Blogoshpere Rallies Behind Kathleen Seidel, Against Subpoena

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I'm surprised -- it seems this hasn't been covered here.

Kathleen Seidel, creator of neurodiversity.com, has been "SLAPPed" with a bogus subpoena by dirtbag anti-vax lawyer Clifford J. Shoemaker. The demands in the subpoena include all personal and financial documents pertaining in any way to her website, as well as all electronic correspondence and documentation pertaining to over a hundred other bloggers and websites -- simply because their links appeared in the side-bar of her weblog. The demands in the subpoena include brazen violations of constitutional protections concerning privacy, freedom of association, and even freedom of religion.

Kathleen has drafted and submitted an outstanding motion to quash the subpoena, but the decision of the court may not be known for some time.

http://neurodiversity.com/weblog/article/150/

Meanwhile, countless bloggers in the autistic self-advocacy, neurodiversity, and disability rights communities -- and even in legal and medical circles -- are rallying around Kathleen and condemning Shoemaker and his clients for their blatant attempt to USE Kathleen in a bid to intimidate and silence their critics. Several bloggers are even compiling running lists of posts made by bloggers all over the web expressing their support for Kathleen, and their outrage at Shoemaker's abuse of power.

Several dozen such posts are linked to from these:

I Speak of Dreams
The Voyage
Natural Variation
Holford Watch

Some of my own observations and opinions on this matter can be fount at:
Shoemaker's Witch-Hunt: An Open Letter

Please show your support and help protect our civil and human rights by blogging about this outrage. Thanks.

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Gawd, I hate this posting interface.

Wow....

From what I've read it looks like it was possibly incurred by an inability to understand that the entire public will not necessarily take their side in this issue. Which is a simple matter of incompetence and lack of prior knowledge of the issue at best.


At worst it's of course an intentional attempt to prevent people from making statements critical of their case, which is a blatant violation of first amendment rights.

The Blame Game.
Just because their little treasure isn`t Neuro Typical some parents have to blame it on vaccines, other people or institutions or companies.The possibility of millions of dollars in undeserved compensation is another motive.They should be thankful that they have a child when others who would be better parents do not.

What's ridiculous is that a judge actually went along with a subpoena of Kathleen due to some sort of crackpot conspiracy theory held by the plaintiffs.

Dave, your avatar is the cover of King Crimson's "Larks' Tongues in Aspic"! I love it!
(but I would prefer the title "Larks' Tongues are Aspie")

To my eyes, and I admit I am not a lawyer, but Kathleen's response is EXCELLENT. Succint, to the point, researched, direct. I have no idea how to help with all this, but I really respect her professionalism in responding.

Lol, given all the hateful rhetoric I often see when I follow links, that level of professionalism is really refreshing. I can't imagine her NOT winning on this one.

Hi, Dave! Great to see you here. As an old Yes / Bruford fan, when KenG pointed out your LTIA cover art, I was more than a little embarrassed that I hadn't noticed it.

I hope Kathleen is doing well, and not stressing out, etc., as I would be if in her position. I think the best "defense" I could muster would be to appear for depo, and just answer every question by saying "I am not, nor have I ever been, a member of the Communist Party." Then, at the very worst, I could still laugh on my way to the gallows. :-p

I'ma give the netertoobs another day or so to work their magic, then I'll send Shoemaker the link to my "Open Letter," along with a few other choice links and observations. Meanwhile, I'm thinking of firing off an e-mail to the NH and VA chapters of the ACLU, among others -- given the extra-outlandish "religion" bidness in item #9 that's just begging to be lambasted from-sea-to-shining-sea -- and I think I'll take a look at the Americans United site and listservs as well. I keep almost e-mailing Scott Horton, but reminding myself that, with taking on DOJ corruption and all, he's got bigger fish to fry.

This is a rare case in which a whole host of my pet interests/peeves seem to have converged in an unusually concrete way, so even despite my being unable to organize three words on a blank page most of the time, I'm unusually motivated in this case.

Now, if GSK would just pay me what they owe me for "promoting" them (Paxil Study 329, anyone?), now THAT would be something!

I'm putting up a blog entry on my ASD blog (it's a member of the Autism Hub) tonight on this subject.

But to everyone who looks at Kathy's blog entry with the quash motion - also take a look at the previous entry;

http://neurodiversity.com/weblog/article/149/

This supoena smacks of a bruised ego, I think!