Contra Cabal 501-11-00 - Free Paul Trummel - Jailed Contrary to First Amendment

Question - True or False: Paul Trummel is . . .

a cantankerous old man
a pain in the ass who won't shut up
a freelance journalist who is in jail, sent there indefinitely by a judge doesn't understand what a freelance journalist is.

Answer - All of the above are true. Paul Trummel is 70 years old. Some claim he is homophobic and anti-semitic, as if that is a valid reason to silence him. We don't know if he is or not - nor do we care. We do care about his right to have his opinions and express them. He lives under the Constitution of the United States of America. His rights are your rights. If he has no right to publish his opinion, neither do any of us.

He's a freelance journalist, meaning he is beholden to no employer. But he's been locked up since February 27th, 2002 because a Judge in Seattle, Washington (USA), responding to Paul Trummel's claim to First Amendment protection, said, "It is my finding specifically that his claim to be a journalist is a bogus claim insofar as he has no useful journalistic purpose. He is not employed by anyone but himself. There is no publisher involved. There is merely the misguided use of an obviously well-developed talent."

Of course, that opinion totally ignores the fact that First Amendment rights are not reserved solely for journalists working on the staff of a publication. They are the single most basic right guaranteed every person in the USA. Check out "the legal issue."

In a further absurdity, the Judge has ruled that Paul Trummel will stay in jail indefinitely until a web site hosted in Holland, containing materials that the judge does not like, are taken down. So the Judge is not only locking up Paul because the Judge doesn't understand who enjoys the protection of the First Amendment within the USA, he also claims jurisdiction on what may be published halfway around the world.

In the service of free speech, here's a link to "that" web site.

If you wish to contact the Judge and ask him to release Paul Trummel from jail, that email address is:

Judge James Doerty,
james.doerty@metrokc.gov

Paul's attorney is Public Defender, Brad Meryhew who can be reached at the King County Superior Court.

This web site (FreePaulTrummel.Com) is built and hosted pro bono by Joe Harkins (joeharkins@gtcinternet.com), member of the National Writers Union (Local 1981, United Auto Workers / AFL-CIO). I am an elected Delegate representing the New York Local and a member of that organization's Steering Committee and chairman of the NWU-NY Journalism Division. Those affiliations are noted only to provide disclosure of my background and relationships. While this site contains materials sourced by various parties, including the NWU, this is not the official web site of any organization. The Opinions expressed, except as attributed, are entirely my own. For more information about the union, visit www.nwuny.org.