ADC-NJ member Michael Kabbash was in the news this weekend, thanks to AP reporter (and ADC-NJ honoree) Wayne Parry’s coverage of Michael's creation, the Patriot Act Game.  The Game, which is a parody of Monopoly, seeks to educate the public about civil rights challenges under the Patriot Act and is available for free download at Michael’s website, www.graphix4change.com.  Wayne Parry’s story was picked up by many news outlets throughout the country, including the Washingtonpost.com, NYTimes.com, Newsday, the Star Ledger, the Miami Herald, and television news broadcasts on Fox News, Channel 7 and UPN 9.   We congratulate Michael for his success! 

Here is the unabridged version of the AP article.

Go directly to Guantanamo! It's Patriot Act board game

By WAYNE PARRY

Associated Press Writer

March 18, 2006, 12:07 PM EST

HAMILTON, N.J. -- In this send-up of the famous "Monopoly" board game, players don't go directly to jail; they go to Guantanamo Bay.

They don't lose cash by landing on certain squares; instead they lose civil liberties. A scowling former Attorney General John Ashcroft dominates the center of the board, replacing the "Mr. Monopoly" character.

Chance cards read like this: "Held For Extended Questioning! Either lose one civil liberty, or decide which player you turn in to authorities (they lose two civil liberties.)"

Designed by a New Jersey graphic artist and Arab civil rights advocate, "Patriot Act: The Home Version" pokes fun at "the historic abuse of governmental powers" by the recently renewed anti-terrorism law.

While the game may be fun, its creator, Michael Kabbash of Green Brook, is serious about how he feels the law has curtailed Americans' freedom. The object of the game is not to amass the most money or real estate, but to be the last player to retain civil liberties.

"I've had people complain to me that when they play, nobody wins. They say, `We're all in Guantanamo and nobody has any civil liberties left,' " he said. "I'm like, `Yeah, that's the point.' "

The Patriot Act was passed by Congress in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, giving law enforcement a vast array of investigative and prosecutorial powers it previously had not enjoyed. Critics say it unacceptably impinged on civil liberties, granting investigators the right to examine people's library and medical records, among other things.

But the government defends the law as a vital tool that has helped prevent another terror attack. When the bill was renewed earlier this month, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez said, "The 89-to-10 bipartisan vote illustrates an understanding that the Patriot Act has kept us safer while protecting the civil liberties we cherish."

U.S. Justice Department public affairs did not immediately return Associated Press calls for comment Saturday on Kabbash's game.

Kabbash decided to keep Ashcroft, who stepped down in January 2005, as the visual focus of the game because "he really is the icon that people associate with the Patriot Act."

In a nod to President Bush's prewar comments, the "Go" space in this game is renamed "Bring It On!" Players roll the dice to determine how many civil liberties they start out with, accumulating them from a variety of categories. U.S. citizens get 5; non-citizens get 1. Whites and Asians get 5; Arabs get 1. Christians get 5 or 6 and Jews get 4; Muslims get 2 or 3. Ultra right-wingers get 6; Democrats get 3 or 4.

Instead of landing on, say Oriental Avenue, a player lands on a color-coded space corresponding to the national terror alert. If he lands on a red space, he loses one civil liberty, as does anyone else within 5 spaces of him. If he lands on an orange space, he selects another player to lose one civil liberty.

The jail has been replaced by Guantanamo Bay _ an automatic loss of three civil liberties. You can only get out by rolling a 1. Any player who lands on the Guantanamo space due to a roll of the dice is considered a visitor, but must not speak to or even acknowledge any other player being held in detention, or else they have to move backward to the nearest FBI office.

Chance cards have now become "Homeland Security Cards." They include "FBI wants you for questioning; Lose one turn," "You provide the local authorities with speculative information on your next door neighbor; Collect one civil liberty from each player," and "The ACLU takes your case; Gain back one civil liberty!"

Kabbash is distributing the game free over the Internet, with the game board and playing cards all printable. So far, more than 2,000 copies of the game have been downloaded since it debuted in 2004.

Aside from possible copyright problems with the company that owns the rights to Monopoly, Kabbash didn't want to sell copies of his parody because he wanted it to be as widely available as possible. Plus, he said, people might suspect his motives if he were profiting from it.

He had seven physical copies of the game produced, which cost about $135 each with the die-cast metal playing pieces such as a jetliner, a dollar sign and an oversized cowboy hat.

"I wanted it to be not only a parody but a teaching tool," said Kabbash, 38, who teaches graphics at The College of New Jersey. "This is my way of putting my political ideas forward, hoping people will wake up. There's a lot of apathy, and we have to realize that we're in a democracy, that we're all allowed to say something."

Kabbash is a Christian whose grandparents came to the U.S. from Syria. He was born and raised in Clifton, His wife, Maha, is an attorney and activist with the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

He has also produced parodies of popular cereal boxes, including "Conservative Crunch," a takeoff on Cap'n Crunch with President Bush in the captain's trademark blue suit and hat, holding the White House, the Capitol and the Supreme Court buildings in the palm of his hand. "Now controlling ALL 3 BRANCHES of government!" the box boasts, along with nutritional information listing "51 percent mandate."

Kabbash says his next project will probably have something to do with the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program. Kabbash is reasonably certain "there's a file on me somewhere," and notes that some of the Internet ISP addresses that have logged on to his site have been registered to government and military users.

When asked if the FBI keeps a file on Kabbash, a bureau spokesman declined comment.

ADC MEMBERS IN PRINT

LA Times, March 15, 2006

I would like to congratulate Sultan for her well-intentioned efforts to promote reform in the Arab and Islamic world. Yet despite her courage and fortitude, I am sad to say that her tactics, such as a recent debate with a Muslim cleric on Al Jazeera, will actually weaken the noble cause of reform. To understand why, we need only rely on our basic political common sense and the concept of "know your audience." Reformers should remember that Arabs and Muslims, in general, are ultraconservative and deeply religious. Therefore, they are unlikely to respond in a positive manner to a woman appearing on Arab TV unveiled, proudly asserting that she does not believe in God. Sultan's appearance on Al Jazeera had the approximate impact of a tattooed, body-pierced, pro-abortion, flag-burning, gay communist debating Rush Limbaugh on the Fox News Channel, trying to sway the audience toward a liberal philosophy. Would anyone consider that a successful tactic?

Even more troubling and perplexing, however, is the fact that my conservative Republican colleagues continue to heap praise on ultraliberal atheist Arabs. This obvious failure to know our audience and promote messengers with credibility indicates just how little progress we have made in understanding the Arab and Muslim mentality — and how poorly equipped the United States remains to properly encourage much-needed reform and implement successful policies in this critically important region.

GEORGE AJJAN

Clifton, N.J.

SUPPORT A KAHLIL GIBRAN STAMP

Hi all,

Kahlil Gibran was one of the greatest Arab-American writers ever,

and he lived in New York for much of his life.  (He came from the

same Lebanese village as my great-grandmother and is said to have

written part of The Prophet in our historic family home in

Brooklyn.)  As it would be a great honor for the AA community to

have this stamp approved, I hope you will sign and send in the

petition.

Best,

Katherine Metres Abbadi, ADC-NY Director

Kahlil Gibran Stamp Project

The American Committee for Kahlil Gibran Stamp was formed in 1987 by

Mr. Robert Andrews and others.  Almost 20 years later, they are

still under consideration by the Postal Service considering the fact

that the Postal Service gets 50,000 subject requests per year and

awards only 25 commemorative stamps per year. 

The committee's current target is 2008 which is the 125th

anniversary of Gibran's birth.  The stamp committee selects its

awardees two years in advance.  Therefore, any efforts you can

contribute to this cause in 2006 are very much appreciated. 

In an effort to help, the committee added a web link where all you

have to do is print out the form, get your friends and family to

sign it, and mail it back to the committee. The Committee's mailing

address is:  P.O. Box 291159, Los Angeles, CA 90027-9159 or by email

to:&nb! sp; adriannefandrews@sbcglobal.net 

Petition Page: http://cedarsusa.com/services/gibranstamp.htm