From Sergey Watch: FEC wants to stifle political Bloggers !

Sergey Watch ^ | 03/04/2005 | sergey1973

[sergey1973]

Political Bloggers--Beware !

Everyone in the US Political blogging community and in fact, anyone who cares about Political Freedom in America needs to be aware of what Federal Election Commission is up to.

[sergey1973]

Folks--this is really serious. There were already quite a few posts on other FreeRepublic.com forums about this, but let's keep the heat up.

[boofus]

Silence my right to criticize the government on the internet and I will speak out in other ways.

Molon Labe applies to both the 1st and 2nd Amendments. Come and get them.

[sergey1973]

Well--I would not approve of going from blogs to guns -:))) Fortunately, we have legitimate tools to fight for our rights. Let's contact our Reps, Senators, President, etc.

[boofus]

Yes but regulating blogs cuts straight to the chase of what the first amendment is all about. A government commission will control when and what a free individual may say on their own property.

That is at the very least a tar and feather offense, if not a bloodletting one.

[sergey1973]

Definitely NOT a bloodletting ! Certainly the FEC proposal is moronic but it definitely does not call for armed rebellion ! We need simply to organize and unite to help to kill this moronic measure ! We'll go to our Reps, Senators, etc. We'll go to the streets, if necessary (how about dressing in Orange like in Ukraine and wearing the sign "DON'T UNDERBLOG ME"
-:)) And we will defeat this law by perfectly legal means !

[HarleyLady27]

I didn't think the Government could take away our freedom of speech, isn't that what the first admendment is all about? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the FCC is Government....??????

[sergey1973]

Hello HarleyLady27. Little Correction. It is not FCC (Federal Communication Commission) but FEC (Federal Election Commission) that is proposing this. Federal Election Commission is a governmental agency. Anyway, if they pass this measure and Congress won't do anything about it, then it will be a certainly an infringement on the 1st Ammendement. It will trample on my (and your) rights to support the political candidate of my choice on my blog/website if I want to. It goes beyond restrictions on cash donations to the candidate I (or you) support. I see it as a violation of the 1st Ammendement. Number of other folks, like "Instapundit" Glen Reynolds, Michelle Malkin, etc. are seeing it in this way.

[HarleyLady27]

I think I found what I was looking for:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So this tells me that the FCC, being an Establishment, cannot regulate or control what we say or speak, right?????

[sergey1973]

Looks perfectly right to me--good job !

[HarleyLady27]

(wink) and thank you...yes it is the FEC I thought it was the FCC...thanks for pointing that out to me :)