Unfortunately I have no time to do something like this myself but …

My suggestions are:

1. It should be something that ideally involves the whole blogsphere, not just people in the autistic blogging community or the disability blogging community. Freedom of speech affects ALL of us. And if you take a broader view, then what happened to Kathleen is actually the least of what could happen. In some countries where there is little freedom of speech generally, bloggers can face government persecution … arrest … torture … if they blog the wrong thing at the wrong time.

2. Perhaps several people could run a centralized blog site together that keeps a running record of attempts to stifle the freedom of bloggers around the world, be it another Kathleen, or a threat to sue, or threats against the blogger and/or xir family, etc. Other volunteers could help (either sporadically as they have time or on a more on-going basis) by alerting them to new cases of bloggers under attack, researching the information associated with these new attacks, etc.

There is a lot that could be found, at least initially, just by googling key phrases such as “blogger” and “free speech” or “blogging” and “censorship” etc. In the long run, if this effort became effective and visible, then bloggers involved in new cases might find the site on their own and report directly.

3. The blog site could also consolidate information on what bloggers can do to fight back, including lawyers willing to give pro bono or low cost services, advocacy organizations, bloggers willing to blog on their behalf (as so many of us did in the “I am Kathleen” blogging campaign), stories with documentation about exactly what other bloggers have done to fight back etc., anything else that might be helpful resources for bloggers who find themselves in similar situations, or who fear being attacked in the future.

4. Also, educate bloggers about their own responsibilities. What happened in Kathleen’s case was wrong, but sometimes there are bloggers who think they are somehow immune from things such as copyright and fair use laws, or slander/libel laws and so on and then respond with great surprise and righteous indignation when they suddenly find that they actually aren’t. Sometimes it’s the blogger who needs to take a honest look at their own behavior vis a vis ethics and the law.

5. For bloggers who are literally risking their life to blog (i.e., people in repressive governments) there could be tips and resources on how they can do it a little more safely.

6. Perhaps this could eventually expand into other closely related areas, such as what to do when other blog sites try to plagiarize the content on your own (for example, syndicating without seeking permission etc.)

So what I envision is a kind of a learning resource (bloggers learn about both their responsibilities and their rights under the laws of various countries; tips for preventing attacks in the first place; and tips for how to respond; etc) … and a place to find help … and a way to get the word out so that people, including blog readers, can be more conscious of the importance of free speech everywhere, and why bloggers matter to free speech and deserve to be protected.

Perhaps there could also be an accompanying yahoogroups or googlegroups listserv for behind-the-scenes organizing, strategizing, etc. This could also be used for discussing what kind of content is appropriate on the blog site (for example, what if a blogger complains of being attacked but further investigation reveals that the other side may have very legitimate concerns also, eg in cases of copyright violations or actual, not just imagined or exagerated, slander/libel, etc. … This is the kind of debate that should probably be hashed out in a closed listserv, not aired for all to view on a blog site.)

Not sure what the next step should be … this would need someone taking the initiative to at least raise awareness for the idea among bloggers generally (by blogging about it, or sharing the idea on relevant listservs) and then gathering contact info for people who are willing to be involved in some way and in what way they might be willing to contribute.

Athena et al

I think people should start compiling lists of such idiotic cases…….along with results…….so that if someone out there happens to be reading a blog…….and has the same kind of subpoena handed to him or her for whatever reason…..we have some examples for that person…….of others who’ve successfully gotten out of such stupidity.

Athena

http://neurodiversity.com/weblog/article/152

here’s the link to the meme and our responses…….

Five Things meme

enjoy!

Athena

Oh, and BTW: you’ve won an Excellent Blog Award.

I heard about Kathleen being “supoena’D” from AFF when I was lurking the other night. I am still chanting the WTF mantra about it. But I have a feeling this going to be cleared up soon.

and I approve the Lolcat macro.

So YAY I’m doing a happy dance that it is up and running again!!

Take care,
Angela