(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
Surely, there are enough differences of opinion on FR to exclude it as being "part of a political campaign."
There are laws and there are regulations. Some laws are bad enough, but when you get bureaucrats arrogantly interpreting those laws into regulations. you have government run amuck. They make up half assed regulations and no one is held responsible.
Funny how silent the ACLU is when it comes to defending the freedom of speech.
I find it amazing that the MSM can be immune to all this, passing judgement on blogs and forums. Why should Tim Russert get to practice freedom of the press, but not Jim Robinson?
Who gets to define who is a journalist or not, a news organization or not? Because if you ask me, 90% of the MSM are paid hacks for the DNC. Call them a vast left wing conspiracy and a political organization.
Freedom of the press for Free Republic!
We need to be circumspect, here. Like it or not, due to McCain-Feingold, the limits are coming. The IRS enacted regulations at least a year ago to limit what churches could do during political campaigns and what could be said in either chirch bulletins or from the pulpit.
If you feel strongly enough about it, start letting your Congresscritter know. But, remember, that the Congresscritters ignored the public when it came to passing or voting down CFR. Bush, acknowledging that it was unConstitutional, signed it anyway. The SCOTUS failed to address the Constitutional issues surrounding CFR and refused to hear the case. Freedom, the Constitution, and the voters lost big on this issue.
Think they can't clamp down on what can be said on a blog?? Think again; we've already lost that battle and we have no friends in high places willing to overturn this dreck of law.
Word of advice - ANYTIME that Congresscritters favor a bill relating to something that is NOT on the American public's radar (such as Campaign Finance Reform; aka McCain-Feingold), be VERY wary and VERY afraid. CFR has shown them all how to shut down our Constitutional rights - they did it under our noses and we let them.
They'll do it again.
FReepers did it for free!
What's the difference between me posting "McCain sucks!" on a blog, or me handing out sheets of paper that say "McCain sucks!"?
The congress and the courts have created an unconstitutional mess that will take years to sort out.
Hint to Congress .. it could get ugly if you mess with our internet
Is this going to be in the Federal Register?
I will be happy to write a response.
A google search of "anonymous offshore hosting" gives plenty of places to host a blog where speech is still free.
The problem will the McCain-Feingold bill in the first place is that it completely and totally runs afoul of the first ameendment.
We actuall had some goofball from an OKC suburb write a letter to the editor in the Oklahoman saying otherwise but he's been reading a different version of the U.S. Constitution than what it really is.
The idiot that wrote the majority opinion in favor of this law in the U.S. Supreme Court is the same one who think that foreign dictates should take the place of the U.S. Constitution.
The bill's proscriptions as it is written would essentially allow congress people to do some very malicious and harmful stuff prior to the elections since there would be no legal way for us to blow the whistle on them with this law.
Futher this bill as it's written would allow the Democrats to take both hosues of Congress and ultimately become the source of law in this country.
This would mean that instead of going after terroists aborad like President Bush is doing they would be coming after us. It case it hasn't occured to anyone the Democrats have decided that the danger to National Security isn't from Osama, Saddam or Al-Queda. It's from us, Republicans, christians and conservatives. You know, those of us blowing the whistle on the Democrats and their misdeeds.
And to say John McCain is "Presidential material" is a bit disengious. This fella holds a very hostile attitude towards Republicans, Christians and conservatives. There's an article where some 9/11 victims hd a run-in with him and they spoke out in opposition to his immigration bill and he completely and totally bawled them out.
Is this someone we want as Presdident of the United States? I wouldn't even vote for him as dog catcher. I'd just assume vote for Fido for President.
John McCain is an absolute embarrasment to the state of Arizona and anyone that would take up for him because the McCain-Feingold bill which you know and I know is going to result in the shutdown of FR really needs to have his or her head examined.
Regards....
...a group of [paid] bloggers backing U.S. Senate candidate John Thune, a Republican, relentlessly attacked incumbent Democrat Tom Daschle.
"I want to know that when I'm reading the post," [Richard] Hasen[, a professor of election law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles] said.
Fine... Then regulate pro-bloggers; not everyone else. Of course, it will all be meaningless when the servers move to Tahiti and the mods are all wearing Hawaiian shirts and drinking out of coconut shells. Piña Coladas, anyone? A Mai Tai?
I have three words for the FEC: Make our day.
The FEC isn't the enemy here. It is Congressional Republicans trying to stab 527's in the heart because so many of them were liberal. Meanwhile they forget how pathetic Bush's campaign was in 2004 until the CONSERVATIVE 527 Swiftboat Vets came along and utterly destroyed John Kerry's campaign. Meanwhile Democrat 527s outraised us 10 to 1 and made almost no difference whatsoever. Hey Republicans, are you stupid? Leave the damn 527's alone you morons!
Talk about burying the lead!
Now ask yourself, why did that happen, John ReamedOut?
I'll tell you why -- because the three DUmmie/Bolsheviks on the FEC kommittee refused to appeal the decision; an appeal which, under any other circumstances than cowardly DUmmies reacting to their royal @ss-beating at the polls since '00, would have been a normal course of action.
They can take my internet bullets first.
For those who could possibly think that the Feingold-McCain CFR bill is constitutional, there's little question that blogs are under its jurisdiction.
Of course, it won't be enforced against the sites which promote Dhimmicrats. And "public" TV and "public" radio as well as all those "public art" POS, all of which are supported by our tax dollars, will continue to regurgitate partisan propaganda for Dhimmicrats without any restriction or equal time.