"Statue of Tyranny" Case Could Mean YOUR
FREEDOM OF SPEECH CURTAILED

I told you the ACLJ would faithfully stand for your freedom of speech, but the court said no. We've been denied. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has refused to hear our arguments in the twin Ten Commandments cases we've been working on since September.

And as I write you this memo, the Summum organization (suing to force town governments to display the alternative Summum message, or ban the Ten Commandments!) is about to submit another brief to the Supreme Court of the United States. We've got to reply formally with our brief to the Supreme Court by March 1.

I urge you to help us immediately with the most generous tax-deductible contribution. You know what a monumental task it is to prepare a case for the Supreme Court of the United States. And this case comes in the midst of an already huge workload for our attorneys, legal and legislative teams, and professional support staff.

But we have no choice. If we walk away now, the Summum ruling could easily lead to a "Statue of Tyranny" being erected adjacent to our Statue of Liberty, simply because government bodies are now obligated to express all competing points of view.

Imagine the local VFW hall being forced to display anti-military slogans. Imagine government offices all over our country (your town hall, your post office) obligated to put up anti-American monuments. It's absurd.

And yet, this is what the Tenth Circuit has in effect said. Once a city accepts donated monuments -- whether they

• depict heroes from World War II,
• or salute the Veterans of Foreign Wars,
• or commemorate 9/11,
• or acknowledge the Ten Commandments
  -- that city is compelled to accept monuments from other groups sending a counter-message.

This would be "compelled speech"; and we will argue strongly against it, if the Supreme Court of the United States will take the case. But we're under an extremely tight deadline. The pressure is intense. And the financial challenges are great. Please send your best possible gift right away.

Thank you in advance,
Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel

P.S. There is no time to lose. Our reply brief is due to the Supreme Court March 1. I urge you to respond quickly. Thanks again.