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Congress about to limit political speech of bloggers?
Hot Air ^ | May 19, 2010 | Ed Morrissey

Posted on 05/19/2010 12:58:50 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY

The same sloppy legislative writing that created so many unintended consequences in ObamaCare also plagues the DISCLOSE Act, the effort in Congress to tighten spending rules in the wake of the Citizens United decision — and that’s the generous take on the situation. Reason’s Bradley Smith and Jeff Patch warn that the perhaps-unintended consequences of legislative language will allow the FEC to regulate political speech online. The fact that media entities like the New York Times have specific exemptions built into the bill makes the intent, or lack thereof, rather murky:

Last week, a congressional hearing exposed an effort to give another agency—the Federal Election Commission—unprecedented power to regulate political speech online. At a House Administration Committee hearing last Tuesday, Patton Boggs attorney William McGinley explained that the sloppy statutory language in the “DISCLOSE Act” would extend the FEC’s control over broadcast communications to all “covered communications,” including the blogosphere.

The DISCLOSE Act’s purpose, according to Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Chris Van Hollen and other “reformers,” is simply to require disclosure of corporate and union political speech after the Supreme Court’s January decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission held that the government could not ban political expenditures by companies, nonprofit groups, and labor unions.

The bill, however, would radically redefine how the FEC regulates political commentary. A section of the DISCLOSE Act would exempt traditional media outlets from coordination regulations, but the exemption does not include bloggers, only “a communication appearing in a news story, commentary, or editorial distributed through the facilities of any broadcasting station, newspaper, magazine or other periodical publication…”

(Excerpt) Read more at hotair.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: blog; blogger; bloggers; blogs; congress; limit; political; restrict; speech
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To: ctdonath2

My plan exactly. I’d make a horribly bad blogger, but I’d do it in protest.


21 posted on 05/19/2010 1:27:38 PM PDT by Dead Corpse (III, Alarm and Muster)
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To: Dead Corpse

Won’t work. Too many Moochers on the dole.


22 posted on 05/19/2010 1:29:52 PM PDT by screaminsunshine
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To: Free ThinkerNY

http://www.discloseact.com/

http://vanhollen.house.gov/UploadedFiles/DISCLOSE_Act.pdf


23 posted on 05/19/2010 1:33:04 PM PDT by ctdonath2 (+)
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To: screaminsunshine

The way I see it, is that the FR is a website of individuals that are like minded and that we are merely communicating between each other. This should make any attempt by BO and company to regulate or control this as an abridgement of our right to privacy. Nobody makes them view these sites. On the other hand, the major networks are liscensed by the gov’t and they control what we see and hear.


24 posted on 05/19/2010 1:35:19 PM PDT by Always Independent
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To: Free ThinkerNY

It would be surprising if today’s Congress would NOT try to stifle political speech or bend it to their advantage.

Good grief, did it have to take this long to realize it?


25 posted on 05/19/2010 1:36:01 PM PDT by 353FMG (ISLAM -- America's road to destruction.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYnD-PPfkgY

timothy leary and allen dulles [THE EMPIRE OF “THE CITY”]
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Timothy Leary & Satanism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2w-Owgr-0w&feature=related

William Ayers In His Own Words - Marxism, Anarchy, Jewish Fundamentalism, and More
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The Weather Underground
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV7GSff4fIA

Who Wrote “Dreams from My Father”? (1 of 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6aElR-SR8k

Who Wrote “Dreams from My Father”? (2 of 2)
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Obama Drug Use From Dreams Of My Father 1995
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CIA Mind Control
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Manchurian Candidate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMJ0q-L37SE

Is Obama a Manchurian Candidate?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avnUSDig7Kc&feature=PlayList&p=98E82FAE9F599F23&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=8

The shocking video Muslims don’t want you to see!!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6-vebQPz0A

Obama - Sensory Specific Words
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Obama without his teleprompter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Ju6kWfXEk

Barack Obama “Uh” Count
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThEAO0lt4Dw&feature=related

just sayin’


26 posted on 05/19/2010 1:52:44 PM PDT by nolongerademocrat ("Before you ask G-d for something, first thank G-d for what you already have." B'rachot 30b)
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To: Doogle

sounds like an issue that could tie up the Federal Courts for the next thirteen years


27 posted on 05/19/2010 2:04:35 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Free ThinkerNY
"“Whether a given category of speech enjoys First Amendment protection depends upon
a categorical balancing of the value of the speech against its societal costs.”

Coming soon to a USSC near you.
28 posted on 05/19/2010 2:12:10 PM PDT by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

I live outside the USA and can post a blog from overseas... I imagine anyone could.


29 posted on 05/19/2010 2:23:10 PM PDT by Bon mots
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To: Free ThinkerNY

“Unintended consequences”? I don’ t believe that for a second. Obama and his lefties want to regulate what anyone says about them. They do not want anything leaking out about what they are up to until one morning you wake up and we are under Marshall law.They we will spend the rest of u=our lives telling our kids and grand kids what a wonderful place the USA used to be before BO.You the press think this is only for bloggers? Think again!


30 posted on 05/19/2010 2:25:26 PM PDT by chris_bdba
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To: DesertRhino

My guess is that they’ll use the ISP’s to police the content. They’ll scan for combinations of words and/or key words. They’ll then pull the plug on anything objectionable. (A SPAM filter works similarly.) They’ll enforce it by making it simply unavailable.

What we might do is develop really sophisticated email programs. We’ll send articles via email. Or, perhaps we’ll be able to use the phone system to text small stuff. (Obama-shirts raiding south Tampa today. Convoy to take arrestees to Stark Federal Reeducation Facility on Thursday.)


31 posted on 05/19/2010 2:36:39 PM PDT by Gen.Blather
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To: cripplecreek
Here in Michigan a republican legislator introduced a bill last week that would require certification to be considered a legitimate “journalist”.
The First Amendment doesn't discriminate between "journalists" and any other kind of nonfiction (or even fiction) publishing. You're a journalist?" Big whoop!

32 posted on 05/19/2010 5:27:35 PM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion ( DRAFT PALIN)
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To: conservatism_IS_compassion

In this case it will require a “legitimate journalist” vouching for you.


33 posted on 05/19/2010 5:29:55 PM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: cripplecreek
In this case it will require a “legitimate journalist” vouching for you.
Big Journalism - Associated Press journalism - is the Establishment, and a law which gives wire service journalism privileges to speak/print/blog not available to those disfavored by Big Journalism would establish a title of nobility IMHO. Unconstitutional.

34 posted on 05/20/2010 2:01:27 AM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion ( DRAFT PALIN)
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