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Creepy campaign ad of the day

Campus Progress Action Calls on Citizens Against Government Wasteto Stop Blocking Our Video and Debate the Issues

Statement of Katie Andriulli, Communications Manager, Campus Progress Action:

“Last Thursday, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released a lavishly produced video, ‘Chinese Professor’ that seemed to argue that the stimulus bill, health care reform, and other recent policies would bankrupt America and lead to world domination by China.  CAGW announced a national media buy.  Later that day, Campus Progress Action produced a parody video, based on the original, poking fun at the apparently xenophobic tone of the CAGW video and suggesting that the Bush Administration’s fiscal irresponsibility and failure to halt corporate abuses were central to the weakening of the U.S. economy.

Instead of debating these issues on the merits, CAGW demanded that YouTube remove the Campus Progress Action video as a copyright violation.  Following its standard practices, YouTube has suspended the video.  Campus Progress Action has filed a counter-notification asking that its video be reinstated.

Our video is not a copyright violation.  It is a parody, addressing a matter of public policy, and is protected free speech.   Our purpose is to raise awareness on the issues, and to highlight the concern of young people that corporate interests threaten to drown out their voices.  The expensive CAGW video and ad campaign, and CAGW’s subsequent effort to use legal maneuvering to thwart debate, show that those concerns are warranted.

We have reposted our video on Vimeo.com — http://vimeo.com/16107218 — and we will continue to engage young Americans on the issues, and encourage them to speak out and to vote.   We ask CAGW to stop trying to stifle our speech and allow a free market of ideas.”

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