I Am Now Officially An Obama Girl

By JOAN LOWY (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
April 16, 2008 2:18 PM EDT



WASHINGTON - Rock star Bruce Springsteen endorsed Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for president Wednesday, saying "he speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years."

In a letter addressed to friends and fans posted his Web site, Springsteen said he believes Obama is the best candidate to undo "the terrible damage done over the past eight years."

"He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next president," the letter said. "He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where '...nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone.' "

The bard of New Jersey is known for his lyrics about the struggles of working-class Americans, particularly in the economically ravaged factory towns of the Northeast.

Springsteen and his E Street band were part of the Vote for Change tour, a coalition of musicians opposed to the re-election of President Bush in 2004. He wrote the anti-war ballad "Devils and Dust" about Iraq.

Springsteen did not directly mention Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama's rival for the Democratic nomination, in his letter, but appeared to take issue with her recent criticisms of comments made by Obama about working-class voters in small towns in Pennsylvania and controversial statements by his pastor.

"Critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships," Springsteen wrote. "While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man's life and vision ... often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment."

On the Net:http://brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html

John Stagliano (Evil Angel) Indicted On 8 Counts

Here's a letter from John's wife -

If you’ve heard about the obscenity case against Evil Angel, you might imagine that I’m a little busy right now.

I’ll be sending out a formal press release by Thursday morning announcing a press conference on April 21 following John’s arraignment in Washington DC.

For now, I would like to reach out to all of you to help get the word out about the informational site for the defense website. It will serve as the press landing spot regarding the case, a place for people to donate to the legal fund (which will stay in place long after our case is done), a place for people to comment, and in the next several days, we will start adding video media regarding First Amendment issues.

The site domain name is http://www.defendourporn.org

Thank you,
Karen Stagliano
Evil Angel Producitons
818-787-1414 x121
818-231-3862 cell

In case you have not heard, John Stagliano has been indicted on 8 counts of obscenity.

"In the days following the indictment, Mr. Stagliano received an outpouring of support from adult industry members and fans, asking how and where they could donate money to help fight the legal case," reads a statement on the site.

The site states that "any money which is donated and not used towards the legal defense of the John Stagliano / Evil Angel case will be rolled over in the DefendOurPorn fund and will be earmarked for future First Amendment / Obscenity prosecutions."

According to a news bulletin on the site, Evil Angel will hold a press conference at the District of Columbia courthouse on April 21 following Stagliano's arraignment. Stagliano and his attorney Allan Gelbard will be present to answer questions.

AVN's Mark Kernes notes that "this is the first time that an adult producer has taken the bold step of creating a Website to encourage support of himself and his company in the face of a federal obscenity prosecution ... although admittedly, prior to the four recent producer indictments (Extreme Associates, Max Hardcore, Evil Angel and the now-acquitted JM Productions), the last wave of such indictments took place more than 15 years ago, before the Internet was much more than a hobbyist's toy.

One of the theories circling around Porn Valley is that John Stagliano’s rendition of his Fashionistas show during the AVN Awards mocked the federal government. Not only do federal agents typically attend the AVN Expo and AVN Awards Show, but with the show airing repeatedly on Showtime, it gave Washington ample opportunity to see his possibly-perceived offense. Is this why Evil Angel got singled out?