Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Bloggericide: Ohio Officials Charge Blogger With Campaign Violations
Publius Forum ^ | 08/06/10 | Warner Todd Huston

Posted on 08/06/2010 9:21:06 AM PDT by Mobile Vulgus

Well, folks, this is bound to happen more and more as time rolls onward in this New Media world of ours. A blogger is in trouble with local Ohio officials who are trying to Shut him down using a badly applied campaign finance law all because he has been critical of county officials on his blog. That's right, a county board is trying to silence the free political speech of a local Ohio blogger because he is critical of them.

The Geauga County Board of Elections has filed charges against the owner of the Geauga Constitutional Council blog, independent blogger Ed Corsi. The Board claims that Corsi's pseudonymously published blog violates O.R.C. 3517.20(A)(2), a code meant to assure that political campaign publications, signs, and handouts have their source transparently identified.

The reason the Board is going after Corsi is because he publishes on his blog critical assessments and lists of local officials that he calls "R.I.N.O.S." Board officials feel that because he does not affix his name to his blog posts he is violating the transparency rules.

However, Corsi is just an independent blogger and is not a paid operative of any party or campaign and all his blogging expenses are paid for with his own funds. The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law and the Rutherford Institute, non-profit legal advocacy firms, filed arguments with the OEC on behalf of Corsi saying that the Board of Elections overreached the application of the law in this case....

Read the rest at Publiusforum.com...


TOPICS: Computers/Internet; Government; Local News; Politics
KEYWORDS: blogging; campaignfinance; elections; freespeech; obama; ohio; politics
We need to watch this, folks. Government is trying to take yet another freedom away from us here.
1 posted on 08/06/2010 9:21:11 AM PDT by Mobile Vulgus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Mobile Vulgus
Dude, the First Amendment doesn't have a THING to do with political speech.

It's only there to protect pornography!

2 posted on 08/06/2010 9:28:05 AM PDT by Lazamataz ("We beat the Soviet Union. Then we became them." -- Lazamataz, 2005)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lazamataz

And titty dancers, and flag burners! What kind of moron would ever think our founding fathers would have wanted political criticism protected?


3 posted on 08/06/2010 9:31:27 AM PDT by ccmay (Too much Law; not enough Order.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Mobile Vulgus
Could it fall under some of the slander laws? To put unnamed slanderous material in a form that it attacks individuals might actually be not a good thing to do ever. Still he could counter by showing his name on his site via Andrew Sullivan and such ... and if it is a person that writes under a pseudo ... then the pseudo is usually well known. Mark Twain, etc.
4 posted on 08/06/2010 9:32:14 AM PDT by geologist (The only answer to the troubles of this life is Jesus. A decision we all must make.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: geologist
To put unnamed slanderous material in a form that it attacks individuals might actually be not a good thing to do ever.

Hey Yoda, there have been remedies against slander since the beginning of the Republic. You will note though that the local officials didn't go after the blogger for slander, probably because the truth is an absolute defense to a slander claim.

5 posted on 08/06/2010 9:39:24 AM PDT by vbmoneyspender
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: vbmoneyspender

What is needed is a Yoda. Sorry there is no such person on earth.

Do you believe we are doing wise things in America?

We argue about the trifles and “swallow the camel”. MO
__________________________________________________________
“Matthew 23:24 (King James Version)

24.
Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.”
___________________________________________________________

God help us in our day, in Jesus name, amen


6 posted on 08/06/2010 10:28:55 AM PDT by geologist (The only answer to the troubles of this life is Jesus. A decision we all must make.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Lazamataz
Dude, the First Amendment doesn't have a THING to do with political speech. It's only there to protect pornography!
LOL. Seems like it, right!?
7 posted on 08/06/2010 12:41:41 PM PDT by Mobile Vulgus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Las Vegas Dave

Ohio Ping


8 posted on 08/06/2010 6:50:29 PM PDT by Whenifhow
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Whenifhow; bamahead

FREE SPEECH ISN’T FREE ACCORDING TO WISCONSIN

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2566195/posts?page=1


9 posted on 08/06/2010 7:51:18 PM PDT by Whenifhow
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Whenifhow; ADemocratNoMore; Akron Al; arbee4bush; agrace; ATOMIC_PUNK; AdvisorB; Badeye; ...
Special thanks to Whenifhow for the ping.

Ohio Pings!

To be added to the Ohio Ping List, please freepmail (works best)
both TonyRo76 and LasVegasDave.

Below is a COPY & PASTE of the entire article-LVD

Well, folks, this is bound to happen more and more as time rolls onward in this New Media world of ours. A blogger is in trouble with local Ohio officials who are trying to Shut him down using a badly applied campaign finance law all because he has been critical of county officials on his blog. That’s right, a county board is trying to silence the free political speech of a local Ohio blogger because he is critical of them.

The Geauga County Board of Elections has filed charges against the owner of the Geauga Constitutional Council blog, independent blogger Ed Corsi. The Board claims that Corsi’s pseudonymously published blog violates O.R.C. 3517.20(A)(2), a code meant to assure that political campaign publications, signs, and handouts have their source transparently identified.

The reason the Board is going after Corsi is because he publishes on his blog critical assessments and lists of local officials that he calls “R.I.N.O.S.” Board officials feel that because he does not affix his name to his blog posts he is violating the transparency rules.

However, Corsi is just an independent blogger and is not a paid operative of any party or campaign and all his blogging expenses are paid for with his own funds. The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law and the Rutherford Institute, non-profit legal advocacy firms, filed arguments with the OEC on behalf of Corsi saying that the Board of Elections overreached the application of the law in this case.

“This case has the potential to severally limit free speech in Ohio,” said 1851 Center Executive Director Maurice Thompson. “Should independent bloggers in Ohio be subject to registration, political disclosure laws, and fines simply because they discuss Ohio politics, and are critical of certain politicians? The Constitution says otherwise.”

“When applied to Corsi’s activities, the law violates the First Amendment right to anonymous political speech,” said Thompson. “It places an impermissible prior restraint on core political speech. And, it applies an overbroad regulation and/or prohibition on political speech that is not express advocacy.”

Clearly the Board is reaching in this case. This code is meant to make sure that politicians don’t get the unrevealed assistance of secret financial backers in elections and is not meant to quash the free speech of lone citizens like Corsi that have a blog and want to spout off about local politics.

But as time moves on we will begin to see more of this sort of stuff all across the country as government officials everywhere eye ways to shut down bloggers that are critical of them putting First Amendment rights are at risk.

It should be pointed out that political speech was the very sort of free speech that the founders of this country were talking about when they crafted the First Amendment. The founders did not envision that people could just say any old thing they wanted on any subject, but they did mean to make sure that citizens of this county could indulge any political speech they wanted. That is what was meant by “free speech.”

You see, in the founder’s terms “speech” was traditionally that of the English Parliament, not “the people.” So when the founders created the free speech clause they meant to safeguard the free political speech of the nation. It was only later that “free speech” began to be applied to all other arenas of public life.

Anyway, another one of the reasons we will see these sort of legal challenges mount is because the law is nearly silent about bloggers. The phenomenon is so new that the law has not caught up with it. There are very, very few cases and precedents set for the law to have determined what a blogger is and how he fits into the legal scheme of things. So, as governments try out their iron-jack-booted power to quash bloggers, the law has to catch up to the whole concept of blogging and free political speech on the Internet.

Look for more of these sorts of cases, folks. And don’t ignore them because they will eventually come to govern what we do here! It is just another potential lost freedom if we don’t pay attention.

10 posted on 08/07/2010 2:04:16 AM PDT by Las Vegas Dave (To anger a Conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a Liberal, tell him the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Mobile Vulgus; Las Vegas Dave

I always thought Geauga sounded like someone tossing his cookies.


11 posted on 08/07/2010 3:18:37 AM PDT by TheOldLady (Pablo is very wily.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Las Vegas Dave

They write the law vaguely, in order to be able to cast a wide net.

The time is here. All the old laws are falling away. The idea of a thing being black or white, right or wrong, good and bad are gone.

All that is left is the vagueness of their law, selectively applied under fascism.

The time is here to choose. Are we “sunshine patriots?”


12 posted on 08/07/2010 3:34:22 AM PDT by EBH (Our First Right...."it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: EBH
All the old laws are falling away. The idea of a thing being black or white, right or wrong, good and bad are gone.

All that stands between the original Constitution meaning and the leftist "living, breathing, document" now is one conservative SC justice.

Ultimately, these vague laws limiting real freedom would be stricken down in a sane world.....

.....We are one SC Justice away from insanity.

13 posted on 08/07/2010 7:10:12 AM PDT by SteamShovel (UTOPIA...Isn't)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: TheOldLady; GOP_Lady

The County was named for the Indian (**possibly Iroquois?) word meaning “raccoon”.

GOP_Lady, can you assist with **this?


14 posted on 08/07/2010 9:30:58 AM PDT by Las Vegas Dave (To anger a Conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a Liberal, tell him the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Las Vegas Dave
You are correct, Las Vegas Dave!

Geauga is racoon. What Native American language though, i do not know.

15 posted on 08/07/2010 9:57:59 AM PDT by GOP_Lady
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Las Vegas Dave
You are correct, Las Vegas Dave!

Geauga is raccoon. What Native American language though, i do not know.

16 posted on 08/07/2010 9:57:59 AM PDT by GOP_Lady
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Lazamataz
Dude, the First Amendment doesn't have a THING to do with political speech.

It's only there to protect pornography!

You've got it backwards. If it protects pr0n, then it certainly protects political speech. But if it doesn't protect porn, then political speech is next.

17 posted on 08/07/2010 9:42:33 PM PDT by cynwoody
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Las Vegas Dave
The Geauga County

I never even heard of this county before did they just move in a bunch of liberals from california and create a county ?

I did a wiki look ....

Geauga County (pronounced /dʒiˈɑːɡə/ jee-AH-gə) is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2000, the population was 90,895. It is named for a Native American word meaning "raccoon". The county seat is Chardon[2].[3] In 2008, Forbes Magazine ranked Geauga County as the fourth best place in America to raise a family.[4]

Thats just to funny i don't care who you are Raccoon BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I envision the county seat with a bunch of black masks on chewing on sushi and trying to climb trees to get away from the dogs .....Bwahahahahaha

18 posted on 08/08/2010 11:32:37 PM PDT by ATOMIC_PUNK (Any man may make a mistake ; none but a fool will persist in it . { Latin proverb })
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: ATOMIC_PUNK; All
I envision the county seat with a bunch of black masks on chewing on sushi and trying to climb trees to get away from the dogs .....Bwahahahahaha

That's funny..!

I never heard of Geauga county either until I moved from Pittsburgh to the Cleveland area at the beginning of my engineering career, (CLE had more engineering opportunities).

I did not find out Geauga was a native American word for Raccoon until the mid 80's. Guess back in the 1700's raccoons were tasty critters when roasted over the open fire..?

But Geauga county does produce the best maple syrup I have ever tasted, so there is some sweetness associated with "Geauga".
Hmmm... maple flavored raccoon, hmmmmm, yummy! < /humor >

One fact that some don't know, with the raccoon being a nocturnal animal, we usually see them late evening or early morning, but if you see them in the day, stay away!! They could be very ill or possibly even rabid and they can exhibit aggressive behavior toward humans. You should call the local game warden and they will trap the animal and test them. If they are not ill they will be released back into the wild ..

Rabid Raccoon.
(Anyone know if this screen name is taken?)

19 posted on 08/09/2010 3:51:46 AM PDT by Las Vegas Dave (To anger a Conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a Liberal, tell him the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson