Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Happy New Year from Daniel and Friends


Dear friends,

We would like to thank you so much for your support for Daniel
McGowan in the last year. It has certainly been a difficult year and
despite all the hardship, we also have some things to be thankful
for. Daniel has been out on bail since February and off house arrest
since September. These were two events that none of us were certain
would happen. Also, thanks to donations and money raised throughout
the year, we have been able to afford an amazing legal team that was
able to able to negotiate a plea that Daniel and his 3 co-defendants,
Jonathan Paul, Joyanna Zacher and Nathan Block can live with.
Although Daniel will be reporting to prison sometime in 2007, we are
relieved it won't be for the rest of his life. In order to get Daniel
the lowest possible sentence, we still need your help and support.

Daniel will tentatively be sentenced in late April 2007. We would be
grateful if you could write a letter to the Judge (via Daniel's
lawyers) regarding the sentencing. Letters from people who know
Daniel, who have worked with him and who have participated with him
on activist projects are best, but we are also looking for people who
have read about the case and have opinions about it to submit
letters as well. The letters are due on January 31st. Many people
have asked what they could do to help the situation and this is, by
far, one of the most important things we could ask of anyone. Please
take the time over the next 2 weeks to write a letter. It need not
be over one page long but it should encompass any of the relevant
points listed below.

It is important to note that Daniel and all the defendants in the
case will be arguing against the applicability of the terrorism
enhancement in this case on April 10, 2006. This will be a very
important court case and it will determine whether the Judge will
allow the prosecution to argue that the terrorism enhancement applies
in this case. The Judge may take the arguments under advisement and
then issue a ruling sometime after that. Either way, all defendants
will be able to argue against the terrorism enhancement at their
own sentencing hearings if the Judge allows the terrorism
enhancement to be argued.

Finally, we want to thank you again for all of your support, love,
and well wishes you have sent our way this past year. There are too
many people to thank but special thanks to people who have hosted
benefits and parties, written letters to the Judge at Daniel's
detention hearing, donated art for (and organized!) the huge July
2006 art auction, wrote Daniel and sent him books while in jail,
checked in on email from time to time, made donations, braved the
weather week after week selling books, moved across the country to do
support and designed and printed hundreds of thousands of flyers.
The support has been so important to Daniel and has made this
situation all the more bearable knowing there are compassionate and
dedicated people out there caring about him.

Happy New Year! Here's to a better year in 2007!
Family and Friends of Daniel McGowan
www.supportdaniel.org

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