After the hearing in Oklahoma City to schedule the preliminary hearing in the anti-First-Amendment prosecution launched by the Oklahoma attorney general, the Oklahoma Political News Service interviewed Paul Jacob about the case.

Paul Jacob, along with Susan Johnson, and Rick Carpenter, now called the “Oklahoma 3,” have been indicted on felony charges of violating Oklahoma’s statute requiring petition circulators to be residents of Oklahoma. Jacob and the others are denying the charges.

The preliminary hearing will be July 23, 2008, at the Oklahoma County Courthouse, and Jacob is encouraging anyone who lives within driving distance to be there to defend the Oklahoma 3, and support the voter initiative process.

Paul Jacob talks about his Save the Initiative Blog Tour, and what supporters within Oklahoma and nationwide can do to not only save the Oklahoma 3, but also the ballot initiative process. He says he doesn’t feel the media has done an adequate job of covering this topic, and that it is up to the bloggers to get the word out.

Paul told OPNS he’s doing well under the circumstances. “I live in a world that’s a little more frightening than most of us would like. But I’m holding up well and feel good about pushing this fight and defending ourselves and defending [the citizen initiative] process.”

If the preliminary hearing isn’t completed on July 23, it will be completed on July 25. Paul noted that it’s very rare for a case to be tossed out at the preliminary-hearing stage, but that at least it will be the “first day in court” for the Oklahoma Three, and another chance to spread the news of this assault on citizen control of government so loathed by the powers that be.

Paul encouraged Oklahomans to come out in support of the OK3 on July 23, and to help spread the word about “this ridiculous prosecution” and attacks on the initiative process around the country through blogs, letters to the editor, and call-in radio shows. Click here to see OPNS’s interview with Paul.

In addition to FreePaulJacob.com, the News Service also sends its readers to two other important resources for friends of citizen control of government: Ballotpedia.org and CitizensInCharge.org.