Saturday, June 21, 2014

Shake Up Washington with Daniel Ellsberg's Message

Shake Up Washington with Daniel Ellsberg's Message

From:
RootsAction Team <info@rootsaction.org>

Sent: Friday, June 20, 2014 9:39 AM


A profound message from Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg is now on a billboard half a block from the State Department: "Don't wait until a new war has started, don't wait until thousands more have died, before you tell the truth with documents that reveal lies or crimes…"

The billboard has caused quite a stir. But we’re just getting started.

Now you can help put that billboard in other key locations, reaching thousands of employees at places like the Pentagon, intelligence agencies, contractors, the Justice Department, Congress and the White House. To do that, click here.

As Ellsberg says on the billboard, a whistleblower "might save a war's worth of lives."

One billboard has made a lot of impact. Ten would be ten times better. Let's do it!



You can help make it happen now.

If you’ve already donated to RootsAction’s special Ellsberg billboard fund, thank you! Since last week, we’ve raised a bit over half the money necessary to put up more than ten new billboards in key Washington locations by early July.

But time is short. Our goal is a dozen new Ellsberg billboards next month. Please put some dollars in the hat by clicking here.

With war drums now beating for the U.S. to bomb Iraq, a whistleblower could expose the fraudulence of the propaganda by revealing internal documents -- as Ellsberg did.

In a country with a government addicted to militarism, mass surveillance and secrecy, we don't fulfill our duties simply by voting, backing candidates and attending protests. Another task is to support whistleblowing by individuals who see wrongdoing inside government or corporations.

That's why RootsAction is stepping up to support the cutting-edge work of the new organization ExposeFacts.org for independent journalism and an informed public.

Donate here to make possible more of these billboards outside major U.S. government offices.

From Daniel Ellsberg to Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden to many others, brave whistleblowers have taken risks to reveal official wrongdoing.

If you want to donate directly to ExposeFacts ($10 minimum), click here. (We now have a bulk discount, so a $40 donation would pay for a square foot of the billboard for a full month. A $1,000 donation would pay for an entire billboard.)

If you want to contribute via RootsAction with a credit card or check, click here to make a special donation. We'll pass along every cent to pay for putting up more billboards.

RootsAction believes that a crucial antidote to official wrongdoing is EXPOSURE -- combined with movement-building to demand change. Progress can't happen when powerful institutions are allowed to operate in the dark.

That's why Daniel Ellsberg is so enthusiastic about this effort spearheaded by ExposeFacts.org.

Please click here to show your support.

Our hope is that whistleblowing will spread from federal agencies to local governments to corporations that pollute or have unfair labor practices or produce unsafe products.

You may not work inside a government institution or a corporation engaging in misconduct, but you may have a friend, relative or neighbor who does. Besides billboarding, we need to spread this message person to person.

Let the world know that ExposeFacts.org -- a new organization led by respected independent journalists and brave whistleblowers -- is open for truth-telling business. The ExposeFacts motto: Whistleblowers Welcome Here.

Please forward this email far and wide.

Thank you!

-- The RootsAction.org team

P.S. RootsAction is an independent online force endorsed by Jim Hightower, Barbara Ehrenreich, Cornel West, Daniel Ellsberg, Glenn Greenwald, Naomi Klein, Bill Fletcher Jr., Laura Flanders, former U.S. Senator James Abourezk, Coleen Rowley, Frances Fox Piven, and many others.

Background:
> Daniel Ellsberg: Video Statement for ExposeFacts.org
> ExposeFacts: For Whistleblowing, Journalism and Democracy
> The Real News: New Whistleblower Organization Launched (video report)
> McClatchy News Service: New Whistleblower Group Encourages More Efforts to Inform Public
> Ann Wright and Matthew Hoh: Speaking at Billboard Ribbon-Cutting Near State Department (video)
> Kevin Gosztola: New Organization Launched to Accept Submissions, Provide Support to Whistleblowers
> Norman Solomon: Memo to Potential Whistleblowers: When You See Something, Say Something
 



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