Bloggers Imprisoned, Tortured and Killed for Expressing Opinions! Who's Next?
Topic: Outrageous
Considering this is actually happening to bloggers in various parts of the world, I guess censorship or having your blog flagged for "hate speech" doesn't seem quite so bad. Well, actually, it does seem really bad to me. Freedom to express conflicting opinions is important. Learning that votes from a few disgruntled people who disagree with the views I express on my blog can convince Google to change my blog to "unlisted" is frightening.
It took me forever to figure out how I could get a "controversial" pro-life book of fiction such as mine (
The Grim Shadow) published. I looked up categories in the
Writers Market. There were fiction categories covering every topic under the sun (the occult, alternative lifestyles, erotica, experimental, feminist, etc.) but no category that my book would fit into. In non-fiction there was a listing for conservative books, but once I got into fiction I couldn't find any such listing. I've been told my story would make a great movie. Yes, it would. But will it ever be made into one? Yeh, when pigs fly.
To top it off, now I am getting paranoid. My book is taking longer to get to market than was predicted and I am afraid that some group of disgruntled people who have somehow gotten a bootlegged copy of my manuscript have figured out how to stop the publishing process indefinitely with their powerful votes. Nah... I'm sure I'm only imagining things. It's been a long day...(and I may be having illusions of grandeur)
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THE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT BLOGGERS
The Committee to Protect Bloggers is devoted to the protection of bloggers around the world. In a host of countries around the world bloggers are routinely imprisoned for their activities. The blogging community should not leave the responsibility for their well-being in others' hands.
The Committee has four primary spheres of activity.
CPB will serve as a clearinghouse for information on incarcerated members of our community, as well as those whose lives have been taken from them because of their enthusiasm for the free exchange of information that blogging allows.
CPB will serve as a pressure group to force unrecalcitrant governments to free imprisoned bloggers, and make restitution for tortured and murdered ones.
CPB will bring to bear the formidable communicative power of the blogosphere to keep pressure on governments to stop arresting and abusing bloggers and to mitigate or reverse measures designed to restrict speech.
CPB will act as direct agents in negotiations to free imprisoned bloggers.
We are driven by our enthusiasm for knowledge, by our affection for the possibilities of blogging, by the love we have for our fellow bloggers and by our belief in the free exchange of ideas.
We are guided by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
We acknowledge the good work being done by the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and Bloggers Without Borders. There will be some overlap between our group and theirs.
However, several things set us apart and give us a distinct focus, allowing us to become a valuable addition to the global free-speech community.
We are concerned primarily, though not exclusively, with the well-being of the bloggers themselves. Press freedom is extremely valuable and will be agitated for, but our primary concern is keeping bloggers alive and free.
We are concerned for them as bloggers, even if some are also journalists or activists.
We are a group of bloggers, communicating via blogs, about other bloggers. We have some understanding of our fellows that most other groups do not. We also have immediate access to the communications power of the blogosphere.
As soon as we secure 501(c)3 status and become an official non-profit, we will use this space to solicit donations and free-will membership fees, as well as corporate memberships.
In the meantime, please send us all the information you can on bloggers who are, or have been, imprisoned or otherwise the vicitims of state-sanctioned oppression.
If there is something else you feel you would like to do for the Committee, please suggest away.
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT BLOGGERS
Posted by neverevergiveup
at 3:55 PM PDT
Updated: Sunday, 21 August 2005 8:18 AM PDT