ABFFE Condemns Humane Society Lawsuit Against Amazon.com
ABFFE has condemned a lawsuit filed by the Humane Society of the United
States that seeks to force Amazon.com to halt the sale of subscriptions
to magazines about cockfighting. The suit was filed on February 8 in the Superior
Court of the District of Columbia after Amazon.com refused the
Humane Society’s demand that it discontinue the sale of subscriptions to
The Feathered Warrior and The Gamecock. “In its zeal to
eradicate conduct that it abhors, the Humane Society is over-reaching by
trying to suppress speech that is protected by the First Amendment,”
ABFFE President Chris Finan said. “Speech that advocates hateful ideas
is entitled to the same degree of First Amendment protection as speech
advocating popular views. If the courts accepted the Humane Society’s
argument, we can only wonder what other kinds of controversial ideas in
book and magazines would come under attack next. This is why the Supreme
Court has declared that even the advocacy of illegal conduct is
protected by the First Amendment.” To read the press release, click
here.
Michigan School Board Retains Challenged Books
ABFFE and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) have welcomed a Michigan school board’s decision to reject demands that it censor Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Richard Wright’s Black Boy, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, and Erin Gruwell’s The Freedom Writers Diary. On February 13, the Howell school board voted 5-2 to allow high school juniors to continue to read the books. “This is wonderful news," Finan said. "Despite pressure from two well organized pressure groups, the Howell school board has taken a strong stand in support of the free speech rights of its students.” A copy of the letter is online
here. To read press coverage, click here.
ABFFE Condemns Government Censorship of Science
ABFFE has joined a statement condemning government censorship of scientific research. On January 31, the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform, chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), conducted a
hearing on the censorship of government climate scientists. Among the
issues the committee addressed was the suppression of federal
scientists’ speech and writing, the distortion and suppression of
research results, and retaliation against those who protest these acts.
In response to the hearing, ABFFE joined the American Association of University Professors, American Library Association, American Civil Liberties Union,
Association of American Publishers, National Center for Science
Education, NCAC, PEN American Center,
and People For the American Way in issuing a statement that underlines the First Amendment concerns raised by the government treatment of the climate scientists. The statement was organized by NCAC. To
read it, click
here.
