NCSF wants to raise $15, 000 to support anti-CDA lawsuit


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Fw: NCSF Seeking $15,000 to support anti-CDA lawsuit
Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2004 09:09:18 -0700
From: Thomas Leavitt <thomas@thomasleavitt.org>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>

Declan,

For Politech, under the "free speech" category. The National Coalition 
for Sexual
Freedom is almost alone as an topically focused independent voice for
personal sexual freedom and the ability to speak freely about it, and they
deserve all the support they can get. $20,000 to finance a major lawsuit
like this is nothing.

Regards,
Thomas Leavitt

----- Original Message -----
From: "Susan Wright" <susanw@ncsfreedom.org>
To: <ncsf-announce@serve101.org>
Sent: Monday, June 07, 2004 7:47 AM
Subject: CDA Fundraising Countdown!


> CDA Fundraising Countdown!
>
> NCSF needs your help fighting our battle against increasing obscenity
> prosecutions. NCSF's Communications Decency Act lawsuit, filed with
Barbara Nitke
> in Federal Court, is scheduled to go to trial this Fall! John Wirenius,
our
> attorney, has graciously agreed to donate his services pro bono, but we
need
> money to bring in expert witnesses to testify on our behalf (all of the
expert
> witnesses are donating their time to this case). We have also been
mandated to
> pay for certain court transcripts and copying.
>
> NCSF urgently requires funds for these necessary expenses.
>
> NCSF thanks Hilton Flax of Purple Passion/DV8, NCSF Supporting Member, for
> providing space for the NYC CDA Fundraiser in April, 2004. The fundraiser
was
> produced by Kellene with tons of help from loyal NYC volunteers with
donations of
> art and items from community members, raising $2,100 for the CDA lawsuit.
>
> PLEASE ask your group to dedicate funds from a party or event to the CDA
> lawsuit. As supporters of NCSF, we hope you can help us out in the next
six
> months by donating funds to our CDA lawsuit.
>
> PLEASE distribute this call for donations. In the past few weeks NCSF has
> received checks from individuals donating to the CDA lawsuit totaling
$265.
> THANKS in advance to everyone for donating. Any amount is welcome!
>
> For more information on NCSF's major donor circles and the opportunity to
make
> an even more visible impact, please contact our Chair, Vivienne Kramer,
directly
> at vivienne@ncsfreedom.org
>
> It is only with your help that we will win this landmark case. To donate
to the
> CDA Lawsuit, go to the donation page:
http://www.ncsfreedom.org/donations.htm
>
> Or write "CDA Funds" in the memo line of your check, and send it to:
>   National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
>   822 Guilford Avenue, Box 127
>   Baltimore, MD 21202-3707
>
> CDA summary:
>
> The Nitke vs. Ashcroft case (formally known as Barbara Nitke and National
> Coalition for Sexual Freedom vs. John Ashcroft, Attorney General for the
U.S.)
> challenging the Communications Decency Act (CDA) is finally going to trial
in the
> Federal Court, Southern District of NY in Manhattan this fall. The
government has
> employed delay tactics and tried to get the case dismissed, and now
they've
> exhausted all the time they have.
>
> We filed our expert witness reports in spring 2004. You can go to the NCSF
> website to see who filed reports supporting our contention that "local
community
> standards" cannot be used to judge internet content. The information on
experts
> is located on: http://www.ncsfreedom.org/library/cdaexpert.htm A more
thorough
> summary of the case is located on: http://www.ncsfreedom.org/CDA/index.htm
>
> John Ashcroft is actively pursuing prosecutions of obscenity (porn). Who
was the
> first target? Extreme Video, which produces SM, rough sex, and
rape-fantasy
> videos. Will the current religious-influenced administration distinguish
between
> pay-for-porn and SM educational websites or personal websites? Who knows?
Anyone
> who has a website featuring SM, bondage, fetish or any sexually extreme
images is
> at risk.
>
> John Wirenius, attorney for the CDA lawsuit, has submitted the following
budget:
>
>   $10,000 to bring in the expert witnesses for the trial
>                 (all of these witnesses are donating time towards this
case)
>      8,000 to pay for the court record and transcript
>      2,000 to pay for printing of the record for the Supreme Court
>
>   We still need to raise $15,000 for the CDA lawsuit
>
> Please donate to the CDA lawsuit and help our community protect our
websites and
> our First Amendment Rights!
>
> Contributions or gifts to NCSF, Inc are not tax deductible for federal
income tax
> purposes.
>
> ###
>
> A project of NCSF
>
> The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom is a national organization
committed to
> creating a political, legal, and social environment in the United States
that
> advances equal rights of consenting adults who practice forms of
alternative
> sexual expression. NCSF is primarily focused on the rights of consenting
adults
> in the SM-leather-fetish, swing, and polyamory communities, who often face
> discrimination because of their sexual expression.
>
> National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
> 822 Guilford Avenue, Box 127
> Baltimore, MD 21202-3707
> 410-539-4824
> media@ncsfreedom.org
> www.ncsfreedom.org
>
Posted by Declan McCullagh on Jun 08, 2004