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499 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
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Freedom Now!
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Campaign for Amnesty and Human Rights for Political Prisoners
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in the United States
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POLITICAL PRISONERS IN THE U.S.A.?
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The government denies it. Yet, today there are more than 100
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people locked up in U.S. prisons because of their political
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actions or beliefs.
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The United States alone among the world's major
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governments maintains the fiction that it holds no political
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prisoners. The official position is that all those jailed
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here for politically motivated actions are "criminals." Yet
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in all other countries, regardless of the politics of the
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rulers, it is an accepted truth that dissenters, jailed for
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opposing the government, are, in fact, political prisoners.
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The United States tries to hide the existence of
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political prisoners because they challenge the image that the
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U.S. is a truly democratic and humane society. These
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prisoners expose the fact that there are political resistance
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movements of such political impact that the government is
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compelled to use repression against them.
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By labelling political prisoners as criminals, the
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U.S. government has also been able to shield from serious
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view human rights violations against them. These include
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prison sentences longer than in most dictatorships,
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psychological torture, and brutality including sexual
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assault.
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The men's federal prison in Marion, Illinois, which
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includes several political prisoners among its 400 inmates,
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has been condemned by Amnesty International for violating
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international standards on the minimum treatment of
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prisoners. The men in Marion are under permanent lockdown
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and are sometimes chained to their beds for days at a time.
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The control unit for women at Lexington, Kentucky, was
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an experimental underground political prison that praticed
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isolation and sensory deprivation. It was finally closed by
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a federal judge after two years of protest by religious and
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human rights groups.
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HUMAN RIGHTS MUST BEGIN AT HOME!
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Who are America's political prisoners? Like the four
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women and men pictured on the facing page [pictures not
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available in computer text file] -- Alejandrina Torres,
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Leonard Peltier, Geronimo Pratt, and Susan Rosenberg -- they
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represent many movements for freedom and social justice.
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People of color are most often targetted. Black
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activists participating in the fight for Black Liberation and
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against racism are the largest group represented, with well
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over 50 political prisoners. Many of them, like Geronimo
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Pratt, have been in jail nearly 20 years.
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The movement for Puerto Rican independence has also
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been heavily attacked with the imprisonment of many of its
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members. These include 14 women and men such as Alejandrina
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Torres who consider themselves prisoners of war. They have
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taken this position because they believe that as colonized
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people they have the right to fight for independence, and
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their captor, the United States, has no right to criminalize
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them.
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Other political prisoners in the United States include
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more than thirty white North American activists. These
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militants are accused of various actions opposing foreign,
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domestic and military policies of the U.S. government. Their
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protests have been directed against symbols of U.S. support
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for the apartheid regime in South Africa, military
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intervention in Central America, and the continued colonial
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oppression of Blacks and Puerto Ricans. Among these
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prisoners are women and men from the religious peace
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community who have received long sentences for direct actions
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against U.S. nuclear installations.
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Revealing the existence of all these political
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prisoners is of extra importance now because greater world
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attention is being focused on human rights. Many countries,
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including the Soviet Union and Cuba, have released most of
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their political prisoners. They have also started to raise
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questions about human rights problems here in the U.S.A. Now
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is the time to break through the wall of silence that has
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surrounded these political prisoners in the United States.
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We in the Freedom Now campaign are making information
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available on all their cases to the people of the U.S. and
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the world. While the government will continue to deny
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holding political prisoners, we seek to make their existence
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common knowledge in every American community.
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At the same time all of us can begin to speak out
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against the terrible human rights violations taking place
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against political prisoners and all prisoners in the U.S.
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Jails and prisons have abandoned all pretenses of
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"rehabilitating" inmates, and have become concentration camps
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for warehousing the youth from the ghettos and barrios of
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America. We must especially denounce the spread of prison
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control units which attempt to rob prisoners of their
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humanity, sanity and even their lives.
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Ultimately we must seek the freedom of all political
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prisoners in the U.S. Other countries are now doing it. Why
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not here? Freedom Now is initiating a campaign for amnesty
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for all the women and men imprisoned in this country as a
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consequence of their political actions. Officials of the
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U.S. government have signed many international laws and
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treaties governing political repression. We must now hold
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them to those standards!
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The Freedom Now campaign is about real people, women
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and men behind bars who care deeply about justice and
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humanity. The government has sought to isolate them, not
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only from their friends and families but from their ability
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to influence and lead political movements.
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Our campaign is breaking that isolation. We are
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bridging the walls with a common effort that includes the
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active participation of the prisoners and their families,
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along with political activists, clergy and professionals. We
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welcome your participation! Join us in stopping the
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continued imprisonment and mistreatment of political
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activists in the United States. Human rights must begin at
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home.
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AMNESTY FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS!
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[Photo captions. Actual photos are not available in computer
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text file format.]
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In 1983, Alejandrina Torres, a longtime Puerto Rican
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community and church activist, was arrested in Chicago.
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Because of her role in the Puerto Rican independence
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movement, she was convicted and sentenced to 35 years for
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conspiring to overthrow the U.S. government. Three times in
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prison she has been beaten and sexually abused by guards.
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For two years, until international pressure forced it to
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close, she was held in the infamous Lexington Control Unit.
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Today, though she remains imprisoned, Alejandrina is regarded
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as a national hero in Puerto Rico.
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In 1977, Leonard Peltier, a leader of the American Indian
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Movement (AIM) was wrongly convicted of the murder of two FBI
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agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
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Hundreds of federal agents had invaded the reservation to
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stop Indian people seeking control over their own lives and
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land. Ample evidence exists that the FBI withheld documents
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to frame Leonard. His appeals for justice have been
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supported by 75 members of Congress, Desmond Tutu, and Jesse
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Jackson. Despite this, he remains in jail serving two life
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sentences.
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In 1971, Geronimo ji Jaga Pratt, a leader in the Black
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struggle for human rights, was framed on a murder charge in
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California. The key witness against him was in the pay of
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the police. Government spies infiltrated his defense team.
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Many pages of evidence, proving Geronimo's innocence, were
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"lost" by government lawyers. It was later revealed that he
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was a target of the FBI COINTELPRO program which sought to
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destroy the Black movement. Today, nearly 20 years later,
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Geronimo is one of the longest held political prisoners in
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the world.
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In 1984, Susan Rosenberg was arrested and charged with
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possession of weapons, explosives, and false ID. A white
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North American woman, Susan has been deeply committed since
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childhood to struggles for human rights including the
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movements for Puerto Rican independence, Black liberation,
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and women's liberation. Although she and her co-defendant
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Tim Blunk were convicted of possessing the materials, not
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using them, they received sentences of 58 years, the longest
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ever given on this charge. Susan also endured two years of
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psychological torture in the Lexington Control Unit before it
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was closed.
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Freedom Now Offices:
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--------------------
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National Office:
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5249 N. Kenmore,
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Chicago, IL 60640
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(312) 278-6706
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East Coast:
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1560 Broadway Suite 807,
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New York, NY 10036
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West Coast:
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3543 18th St. #17
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San Francisco, CA 94110
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(Please write or call for more information, if needed.)
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Freedom Now!
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Campaign for Amnesty and Human Rights for Political Prisoners
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in the U.S.A.
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Dear Friend,
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A long-time activist is arrested and beaten for hours,
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while police scream racial epithets and death threats
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in his face. The police shove his face in a flushing
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toilet, tear his toenails out, and burn him over and
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over with cigarettes. The political prisoner's
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pancreas is nearly destroyed in the beating, and he is
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hospitalized for three months.
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Three women political prisoners are held in isolation
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in an underground sensory deprivation unit. The unit
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is painted high-gloss white; bright flourescent lights
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are on round the clock' there is no way to tell if it
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is day or night. The women live under the unblinking
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eye of eleven video surveillance cameras monitored by
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male guards -- one camera is pointed at the
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uncurtained shower area. This special unit -- "the
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living tomb" -- is condemned by Amnesty International,
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the American Civil Liberties Union, and a number of
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church denominations.
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CHILLING SCENES FROM SOUTH AFRICA? CHILE? ARGENTINA? NO --
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THE UNITED STATES.
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Although the government denies it, today there are more than
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100 people locked up in U.S. prisons because of their
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political actions and beliefs. People like Leonard Peltier,
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Geronimo ji Jaga Pratt, Katya Komisaruk, Sekou Odinga, and
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the women of the Lexington Control Unit, Alejandrina Torres,
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Silvia Baraldini, and Susan Rosenberg. While the government
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calls them common criminals, these people are known and
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respected for their long activism in movements for Native
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American soverignty, Black liberation, Puerto Rican
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independence, and against racism, imperialism, women's
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oppression, and nuclear weapons. SOme of them have been
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framed; others have utilized a variety of forms including
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civil disobedience, armed political actions, and grand jury
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resistance. Freedom Now considers these activists political
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prisoners and, for some of them, prisoners of war. Like
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political prisoners from South Africa to El Salvador, they
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are among the most courageous and principled people in
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movements for social justice.
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Human rights violations like the ones described above occur
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all too often -- not far away or long ago, but right here,
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right now. Some political prisoners in the U.S. have been
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imprisoned for 20 years, nearly as long as Nelson Mandela.
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Others have received sentences four times as long as those
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meted out by Latin American dictatorships. Women have been
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held down by male prison staff, disrobed, and assaulted with
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vaginal and rectal finger probes. A leader of the Puerto
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Rican independence movement was held for over three years in
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pre-trial preventive detention.
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SO WHY DON'T YOU KNOW THESE SHOCKING FACTS? Because the U.S.
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government denies that it holds political prisoners. Their
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existence exposes deep injustices in U.S. society. Behind a
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screen of secrecy and indifference, the jailers attempt to
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break the prisoners' bodies and spirits and strike fear into
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the hearts of others who would struggle for justice.
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WE CAN CHANGE IT. The Freedom Now Campaign was launched at
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the United Nations on the 40th Anniversary of the Universal
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Declaration of Human Rights. This is an important time to be
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advocating amnesty and human rights for political prisoners
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in the U.S. Throughout the world, there is a groundswell of
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concern for human rights. This year alone, hundreds of
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political prisoners have received amnesty from the
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governments of Mexico, the Soviet Union, Cuba, and even South
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Africa.
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BUT WE MUST HAVE YOUR HELP TO BREAK THE SILENCE.
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On April 27-29, 1990, New York City will be the site of the
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International Tribunal on Political Prisoners in the U.S.
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Presiding will be an impartial body of ten internationally
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known jurists and human rights experts. The judges will be
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presented with a Complaint which outlines the conditions
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faced by political prisoners in the U.S. Evidence and
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testimony to substantiate the Complaint will be given by
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family members, expert witnesses, and the prisoners
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themselves. The findings of the Tribunal will be published
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as a report for presentation at international and national
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human rights forums.
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WE WANT YOU TO ENDORSE THIS HISTORIC EFFORT BY JOINING US IN
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SIGNING ON AS A PETITIONER IN THE COMPLAINT. We are asking
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all persons or organizations who want to be a Petitioner to
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send $50.00 along with the enclosed form to the Freedom Now
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office in New York. If you want to be a Petitioner but are
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financially unable to contribute $50.00 or more, we ask that
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minimally you send $25.00. Contributions from Petitioners
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are the primary way that the Tribunal will be financed.
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If you become a Petitioner, the final draft of the complaint
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will be sent to you by January 1990. If you prefer to read
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the final draft prior to authroizing your name as a
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Petitioner, please indicate that on the enclosed form. We
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still ask that you make a contribution now, if possible.
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Then we will require your signed authorization at the time of
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your decision before you will be listed as a Petitioner.
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Thank you for your support. We look forward to your
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participation in this important effort. Together we can stop
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human rights abuses in our own backyard.
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For human rights,
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(signed)
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Adjoa Aiyetoro, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Margaret Randall *
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*Freedom Now Advisory Board
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Freedom Now Offices:
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--------------------
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National Office:
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5249 N. Kenmore,
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Chicago, IL 60640
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(312) 278-6706
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East Coast:
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1560 Broadway Suite 807,
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New York, NY 10036
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West Coast:
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3543 18th St. #17
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San Francisco, CA 94110
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(Please write or call for more information, if needed.)
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National Advisory Board
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-----------------------
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Adjoa Aiyetoro,
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National Conference of Black Lawyers
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Ellen M. Barry,
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Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
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Daniel Berrigan,
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Peace Activist
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Francis Calpotura,
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Alliance for Phillipine Concerns
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Dr. Ben Chavis,
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United Church of Christ
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Noam Chomsky,
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Author, Peace Activist
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Bishop Philip Cousins,
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AME
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Rep. Ronald V. Dellums
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William Kunstler,
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Attorney
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Julia Matsui-Estrella,
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Director, PACTS
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Juan Mari Bras,
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Attorney, Puerto Rico
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Rafael Cancel Miranda
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Darlene Nicgarsky,
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Sanctuary Defendant
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Rev. Tyrone Pitts,
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National Council of Churches
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Fr. Pedro del Valle Pirado,
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Episcopal Church, Puerto Rico
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Margret Randall,
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Author
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Nina Rosenblum,
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Director/Producer
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Rev. Eunice Santana,
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PRISA
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Piri Thomas,
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Author
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Corey Weinstein,
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M.D.
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(organizations listed for identification purposes only)
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Authorization form
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------------------
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I authorize my name to be listed as a Petitioner in the Complaint to be
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presented to The Tribunal
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(signature) -------------------------------------------------------------------
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Please print my name and address and zip code
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---------------------------------
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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I would like to review the final draft of the Complaint before being
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listed
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------- -------
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(yes) (no)
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I enclosed my check or money order in the sum of $25, $50, $100 or more $
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------
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A check for $100 or more can be tax deductible if it is made out to IFCO.
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Please add my name to the Freedom Now mailing list
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----------------------------
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Freedom Now Offices:
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--------------------
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National Office:
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5249 N. Kenmore,
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Chicago, IL 60640
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(312) 278-6706
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East Coast:
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1560 Broadway Suite 807,
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New York, NY 10036
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West Coast:
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3543 18th St. #17
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San Francisco, CA 94110
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(Please write or call for more information, if needed.)
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X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X
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Another file downloaded from: NIRVANAnet(tm)
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|
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& the Temple of the Screaming Electron Jeff Hunter 510-935-5845
|
|
The Salted Slug Strange 408-454-9368
|
|
Burn This Flag Zardoz 408-363-9766
|
|
realitycheck Poindexter Fortran 510-527-1662
|
|
Lies Unlimited Mick Freen 415-583-4102
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|
Tomorrow's 0rder of Magnitude Finger_Man 415-961-9315
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My Dog Bit Jesus Suzanne D'Fault 510-658-8078
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New Dork Sublime Demented Pimiento 415-566-0126
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Specializing in conversations, obscure information, high explosives,
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arcane knowledge, political extremism, diverse sexuality,
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insane speculation, and wild rumours. ALL-TEXT BBS SYSTEMS.
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Full access for first-time callers. We don't want to know who you are,
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where you live, or what your phone number is. We are not Big Brother.
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"Raw Data for Raw Nerves"
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