PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Republicans Jail Arab-American Publisher
by Edward Abboud Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006 at 12:48 PM
edwardabboud@voxpublishing.com 614-205-5664 Box 340271, Columbus,O 43234

Ohio republicans jail Arab-American publisher in an attempt to gag his political comments prior to the upcoming election in Ohio.

Edward Richardson is a second generation Lebanese Arab-American and lives in Columbus Ohio, with family throughout the Cleveland metropolitan area.

As a controversial publisher and author, he recently received death threats related to his email publications opposing US support for the war in Iraq and for unquestioned aid to Israel.

In January of this year, when he received death threats over the Internet, he contacted republican Senator Mike DeWine, who is currently running for re-election, and requested protection under section 102 of the Patriot Act. Senator DeWine did not bother to respond.

In July of this year, Richardson received telephone death threats against himselfself and his family. When the FBI refused to investigate the threats, he called his state representative, Deborah Pryce, who is also a republican running for re-election. On her web site, Ms. Price urges citizens to call her if they have problems with federal agencies.

When Richardson called Deborah Pryce’s office to report the FBI’s violation of his civil and human rights, Rep Pryce not only refused to help, she trumped his complaint into a threat against her personally. She caused Richardson to spend 49 days in the Franklin county workhouse, and has caused the state prosecutor, under Ken Blackwell, to question Richardson’s sanity. As a general rule, Arab-Americans who question America’s Israel policy have their sanity questioned.

Deborah Pryce has caused severe financial and commercial suppression of Richardson’s work and message, because it doesn’t coincide with her Bush-oriented republican platform. When Richardson asked Deborah Pryce for help, she basically told him he was crazy, to get a psychological evaluation, and to go to jail. Deborah Pryce is a follower, not a leader. Ohio needs leaders in Congress. Don’t vote for Deborah Pryce.

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