After critical article, conservative nonprofit accuses Raw Story of violating co

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" Zepp " <zepp

Sat, 04 Mar 2006 07:56:03 -0800

[Zepps_News] After critical article, conservative nonprofit

accuses Raw Story of violating copyright

 

 

 

 

http://rawstory.com/news/2006/After_critical_article_conservative_nonprofit_accu\

ses_0303.html

 

*After critical article, conservative nonprofit accuses Raw Story of

violating copyright*

 

*John Byrne*

Published: March 3, 2006

 

 

 

 

The National Center for Public Policy Research, the conservative

nonprofit where fallen lobbyist Jack Abramoff served as a director,

has instructed RAW STORY <http://rawstory.com> to remove a fundraising

letter the group sent in 2004.

 

Noland MacKenzie Canter, III, a lawyer for the group, says the

publication of the center's fundraising letter violates their

copyright.

 

To many outside Washington, the center is known for being the group

that Abramoff used to cover posh junkets for former House Majority

Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX).

 

RAW STORY <http://rawstory.com> published the letter in January of

2005.

The story it accompanied detailed the effort by the conservative

nonprofit to raise money from senior citizens by disguising a

solicitation for a political donation under the guise of a " Task

Force " to save Social Security.

 

 

Sent amidst a climate of growing concern about the Social Security

program, the group's letters targeted seniors of both parties, aiming

to convince them their Social Security benefits were in jeopardy in

hopes of inducing them to donate money. The mailings also encouraged

seniors to keep the missive secret from others, perhaps even from

family members.

 

" Inside your sealed envelope is information regarding the potential

collapse of the Social Security system -- and how it can endanger you

and the entire United States senior citizen population, " NCPPR

president Amy Ridenour writes on behalf of the National Social

Security Task Force (Read the letter here

<http://rawstory.rawprint.com/105/social_security_scam4_104.php>).

 

" It is also critical that you share this pertinent information ONLY

[sic] with other trustworthy individuals. "

 

The task force appears little more than a paper dragon. When asked

about why it wasn't mentioned on the center's website, NCPPR executive

director David Almasi told RAW STORY <http://rawstory.com> in 2005,

" We [don't] currently have Internet access in our office. "

 

Canter says the letter came to his attention only after this site ran

an article raising questions about Ridenour and her ties to an

Abramoff client, the prime minister of Malaysia. When asked why the

group declined to seek the letter's removal when it was initially

published, Canter said, " I don't have any comment. "

 

" The first it came to my attention was after that Feb. 21 article was

published, " he added.

 

In his " cease and desist " email message, Canter declared, " The Center

is the exclusive owner of the copyright in and to this letter. The

Center has not authorized Raw Story to reproduce this letter...

Accordingly, Raw Story has infringed the copyright of the Center in

and to this letter. You are instructed forthwith to delete this letter

and all other copyrighted materials of the Center and to cease and

desist from further infringements. "

 

Attorneys say the claim is spurious. But in order to obviate any

further concern, RAW STORY <http://rawstory.com> has decided to remove

the complete letters and reprint them in detailed excerpt form. Full

copies of the letter are available upon request to others who wish to

use them for reportorial purposes.

 

*Cease and desist came after article linking president, Abramoff

client*

 

The call for the letter's removal comes quickly on the heels of an

article raising questions about Ridenour's role in writing an

editorial that favored Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad,

a client of Abramoff's who paid $1.2 million to arrange a visit with

President Bush in 2002. At the time of the editorial, Abramoff was a

board member of Ridenour's group.

 

In her editorial, published in the Washington Times, Ridenour declared

that Mahathir's opponent Anwar Ibrahim had " close links to radical

Islamic fundamentalist groups " and sought to " destabilize " the

Malaysian government.

 

Ridenour's article came amidst political unrest in Malaysia. Anwar had

recently been sentenced to nine years in prison on sodomy and

corruption charges. Some charges were questioned after witnesses

recanted confessions; the allegations were seen as a political

response to rallies Anwar led that called for Matathir's resignation

and for reforms. Soon thereafter, Anwar was arrested.

 

Anwar was released from prison in 2004. His opposition party called

the charges a " mockery of justice. "

 

Ridenour's editorial drew sharp rebukes in Malaysia. Anwar's wife

called Ridenour's statements " outright lies and half-truths with

certain facts. " Lim Kit Siang, a member of the Malaysian parliament,

all but accused Ridenour of being paid to write the article in 2001.

 

Malaysians, he said, were entitled to know whether Ridenour and NCPPR

" have been hired in a campaign to win the hearts of Washington,

whether taxpayers' monies are involved in the retention of American

lobby groups to provide `sweeteners' to pave the way for a meeting

between the Prime Minister and President Bush, and whether the KMM and

the militant Islam issues are being used to win the ear of Washington. "

 

" Although Amy Ridenour denies that she and her organisation had been

paid by the Malaysian Government or any other entity for the

outrageous report, " Lim added. " She should identify who are the

Malaysian officials and individuals who had fed her with the materials

for her article. "

 

Lim's statements were precocious – just a year later, Mahathir would

meet with President Bush after a payoff to Abramoff, a director on

Ridenour's board.

 

No evidence has emerged that Ridenour received payment for the article.

But RAW STORY <http://rawstory.com> has been unable to locate any

evidence the group had previously taken a position on the internal

affairs of Malaysia prior to Abramoff's lobbying work.

 

Ridenour did not respond to three requests for comment on this article.

She has previously denied that she received any payment for its

publication.

 

About the letters, however, Ridenour is unapologetic.

 

In 1998, The San Francisco Examiner profiled

<http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/examiner/a/1998/02/08/NEWS3642.dtl>86-\

year-old

 

Oakland resident Faye Shelby who had been deluged by direct mail scams

seeking money on issues including Social Security. The letters so

distressed the nursing home resident that she lay awake at night

worrying about what crisis most deserved her help.

 

" I didn't know that I could just turn them down, " Shelby told the

Examiner. " I was thinking it was something I had to do. . . . I

thought if I didn't correspond about Social Security, I wouldn't get

my checks. "

 

Ridenour defends the letters as legitimate fundraising tools.

 

" We assume most people are capable of taking care of themselves, and

if there is something they have a desire about, they will let us

know, " NCPPR president Ridenour told the San Francisco Examiner.

 

Read the original article NCPPR had issue with here

<http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Social_Security_%E2%80%9Cfright_mail%E2%80%9D_tar\

geting_seniors_0125.html>.

 

Following is the cover page of the letter and several other pages

excerpted.

 

 

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