Pentagon censors Courage: Use Facebook to Fight Back (fyi)

"A progressive activist group in California is complaining that the Pentagon has prevented soldiers from accessing its web site in Iraq. Courage Campaign, a 700,000-member grassroots organization, has demanded in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates that access to its site be provided before the Nov. 2 Election Day." -- "The Hill" newspaper, Washington D.C., October 30

Dear E

It's shocking but true.

Under guidelines set by the Pentagon, U.S. military commanders in Iraq are censoring the Courage Campaign's web site -- and preventing soldiers from accessing our Progressive Voter Guide before Election Day.

It gets much worse. According to an urgent email we received from an American voter (whose identity we are protecting) on a military base in Iraq, access to our web site and voter guide have been denied to soldiers -- but right-wing sites like the Tea Party Express and National Organization for Marriage are accessible.

We immediately filed a formal complaint with the Pentagon, President Obama and several members of Congress. But the Pentagon punted the issue to military commanders on the ground in Iraq, who are charged with the responsibility of determining which sites servicemembers are allowed to visit.

With Tuesday's election looming and our troops filling out ballots in Iraq, we are going to stop at nothing to make the site -- and our voter guide -- accessible to American soldiers who want to vote.

That's why we're fighting back against the Pentagon's censorship of our website by putting the Progressive Voter Guide on Facebook today. We're going around the military, but we need your help to do it. The easiest way to spread the word is to simply "LIKE" Courage on Facebook right now. Just click here:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/m/4b660f63/1ba969dd/e0246f6/40ba1c70/3521413406/VEsF/

There is little as precious to our nation as the freedom of speech, and the freedom to contrast differing points of view about the issues facing our country. And yet, the rights of our servicemembers are being violated -- and progressive viewpoints are being censored.

Our troops and their families have more than earned the right to make informed choices about the country they so proudly and dutifully serve. As these brave Americans make great sacrifices, we expect that their freedom to make informed choices on the important issues facing our country will be respected as well.

Will you help us fight back now by using Facebook to get around the military's censorship of our website? Just click here now to "LIKE" us on Facebook. It only takes a few seconds:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/Like

Thank you for liking Courage and helping us spread the word.

Rick Jacobs
Chair, Courage Campaign