there, but for the grace of the u.s. constitution, go i

i rarely sign petitions, but had no difficulty lending my name to this one. as near as i can tell, liu xiaobo is locked up for offering the same basic pro-democracy, free expression, and human rights statements that many of us give regularly. this serves as another reminder, i suppose, of the importance of social context.

via arien mack, editor of social research:

I am writing to inform you that Liu Xiaobo, who wrote for our Spring 2006 issue on the struggle for human rights in China, has been arrested by the Chinese authorities. Liu is a dissident writer and intellectual based in Beijing, and a former president of Chinese PEN. He was arrested in December on suspicion of inciting subversion of state power after co-authoring Charter 08, a declaration that calls for greater human rights and democracy in China. If convicted he faces up to three years in prison. We urge you to sign our petition in defense of Liu by clicking on this link: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5130/t/3443/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=249 and entering your name and affiliation in the appropriate boxes. Time is very much of the essence, so please add your name as soon as possible. Also, we would be grateful if you would forward this e-mail to your friends who you think might be willing to join us in this effort.