p2pnet Freedom downloads
p2pnet.net Special:- “The Rivoli, a popular Canadian music club in Toronto, Canada may seem like an unusual venue to consider internet free speech. Yet later this week, it will play host to a fundraiser in support of P2Pnet.net, a Canadian-based website that is being sued for defamation for comments posted on the site by its readers.”
That was written by Michael Geist, Canada research chair in internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa, in a BBC article.
Close to six weeks ago I was in Toronto for the show, organized by Fading Ways Records founder, indie musician and activist Neil Leyton, who’s presently touring in Europe, publicizing his label at the same time.
Featured were Kobo Town, Lindy, Aceface, Dennis O’Toole and, of course, Neil. And I did a number as well (cough, cough) with Dennis (below left) and Neil (centre). The idea was to raise a few more $ to go towards my steadily mounting legal costs.
How did it go? I thought it was truly excellent, although not everyone agreed.
And before the show, four of us – lawyers Rob Hyndman (moderator) and Jason Young, Michael Pilling, another defamation lawsuit victim, and I, with Digital Copyright Canada’s Russell McOrmond also on hand – spent several hours at a meeting discussing the new threats Canada’s very old libel laws are creating. We were hosted by Community Bandwidth’s Philip Smith.
The US, “enacted a law 10 years ago that provides broad immunity for intermediaries that host third-party content,” said Geist his BBC piece. “That provision has since been used dozens of times to immunize ISPs, large companies such as Amazon.com, and small websites who could ill-afford to fight legal challenges.
“A similar provision in the Commonwealth countries would protect sites such as P2Pnet, as well as the thousands of ISPs, websites, and bloggers, who are contributing to a robust online dialogue, but today find themselves vulnerable to lawsuits whose primary purpose may be to suppress legitimate speech.”
We’ll be posting an mp3 of the two-and-a-half hour event as soon as we have a copy,
For now, p2pnet, “as well as the thousands of ISPs, websites, and bloggers, who are contributing to a robust online dialogue,” today find themselves vulnerable to lawsuits, “whose primary purpose may be to suppress legitimate speech,” said Geist in his article.
He also said, “The case places the spotlight on the liability of internet intermediaries. The importance of the issue extends well beyond just internet service providers – corporate websites that allow for user feedback, education websites featuring chatrooms, or even individual bloggers who permit comments face the prospect of demands to remove content that is alleged to violate the law.”
Freedom Speech isn’t sexy and it’s hard, very hard, to make people understand it’s the most fundamental of all rights, off- or online.
And yet Canada has men and women daily risking their lives in troubled parts of the world expressly to nurture and uphold democracy, for which freedom of expression is the absolute corner stone.
Meanwhile, Neil and Dennis Dennis O’Toole and I all wrote songs for the benefit. Dennis and Neil’s song were recorded in a studio and mine was lifted from a video shot by Canadajam.com’s Wenda Atkin and Steve L’Esperance where there’s also a flash flic of my contribution (such as it was 
.
Below are the lyrics for all three, as well as links to the mp3s. Click the song titles for a listen.
Feel free to do whatever you want with any or all them and if you do do something, we’d appreciate it if you’d let us know.
Cheers! And thanks. And all the best …
Jon
Seven Smooth Stones – Dennis O’Toole.
David strode out to meet Goliath
He took seven smooth stones
David put that giant’s ass in a sling
And he did it on his own
He did not go emptyhanded
To pick that particular bone
You’ve got to use what the good lord gave you
You were blessed with a brain
And a stout heart at birth
It’s all right as rain
Once you accept what those gifts are worth
Don’t let the bastards grind you down
Keep your feet planted on the earth
Go on and use what the good lord gave you
It’s hard to cast a long shadow
When your back’s against the wall
Stand your ground, let your sound
Be a fierce and free call
Circle your friends around you
Make it clear they have to deal with us all
You got to use what the good lord gave you
All those captains of industry
Like to pretend that they’re our friends
They come across as common thieves to me
And on this you can depend
Given half a chance, they’ll do for us all in the end
You’ve got to use what the good lord gave you
We’re standing on a slippery slope my friend
And we’re running out of time
We’d best all dig our heels right in
And form a strong and solid line
Don’t take nothin’ free for granted
In these strange and troubled times
You got to use what the good lord gave you
(It’s all you got left to save you)
You got to use what the good lord gave you!
Poppycock – Neil Leyton
Evil legal letters from a third rate Napster
Fuelled by poison pens and a fear of disaster
Spanish Inquisition in the modern day theatre of law
A legal system that’s exclusive to the rich…
Golden letter-threats attempt to silence us.
Your corporate wars are of no concern
To the ones who live with the gifts of vision, truth, and love.
(We won’t be silenced through fear)
From financial districts to Lake Cowichan, the Inquisition treads on
The human rights of free speech seem almost forgotten
As over-reaching libel laws trod
Age-old concepts of innocent until proven guilty
As their legal procession of filth goes on and on
And we face up to battle, united, ready to mourn
With raised fists, c’mon, Sandro, Russell, Jason, Dan and Jon
We won’t be silenced through fear
No intimidation felt here — we defend freedom of speech.
It is our natural right to defend the use of our pens
And no high-powered lawyer can subjugate us again
To ages past where kings and queens reigned in power
Though corporate heads sometimes feel almighty in their tower
Your corporate wars are of no concern
To the ones who live with the gifts of vision, truth, and love.
(We won’t be silenced through fear)
As their legal procession of dirt goes on and on
And we face up to battle, defending our right to blog
With raised fists, c’mon, Cory, Michael, Accordion Guy et al.
We won’t be silenced through fear
No intimidation felt here — we defend freedom of speech.
Your case is ropy, yelpy, poppycock
Sad attempt to find out who it was
That exposed some dirt that perhaps
Was a little too true to ignore?
Freedom of expression ain’t a God-given right – Jon Newton (video here)
[The observant among you will notice there's a big difference between what you see below and what I'm singing (to use the phrase loosely That's because I was nervous as hell and I forgot the words and in fact, I was just mumbling for the last part. Anyhow ...........)
Freedom of speech ain’t a God-given right
Your freedom of speech can vanish in the night
‘Cause if you let ‘em,
They’ll steal it away from you.
Then they’ll have you where they want you and they’re never gonna let you go.
(Verse) Saying what you want to is the mother of all rights
But your freedom of speech can vanish overnight
It ain’t a gift you got to earn it
They’ll destroy it if you spurn it
If you can’t say what you’re thinking
You might as well not think.
People are still dying ’round the world to buy that right
If you want it you can have it
But it don’t come without a fight
And if you let ‘em. They’ll steal it away from you.
Then they’ll have you where they want you and they’ll never let you go.
Saying what you want to is your bottom line right
But freedom of expression can vanish overnight
It ain’t a gift you have to earn it
They’ll destroy it if you spurn it
If you can’t say what you’re thinking
You might just as well be dead.
First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win ~ Mahatma Ghandi
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