Friday 2 March 2012

Fresh appeal for donations

I am restricted by how much I can say right now but hopefully more will be revealed once the final hearing takes place.

However, I need to raise approx. £600 in legal fees. I have discussed the issue with my wife and while we are not at the bottom of the scrapheap I still only work part time (as I care for our two children who are 6 & 7) and my wife does not work regular shifts at work (they are booked as and when).

I have managed to find a way to cover £200 of the costs by selling my guitar (at a loss and under value) but I need to try and raise around £350 to £400 as I have some overtime pay (approx. £50) due at the end of March.

The background to the case can be found here but, in summary...

I am an Atheist who wrote words (reviews/summaries of a situation/general conversation) on two websites (Amazon and the Richard Dawkins Foundation) about an author of a book called "The Attempted Murder of God". The author found those words objectionable, on a number of levels, and decided to issue a claim in the High Court.

The claim was heard on the 10th and 11th of November 2011 and I managed to gain the support of the Libel Reform campaign amongst other organisations who sympathised with my situation.

Many people stepped forward with their best wishes but also managed to raise some money for me to meet my costs during a time when my wife was out of work. I was extremely grateful for people rallying around at that time and it is only because I do not wish to embarrass anyone that I mention no names (well not yet and only then with permission because some donors prefer anonymity).

Therefore if anyone can help me trying to raise the £350/400 that I need you would have my deepest gratitude and thanks and I will do my best to make it up to those people in some way. I have many talents and I'm sure that some people might find a use for them. If it means washing cars every weekend for the next month to get to that total, I'm willing to do it!

So if you can help please click on the donate link on the right. I'm not sure that I am a worthy enough cause and I would never claim to be. However, there is a more serious issue underpinning the libel case which I think threatens freedom of speech (hence this request).

I hope to be in a position to say more on the case in the near future. Until then, please spread the word and thanks for reading.
Posted by at

47 comments:

  1. Luis3 March 2012 at 14:15

    I am out of work. I wish I could help.

    ReplyDelete
  2. vjohn823 March 2012 at 14:32

    Luis,

    Thanks for taking the time to comment. So long as people are spreading the word I think people will eventually help me get to the total I need. If you can help spread this message around you will be doing your bit to help!

    Good luck with getting back into work!

    VJ

    ReplyDelete
  3. Even Mehl Amundsen aka Mischeviouslittleelf3 March 2012 at 15:41

    Hey, do you have paypal? If so I may very well be able to help out

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jeremy3 March 2012 at 15:54

    Paypal will automatically convert from dollars to British pounds for us Americans. It does so at a somewhat reasonable rate.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tom3 March 2012 at 17:02

    It may not be a lot, but 10 punds for your good cause sir.

    'god'speed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. vjohn824 March 2012 at 11:08

      Tom... that is a great gesture. Thanks for helping!

      Delete
    2. Tom4 March 2012 at 17:50

      Everything for free speech and against religious oppression mate. Like a great Brit once sang: We all stand together.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 17:02

    No money, sorry. Have your attorney use this statement "Belief is only ignorant acceptance" If you base your supposed facts on belief then you really have no idea what you are talking about.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 19:25

      Faith, not belief. Everyone believes in something. Only an idiot has blind faith.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 17:28

    Don't worry dude it would seem reddit is on the case.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 17:41

    What did you say? Depending on what you said, he may have a case of libel against you since you wrote them about the author. In that case, sorry but you dug your own hole.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4 March 2012 at 01:30

      I like how you have no idea what was said and still have an opinion about it.

      Delete
  9. vjohn823 March 2012 at 18:37

    Thanks for all of your comments.

    Even: The link for a paypal donation is on the right of the screen.

    Tom: Thank you for your generosity... it's really appreciated.

    Anon 1: Thanks for your comment

    Anon 2: Reddit? Is there a link for the thread?

    Anon 3: If I thought the author had a genuine case I would not have applied to strike his claim out because the risk of doing so is extremely great. Besides, the point of Libel Reform is not so that people can get away with saying what they like but that the process one has to go through to not only bring a claim but also defend it is often extremely cost prohibitive. If you keep following the case more information will become available over time.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 18:47

    Here's the link from Reddit.

    http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/qfwbg/this_man_is_being_sued_by_a_creationist_for/

    I hope you win. If someone cant take ones critic, then he shouldnt write a book.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 18:48

    www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/qfwbg/this_man_is_being_sued_by_a_creationist_for/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 18:49

    http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/qfwbg/this_man_is_being_sued_by_a_creationist_for/
    here's the reddit link.

    ReplyDelete
  13. vjohn823 March 2012 at 19:37

    Thank you for the reddit link.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 19:55

    Hey for some reason the paypal link isn't showing up for me...
    Located in Canada if that helps...

    ReplyDelete
  15. vjohn823 March 2012 at 19:57

    Anon: I went over my target by £9. I no longer require any donations but if you feel like making a difference still I would recommend the Libel Reform campaign which still needs funds:

    http://www.justgiving.com/libelreformappeal2011

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 20:43

      I, for one, request that you re-open up the donations until you have enough to buy your guitar back!

      Delete
    2. vjohn823 March 2012 at 21:56

      People may still donate if they wish. I will post a new topic and keep the link alive with the proviso that I have reached the total I wanted.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous4 March 2012 at 02:14

      I second the guitar buy back motion! would you still be able to get YOURS back?

      Delete
    4. vjohn824 March 2012 at 11:36

      I doubt it. They got a great deal on it. I'm not bitter. I have my wife, children, family and friends. And a PC with internet access lol. What more does one need?

      Delete
  16. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 20:38

    Reddit saves the day.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 21:07

    Have no fear /r Atheism is here! Don't worry dude, I'm sure that you will get that legal fee payed.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 21:35

    I'm glad to see you're getting help when you most need it. I didn't get to see the particulars of your comments/review of the book but quite honestly, nobody should be sued for expressing their opinion about a topic.

    Keep up the good fight!

    -from Chicago, IL.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 23:23

    Best of luck to you. I'm with you in this fight! However, now that reddit and the hivemind are behind you, it's obvious that you will succeed. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. vjohn824 March 2012 at 11:05

      Yes, there has been an unbelievable response.

      Delete
  20. William3 March 2012 at 23:35

    Sent £10.00, good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous4 March 2012 at 00:23

    do you have Dwolla? Much more affordable than paypal. If so, let me know the number

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. vjohn824 March 2012 at 11:05

      I don't and it appears to be US only... but thanks for the tip.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous4 March 2012 at 01:19

    Only a tenner, but I hope it helps you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. vjohn824 March 2012 at 11:06

      Thank you ever so much. That was very kind of you.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous4 March 2012 at 01:26

    I handed you 25 GBP. Never give up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. vjohn824 March 2012 at 11:06

      That's more than generous... thank you!!!

      Delete
  24. AlexFreire4 March 2012 at 05:06

    Sent £10.00 via PayPal. I'm so sorry I couldn't give you more. best of luck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. vjohn824 March 2012 at 11:06

      I really appreciate your kindness. Thank you!

      Delete
  25. AlexFreire4 March 2012 at 05:07

    Ah, one more thing: Reddit sent me here.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous4 March 2012 at 06:23

    how can the rest of us write similar reviews?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. vjohn824 March 2012 at 11:07

      I wouldn't advise engaging with the claimant in the case. If you do so, you might end up where I am.

      Delete
  27. Anonymous4 March 2012 at 14:31

    Reddit... Donated $ to 10 GBP. Good luck.

    ReplyDelete

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