Exclusive: Help Support Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld

by THE EDITORS May 12, 2008

Dear Journalists, Bloggers*, Writers andReaders: Please help preserve our First Amendment rights - the cornerstone of American democracy!

IS PRESERVING FREEDOM OF SPEECH WORTH $10, $15, or $20 TO YOU?

If so, please consider making a donation to the efforts of Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, the force behind the recently enacted Rachel's Law, New York's Libel Terrorism Protection Act which was signed by New York Governor David Patterson on May 1, 2008.Dr. Ehrenfeldhas struggled on behalf of all of us for the past four years to pass a bill protecting the First Amendment from foreign libel lawsuits. According to R. James Woolsey, former Director of the CIA: "Rachel Ehrenfeld has done all serious students of this long war in which we are engaged a great service."

Simply click here: http://www.acdemocracy.org/support.php#donate to contribute. If everybody will make a contribution, it will allow Dr. Ehrenfeld to continue hercriticallyimportant work. This law is only the start of what is required to ensure that American authors and publishers can write and distribute works that deal with funding terrorism and publish work vital to our national security without fear of being driven to bankruptcy.

BACKGROUND

Following the publication of her book Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed - and How to Stop It, published in the U.S. in 2003, Dr. Ehrenfeld identified Khalid bin Mahfouz, a billionaire banker to the Saudi royal family as a leading terrorism financier. In 2004, Bin Mahfouz responded by suing Ehrenfeld - not in the U.S., but in England, which is friendlier to libel claims because 23 copies of Funding Evil had entered England through on-line sales.

Rather than back down, Ehrenfeld courageously chose to fight the false charges and worked to preserve the First Amendment rights that are the cornerstone of American democracy. Rachel's Law will protect American journalists and authors from foreign lawsuits that infringe on First Amendment rights. This law, however, is only the start of what is required to ensure that American authors and publishers can write and distribute works that deal with funding terrorism and publish work vital to our national security without fear of being driven to bankruptcy.

*If you are a blogger, please post this to help spread the word about an effort which affects all of us.