Censorship takes many forms. It can happen by threats, bullying, intimidation and legal action. Governments can simply remove publishers they don't like or State Representatives can convince their Party to hang the threat of legal action over someone because he doesn't like what that person exposes about his conduct. This is what's happened to me and BerksDemocrats.com.
This blog is the face of censorship and Tom Caltagirone is the face of the man committing the deed. He isn't alone. He had twenty cohorts at the last meeting of the Berks County Democratic Committee and a Chairman willing to stage manage the production for him. The result is an official action, approved and sanctioned by the body, hanging over this publication the threat that anything I write that they may not agree with could result in legal action taken against me.
As a result the blog is eerily quiet. I continue writing about Rep. Caltagirone and will continue doing so when it's merited. Nothing he does will silence me. Meanwhile I have followed through on my promise that if the Committee approved the motion I would cease reporting on the local Republicans running for office. I have stopped doing that research and reporting. Unfortunately this hurts our candidates and the people of Berks County because important information is not being disseminated.
This is the price to be paid for threatening me and suppressing my freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. It's a way to intimidate me because I'm supporting his primary opponent. It's actually a small price to pay for such abuses. The face of censorship is ugly. The possibility of litigation also means I must conserve my financial resources for any legal fees. This means I can no longer spend money on gas, meals and tickets to attend meetings and events. That also means I cannot cover them for the blog. This is why the content here has fallen off precipitously. I simply don't have much I can write about.
The upside is that it's freed up time to write on my primary blog and where my articles about the County Committee censorship and Tom Caltagirone receive national exposure. My traffic there is rising nicely now that it has all my focus. Let's not confuse the issues involved in this dispute. It isn't about domain names, it's about Caltagirone's re-election campaign. The County Committee has no legal grounds to contest my ownership of names and there's no court with jurisdiction where they can even litigate their claim. Courts don't have jurisdiction over internet domain names and the lawyers who argued for this action didn't have the faintest idea what they were doing or saying.
That's because it wasn't about the domain name. If so they'd have bought the other names. The fact I was able to buy the name BerksCountyDemocrats.com the day AFTER this passed is proof they had no real concerns over the ownership of their names. If so they'd have bought that name and it wouldn't have been available.
This is a free speech issue and dispute. The Thursday before the meeting I wrote an article exposing Caltagirone's campaign finance reports. I did this in response to a suit filed against his opponent for alleged irregularities. What's good for the goose is good for the gander so I decided to see if the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee was as pure as he insists his opponent be. His isn't, not by a long shot. I showed that and this is what I got in return: hardball politics Caltagirone style.
He crossed the line however. He crossed it by thinking only of himself and not how his actions would impact other Democratic candidates or hurt the Party by making it look like a bunch of fascists suppressing dissent and free speech through bullying, threats and intimidation. That's why it's time for Tom Caltagirone to go.
I've received a lot of support and encouragement from various people and groups and it's much appreciated. I am calling for a boycott of the Fall Dinner to protest the actions taken. I'm a firm believer that you vote with your wallet. By refusing to buy tickets and attend this event you're sending an indelible message that you won't support this kind of conduct. I've done a lot of things for a lot of people and asked for little or nothing in return. I'm now asking for support in this.
The threat of this litigation has been hanging over me for a month now. I wrote an official request for a copy of the motion and the certified letter receipt was signed by Boyd Winegardner September 5th. They have yet to respond to my request. This is nothing more than negligence and malfeasance. This was a legitimate request and one I need for legal preparations. The refusal of Chairman Tom Herman to respond to this simple request is outrageous.
He claimed in an email a friend sent also requesting a copy of the motion (again Herman has failed to cooperate) that he cannot comply because nothing is official until the next meeting and the minutes are read and approved. Unfortunately this is a specious and false argument. The County Committee often acts immediately after motions are made. John Ryan, for example, was allowed to fully participate in a meeting immediately after being voted in as Committeeman and wasn't required to wait until the follwoing meeting and minutes approved to be recognized and afforded all the rights and privileges of membership. Resolutions are passed and press releases sent before the minutes are read and approved at the next meetings.
If/when expenditures were actually legally authorized this would mean no bills could be paid until the next meeting when minutes are read and approved. Mr. herman must think we're fools to fall fo rsuch a ridiculous argument. If this is truly how he is going to run the organization as Chair then he will have to fully comply with these guidelines as long as he's Chair. That may not be much longer considering his malfeasance.
Let's review the numerous violations of Roberts Rules he allowed during the last meeting. First, the Rules specifically prohibit any member from personally attacking another member by name before the body. Anne Perrige did this to me and the Chair allowed it. Let me remind people that State Committee rules on membership also apply to the County Committee. Her $200 contribution to Marianne Sutton on October 6, 2005 against a Democratic candidate makes her ineligible to hold office.
During the lengthy discussion about the motion to censor my blog Mr. Herman allowed John Ryan and Darrel Conner numerous chances to speak before I or several others were allowed to talk. The Rules clearly specify that NO ONE can speak for a second time until all those wishing to speak once have had that opportunity. Then they can speak again. Herman repeatedly violated this Rule for the purpose of stage managing the entire production on behalf of Caltagirone. After 15 months in office I find it hard to believe the man has no idea what Roberts Rules are when it comes to the basics of running a meeting. If so he's grossly incompetent.
Roberts Rules make rescinding this action extremely difficult. It appears to me it won't be possible. I will not allow the Democratic Party of Berks County to hang this threat over my head. The immediate result has been a severe absence of writing on this blog. I understand that, to some, it appears that they've won by accomplishing this. I assure that isn't the case. If/when I have something to write about them I write it, either here, at The Pennsylvania Progressive, or both. I cannot continue to support local Democratic candidates running under this banner however in light of the actions taken against me. They cannot have their cake and eat it too.
I again request that those visiting this blog using the domain name www.BerksDemocrats.com begin using the full URL: http://pennsylvaniaprogressive.typepad.com/berks_democrats/. I will begin redirecting the domain name to a website which also represents a group which engages in censorship, threats, bullying and intimidation: the American Nazi Party. The other domain name, BerksCountyDemocrats.com already goes there. When appropriate actions, apologies and recompense are undertaken I will reconsider my actions. I said I wouldn't allow this to hang over my head and it's a month later and nothing has been done. No one has contacted me and no one will respond. This is my response to you.
