FEC Commissioner Uses Russian Meddling As Excuse To Restrict Internet Speech

Daily Caller ^ | Oct 12, 2017 | David Warrington

[Jim Robinson]

Anti-free speech liberals have long sought to regulate and restrict Americans’ freedom of speech on the Internet. Now, their longtime champion, FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, has found her latest excuse to restrict American citizens’ free speech on their own websites, blogs, YouTube, and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Speaking about Russian meddling in the last election at a recent meeting of the FEC (at minute 10:55), Weintraub stated:

If you’re interested I’m happy to talk about it but I’m not here proposing that we reopen the entire Internet rulemaking from 2006. I think that’s something we might want to talk about at some point because, if only because technology has dramatically changed since then, and you know what the state of play back then and the state of play today is just very different, and that might have some ramifications that we might want to think about.

Earlier in the same meeting (at minute 4:20) Weintraub emphasized how technology has changed since the FEC adopted a rule in 2006 leaving free Internet postings free of regulation. Her observations sounded like the predicate justification to change policy.

That’s how government restrictions on civil liberties always begin – a conversation of the avaricious about changes in circumstances that might warrant additional regulation, with a spice of Russian meddling thrown in for demagogic context.

Weintraub’s most recent choice of words is akin to the proverbial camel’s nose under the tent. Rather than lead with what she actually wants – full regulation of speech on the Internet – she was careful to open her conversation without a specific proposal. She knows the public backlash her fellow traveler former FEC Commissioner Ann Ravel encountered after she voted to regulate YouTube videos...

[JudgemAll]

Russia, the new PC term pushing for the speech destruction pogrom, one involving mainly non profits subsidized by the state at the expense of my publishing money. Islamophobia is another such term, but here there is a strange ring of bigotry to it, not unlike when FDR talked of yellow peril about the Japanese.

[Nifster]

She doesn’t have the authority

[Red Badger]

Fire her commie ass!........................

[be-baw]

I couldn’t get the article because I kept getting directed to an NBA advertisement. I’ve had a number of unusual problems at DailyCaller website, including a couple of notifications that my computer has been infected and I need to click to their link in order to live another day (slight exaggeration there).

If anyone knows how to make this stop, I will owe you if you can help me do it.

[proust]

add print to the end of the link

http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/12/fec-commissioner-uses-russian-meddling-as-excuse-to-restrict-internet-speech/print

[M Kehoe]

Hi guy, I hope you are doing well.

Dam it, Ivan stole my tagline.

5.56mm

[be-baw]

Awesome, Proust. As promised, I owe you.

[jazusamo]

The Russia subject has become an excuse for all sorts of official curiosity, fishing expeditions, inquisitions of tech leaders, subpoenas, eavesdropping and wire-tapping, and calls for restricting the civil liberties of American citizens. The Russians are likely pleased with that result.

Warrington nailed that and leftists like Weintraub and Ravel might as well be Russians.

[samtheman]

Paging President Trump...

[867V309]

If anyone knows how to make this stop, I will owe you if you can help me do it.

JavaScript is the root of all evil. You need a browser plug-in like NoScipt. Life is good.

[be-baw]

Thanks for the tip. I’m new to my MacBook and not confident enough to download anything not from Apple yet.

[MeganC]

So we’re supposed to surrender our liberties because of something Russia did?

I don’t recall the clause in the Constitution that says, “Optional”.

[i_robot73]

>She doesn’t have the authority

You mean GOVT doesn’t have the authority....as if that stopped them before.

[Mr_Moonlight]

because technology has dramatically changed since then,

Yes, technology has been changing for thousands of years, but human nature hasn't changed all that much. Those in power will always attempt to thwart free communication, whether that communication is propagated via speech, handwritten, printing press, radio, or internet ... 'technology' itself has nothing to do with it.

and you know what the state of play back then and the state of play today is just very different

No it isn't ... the only difference is the amount of information available, the number of people it can reach, and the speed at which it can propagate.

~ MM ~

[Fedora]

"Earlier in the same meeting (at minute 4:20) Weintraub emphasized how technology has changed since the FEC adopted a rule in 2006 leaving free Internet postings free of regulation."

Same argument liberals are using to rationalize gun control: technological progress = freedom's regress

[wastedyears]

She doesn’t have the authority.

When has that ever stopped someone in government?

[BobL]

The key thing here is for us conservatives to HOLD TOGETHER, and not let the Left divide us as they always do (and must do, or they lose what power they have).

If we do not hold together, then HORRIFIC PEOPLE like this Weintraub bitch will literally be our prison guards (and note the similarity of her name to someone else who’s been in the news lately).

And, at this point, we have TRUMP and BANNON. Many people here preferred others, and Trump may still let us down (or double cross us), but that has not happened.

We need to keep our support solid and that means supporting Trump on just about everything (unless he turns on us) and supporting Bannon on the thankless job of trying to drain the swamp.

[upchuck]

All the terms of serving members have expired.

Time for new blood?

[Architect of Avalon]

Freedom of speech allows for the communication of truth, and truth is dangerous to those whose entire ideology, and plans, are built on lies.