We'll be having our weekly Project PM meeting at irc.freenode.net
<http://irc.freenode.net>, #projectpm, to discuss our current operations
in support of Tunisia and Egypt. Please attend if you can. Additionally,
Campbell Vertesi has created http://commons.projectpm.org to better
organize our efforts as we continue to provide tools and expertise to
our contacts in North Africa. And the latest version of our press
release in advance of the rally and press conference at City Hall, NYC,
on April 7 is now out; link here, text pasted
below: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/1/26/939078/-Rally-for-North-Africa,-Wikileaks,-Bradley-Manning,-Anon
Thanks to everyone for their hard work so far.
Press Release
For Immediate Distribution
January 13th, 2011
An unprecedented coalition of information activists and organizations
have come together in an effort to advance the ongoing campaign against
the informational tyranny that has been on view as of late in the
context of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, and Bradley Manning. All three of
these parties have been subjected to state oppression, without due
regard for the alleged "rule of law;" all three have been maligned in
dishonest and often bizarre ways; all three have earned such treatment
by way of having together ensured that all of humanity may, for the
first time in history, together learn how it is that their wealth,
loyalty, and lives are being used by those who plead national security
while having provided no such thing to their own citizens and even
seizing it from those living elsewhere (and the effects may be seen in
North Africa and particularly Tunisia, where Anonymous-affiliated
activists have been successful in establishing a freer government to
replace the prior tyranny).
In response to these latest outrages against competence and decency, and
in support of the ongoing digital reformation, our coalition - comprised
of veterans and anti-war groups, a faction of the Anonymous movement,
the distributed think-tank Project PM, and a loose network of
journalists, media professionals, scientists, former intelligence and
government officials, and related organizations - announces a stepped-up
campaign of information and direct action which will culminate in a
rally and press conference on the steps of New York City Hall on April
7th at 3:00 pm. This event, the Rally for Information Freedom, will be
supplemented by a campaign on the part of Anonymous, Project PM, and
related entities to bring attention to the dozens of significant stories
that have been largely ignored due to the unfortunate dynamics by which
too many media have come to operate. The New York conference - conceived
by longtime resident activist, Navy veteran, and acclaimed photographer
John Penley - will feature about a dozen speakers including Penley,
author and Project PM founder Barrett Brown, key Anonymous activist and
Chanology co-instigator Gregg Housh, former civil litigator and
author/blogger Glenn Greenwald, and National Lawyers Guild executive
director Heidi Boghosian. Messages from other figures in the
pro-transparency movement will also be presented in lieu of their
ability to attend.
Never in human history has mankind endured a period in which so much of
the terminology employed at its end would have been unrecognizable at
its beginning. The last twenty years have changed the landscape in which
man operates, expanding the potential for human collaboration in such a
way as to eliminate the barriers that rendered the nation-state a viable
institution. As those barriers fall, so too does the primacy of the
world's governments, which in turn have increasingly found themselves
unable to maintain the secrecy through which they have run a great
portion human affairs with results that may be politely characterized as
mixed. The various states have responded to these developments with a
collective message to the effect that such secrecy is necessary if they
are to continue operating without the informed consent of their
respective populations, though this has generally been expressed in
slightly different words. Meanwhile, several such governments have,
through their specific conduct in the wake of the last year, provided a
timely reminder as to why it is that many of those who truly value
liberty and morality have lost faith in those same governments.
This event is part of an effort to counter the dishonesty and injustice
of the states which have reacted to such emergent phenomena with
censorship and persecution while also forging greater coordination among
the various parties that have been fighting on behalf of the cause of
informational liberty. To this end, a series of meetings both formal and
otherwise will be held throughout the first week of April; further
information will be relayed in a second press release in late March.
Confirmed Speakers
John Penleyis a Vietnam era Navy vet who was put in solitary confinement
in 1984 by the U.S. government for a past protest at the Savannah River
Nuclear Weapons Plant. A 59-year-old veteran of New York City housing,
anti-war and civil rights activism, Penley is also a longtime
photojournalist whose work has been pubilshed by most NYC major media
outlets; his photo archive is housed at New York Universitys Tamiment
Library.
Barrett Brownis a writer and author as well as the founder of Project
PM. His work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Huffington Post, The Guardian,
The Onion, New York Press, Skeptical Inquirer, American Atheist, and
other outlets. He has been active in the Anonymous movement for several
years and serves as an advocate for efficient, ethical alternatives to
traditional methods of governance.
Gregg Houshis an Internet activist involved with the online non-group
Anonymous. His work has included coordinating global demonstrations
against human rights abuses in the Church of Scientology and assisting
Iranian members of the Green Movement in reaching the global media.
Having built a strong sense of trust among several disparate subgroups
of Anonymous, Housh now acts as a media interpreter for major online
initiatives such as Operation Payback.
Glenn Greenwald is a former constitutional and civil rights litigator,
the author of two bestselling books on the American socio-political
environment, and a longtime blogger who currently writes for Salon. He
now serves as one of the nations most formidable advocates of
Wikileaks, Bradley Manning, and information freedom in general.
Depending on his location on the day of the event, hell be speaking
either in person or via relay.
Barry Eisleris a former employee of the CIA's Directorate of Operations
who now acts as a critic of that and other intelligence organizations.
He's the author of two bestselling series of novels drawing on his own
intel background and blogs for a number of outlets. He'll be speaking
either via relay or a pre-written message to be read at the event.
Heidi Boghosianis the executive director of the National Lawyers Guild,
a progressive bar association established in 1937. She is co-host of the
weekly civil liberties radio program Law and Disorder on WBAI, New York
and over 30 national affiliate stations. She has published several
articles and reports on policing, protest, and the First Amendment.
Professor Jonathan Farley is a mathematics professor whom Seed Magazine
named one of 15 people who have shaped the global conversation on
science since 1995, with a career including stints at MIT, Vanderbilt,
and Johannes Kepler University. His work has appeared in Time, The
Guardian, Huffington Post, and other publications; hes also appeared on
the BBC and NPR and occasionally serves as a political advisor in
addition to his anti-war activism and related pursuits.
Bill Quigley is the Legal Director for the Center for Constitutional
Rights, a national legal and educational organization dedicated to
advancing and defending the rights guaranteed by the United States
Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Bill joined
CCR on sabbatical from his position as law professor and Director of the
Law Clinic and the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola University
New Orleans. He has been an active public interest lawyer since 1977. He
has served as counsel with a wide range of public interest organizations
on issues including Katrina social justice issues, public housing,
voting rights, death penalty, living wage, civil liberties, educational
reform, constitutional rights and civil disobedience. Bill has litigated
numerous cases with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.,
the Advancement Project, and with the ACLU of Louisiana, for which he
served as General Counsel for over 15 years. Bill received the 2006
Camille Gravel Civil Pro Bono Award from the Federal Bar Association New
Orleans Chapter. Bill received the 2006 Stanford Law School National
Public Service Award and the 2006 National Lawyers Guild Ernie Goodman
award. He has also been an active volunteer lawyer with School of the
Americas Watch and the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti.
Bill is the author of Ending Poverty As We Know It: Guaranteeing A Right
to A Job At A Living Wage (2003) and Storms Still Raging: Katrina, New
Orleans and Social Justice (2008). In 2003, he was named the Pope Paul
VI National Teacher of Peace by Pax Christi USA and is the recipient of
the 2004 SALT Teaching Award presented by the Society of American Law
Teachers.
Vagabond Beaumontis a writer, artist and filmmaker. He's worked in the
Puerto Rican independence movement since 1997 and has organized rallies,
protests and marches and created murals, pamphlets and agitprop in
support of thatcause with the artist collective RICANSTRUCTION Netwerk.
His work has been featured in Blu Magazine, AWOL, SALVO and Left Turn.
His first feature film, MACHETERO,covers the ongoing struggle for Puerto
Rican independence and has screened at festivals around the world,
winning awards in South Africa, Wales, England, Thailand, Ireland and
New York.
Sebastian Gillen is a 21-year-old graduate of Tufts University. When he
was eight years old, he was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma, a
rare form of pediatric cancer, and given two weeks to live. More than
ten years later, he is still cancer-free and an active advocate for
childhood cancer research. He has spoken at rallies on Capitol Hill and
Greg Norman's Shark Shootout, among other places. He thinks science is
totally awesome and runs a blog at Weareinthefuture.com and
administrates Project PMs Science Journalism Program.
Faith Laugier is a musician, artist, activist, and New York native whos
worked with many of the citys human rights organizations, art &
cultural non-profits and homeless centers in an effort to advance the
inherent right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. -And she
believes in government that is for the people and by the people.
General Press Inquiries
Barrett Brown
barriticus@gmail.com <mailto:barriticus@gmail.com>
(512) 560-2302
irc.freenode.net <http://irc.freenode.net/>#projectpm
projectpm.org <http://projectpm.org>
John Penley
(917) 204-0857
--
Regards,
Barrett Brown
512-560-2302