenwald
and everyone at Brave New Films and Brave New Foundation

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