LIBEL TERRORISM PROTECTION ACT

This is most excellent news! And everyone else should encourage their own congressional representatives and senators to support similar legislation on a national level, and jurisdictional law in their own state legislatures to help guard this latest front in financial jihad by the Saudis' propaganda machine and other mercantilistic Islamic forces.

Now, if only we could get legislation in similar terms to spotlight the glaring differences to help avail accountability issues with respect to certain other civil and market practices of our trading partners...

Long live this Republic of the United States of America!

NEW YORK GOVERNOR DAVID PATERSON yesterday signed the "Libel Terrorism Protection Act" (S.6687/A.9652), which on March 31 passed the state's Assembly and Senate unanimously.

Also known as Rachel's Law, the bill sponsored by Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Queens) and Senate Deputy Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) will protect American journalists and authors from foreign lawsuits that infringe on First Amendment rights. The bill also received unprecedented support from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

"New Yorkers must be able to speak out on issues of public concern without living in fear that they will be sued outside the United States, under legal standards inconsistent with our First Amendment rights," said Governor Paterson. "This legislation will help ensure of the freedoms enjoyed by New York authors."

Reflecting the New York legislation's importance, U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) on April 16 introduced a similar bill, the Freedom of Speech Protection Act (H.R. 5814), in the House of Representatives.

In Ehrenfeld v. Mahfouz, New York State's highest court held that it was unable to protect Dr. Ehrenfeld from a British lawsuit filed by Saudi billionaire Khalid Salim Bin Mahfouz. Britain's High Court ordered her to pay over $225,000 in damages and legal fees to Bin Mahfouz, apologize and destroy copies of her books.

Instead, November 2006, Dr. Ehrenfeld sought a U.S. federal court order to protect her constitutional rights. But a New York Court of Appeals ruling with national implications sent legal shockwaves throughout American newsrooms.

The New York court potentially undermined U.S. journalists' ability to expose terrorism's financial and logistical support networks, when it ruled that the court lacks jurisdiction to protect Americans—on U.S. soil—from foreign defamation judgments that contradict the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Rachel's Law declares overseas defamation judgments unenforceable in New York State unless the foreign defamation law provides, in substance and application, the same free speech protections guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. The law gives New York residents and publishers the opportunity to have their day in court.

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"This law will give New York's journalists, authors and press the protection and tools they need to continue to fearlessly expose the truth about terrorism and its enablers, and to maintain New York's place as the free speech capitol of the world," Lancman stated.

"The truth is a critically-important component in the War on Terror," said Senator Skelos. "This important new law will protect American authors and journalists who expose terrorist networks and their financiers."

Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau said: "Terrorism and terrorist financing are matters of vital interest to all New Yorkers, in no small part because New York City remains a target of significance for international terrorists. New York authors must have the freedom to investigate, write and publish on terrorism and other matters of public importance, subject only to limitations that are consistent with the U.S. Constitution. This legislation will help to ensure such freedom."

Today, Governor Paterson declared the intention of New York State, the publishing capital of America, to safeguard the First Amendment and its courageous writers.

Rachel's Law marks an important step in Dr. Ehrenfeld's efforts to stop Arab billionaires like Khalid bin Mahfouz from attempting to silence U.S. writers who expose Saudi terrorist funding and global radical Muslim organizations, including al Qaeda and Hamas.

LEGISLATURE DEFIES LIBEL TERRORISTS

THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE today unanimously passed the “Libel Terrorism Protection Act” (S.6687/A.9652), legislation that had been sponsored by Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Queens) and Senate Deputy Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos (R-Rockville Centre).

When signed into law by Governor David Paterson, this legislation will protect American journalists and authors from foreign lawsuits that infringe on their First Amendment rights.

In Ehrenfeld v. Mahout, New York State’s highest court held that it would not protect Dr. Ehrenfeld from a British lawsuit filed by Saudi billionaire Khalid Salim Bin Mahfouz, where she was ordered to pay over $225,000 in damages and legal fees to Bin Mahfouz, as well as apologize and destroy existing copies of her books.

Dr. Ehrenfeld sought a court order in November of 2006 to protect her constitutional rights, but in a ruling with national First Amendment implications which sent legal shockwaves throughout newsrooms across America, as well as potentially undermining our ability to expose terrorism’s financial and logistical support networks, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that it does not have jurisdiction to protect Americans—on U.S. soi—from foreign defamation judgments, which contradict the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The Libel Terrorism Protection Act declares overseas defamation judgments unenforceable in New York unless the foreign defamation law provides, in substance and application, the same free speech protections guaranteed under our own constitution, and it gives New York residents and publishers the opportunity to have their day in court here in New York.

“This is a great day for free speech and freedom of the press, and I urge Governor Paterson to quickly sign this legislation into law. This law will protect our journalists and authors from trumped up libel charges in kangaroo courts in overseas jurisdictions which don’t share our commitment to free speech and freedom of the press,” said Lancman.

“This law will give New York's journalists, authors and press the protection and tools they need to continue to fearlessly expose the truth about terrorism and its enablers, and to maintain New York's place as the free speech capitol of the world,” Lancman concluded. Lancman’s remarks on the Assembly floor are viewable here .

“The truth is a critically-important component in the War on Terror,” said Senator Skelos. “This important new law will protect American authors and journalists who expose terrorist networks and their financiers. In its decision, the Court of Appeals called upon the State Legislature to revise the law. Today, we made clear that New York State will safeguard the First Amendment and these courageous writers.”

THIS OLDE INVASION OF INCHES

An ACT! for America supporter in New York recently came across a group of Muslims who were handing out flyers. She got in line to take one and alerted us to what was being distributed.

We direct you to www.revolutionmuslim.com.

On the home page you will see at the top right a drawing of an automatic weapon that appears to be an AK-47. Scroll down the home page and you will read the following:

“Our mission is to one day see the Muslims united under one Khalifah and under the commands of Allah (SWT).”

[This is part of the worldwide agenda of militant Islam: to establish sharia law and unite the “umma” – the Muslim world – under one ruler, the caliph. Implicit in this, but not stated, is the rule of Islam over all people, as this is the only path to world “peace.”]

“We pray that we may witness the dismantlement of western, secular dominance across the world as we hold it to be pagan and idolatrous in the majority of its presumptions. We seek a resurrection of the just example set forth by centuries of Islamic rule throughout the ages and we hold it to be self evident for the objective soul and mind that Allah is One and that Muhammad ibn Abdullah is His Prophet and that the religion offers the solution to all of the world’s ills and afflictions.”

[This is the call for the destruction of democratic governments and the establishment of the political rule of Islam.]

In the “Radical Review”, January 2008, Volume 1, we read:

“Rise up and ride the peak of Revolution, the time has come to triumph over those that wish to deceive…Rise Up Ya Muslimeen!”

It is important to emphasize that this is not an Islamic organization in the Middle East, but in New York City. And, if their “hit” counter is to be believed, over 769,000 people have visited their website.

Yesterday, we laid out an ambitious, aggressive plan for ACT! for America to go on the offensive against the rising tide of Islamofascism that threatens us. Earlier today, our sister organization, American Congress for Truth, sent out an email describing Stephen Coughlin’s analysis of the Muslim Brotherhood memorandum that calls for “civilization Jihad” — the destruction of Western civilization from within.

We are not fabricating these threats. We are not exaggerating these threats. They are real — and growing. It is going to take an organized, aggressive effort to begin rolling back these threats. It is going to require action on the part of all of us who are now informed as to what we are up against. After all, if we don’t act, who will?

Some of you reading this email have already responded with a financial contribution to help fund the 120 day campaign Brigitte Gabriel announced yesterday. To those of you who have, THANK YOU!

If you haven’t yet acted, can we count on you to act today? Please click here to make an online contribution for this 120 day campaign. As of 9:00 A.M. this morning we are 17% of the way to our goal. Your response today will help us reach it.

It’s so easy for us Americans to think that what is happening in the Middle East won’t touch us, or that the “cultural Jihad” that has overwhelmed Great Britain could not possibly happen here.

That’s precisely what militant Muslims hope we will think. I’m sure that’s what many British citizens thought, fifteen years ago. Now they witness the Archbishop of Canterbury stating that the imposition of Islamic sharia law in Great Britain is “unavoidable” and necessary for “social cohesion.”

Abraham Lincoln once wrote that America, if she is ever destroyed, would not be destroyed from an enemy from “without” – an invader – but from an enemy from “within.” We are wise to consider those words in the light of what is already happening here in America.

Thank you for your support and for your love of America. We’ll keep you posted on the progress of our 120 day campaign over the next several days.

Guy Rodgers
Executive Director