FEC v Bloggers

Gribbit's Word ^ | June 28, 2005 | Gribbit

[Gribbit]

Political bloggers are under potential assault by the federal government. In an effort to comply with a federal judge's order, the FEC is looking into how to curtail online abuses of soft money contributions to political campaigns.

In their effort to comply, the FEC has the potential to strip away some of our 1st Amendment rights under the United States Constitution. During the last campaign, a few misguided bloggers accepted money to endorse a candidate and trash others.

These few bad apples have brought the heat of the FEC to bear on us. If you haven't done so yet, please visit this site and sign the online petition.

I am also attempting to organize a one day, one time, mass BlogBurst with bloggers from both sides of the political spectrum. I've contacted a few big fish in the blogging pond suggesting this mass BlogBurst hoping to spark interest and gain some advice. Daily KOS (a liberal blog), InstaPundit, Right Wing News, and our own Red State Rant.

If the mass BlogBurst happens, my suggestion for it is a declaration of the Blogger's 1st Amendment Pledge.

Blogger's 1st Amendment Pledge

If the FEC makes rules that limit my First Amendment right to express my opinion on core political issues, I will not obey those rules.

How would that look? Every blog all saying the same thing one time, one day, supporting each other despite political differences. All to protect our 1st Amendment right to have our peace. Our right to mount our soapbox and let it rip. To speak our minds and be heard.

Let me know what you think.

[Outland]

Two words: Offshore webhosting.
Or is that three words?

[Gribbit]

Offshore webhosting isn't a problem. If my blog is hosted in the UK, does that mean that I don't have a voice? I live in Ohio.

Hosting services are located all over the world.

This is all over a couple of bloggers who were paid by a political campaign to promote it and trash it's opponent. Using a blog as a collection center for soft money.

The money trail is what is at issue. Money.

As a daily blogger, I encounter those who disagree with my positions from outside the country all the time. Wonderful thing about IP addresses. Opinions from outside the country isn't the focus of this regulation. Money is. Don't lose your focus.

And if you believe that foreign money doesn't find its way into American political campaigns, you are fooling yourself.

Point is, if you promote a political campaign without receiving payment from any source, then why should you have some federal agency looking over your shoulder? Newspapers and magazines have no such oversight.

[Outland]

"Point is, if you promote a political campaign without receiving payment from any source, then why should you have some federal agency looking over your shoulder?"

Understood and I agree. But as we know all too well, the FEC most likely won't leave it at that. Even if done for "free", they may conclude that a donation of time, labor and energy is equivalent to a monetary contribution.

My only point is: If you use offshore hosting and keep your identity anonymous, it's out of the FEC's control.