How Will McCain-Feingold Be Made Irrelevant?

1/23/04

[pabianice]

This month's "First Freedom" Magazine devotes many pages ripping the SCOTUS decision that it's OK to ban political speech you don't like, and more pages exclaiming that the NRA will not be silenced before elections.

OK. How? Just how can the NRA or any other group dodge the fecal McCain-Feingold restrictions? And will they have the guts to do so?

[drypowder]

I hear the NRA is going to start it's own TV News station.

[Cicero]

IMHO, it would be unwise for the NRA to confront this directly, because there are too many judges and politicians who would love to go after them.

A better ploy would be for small groups, perhaps established for that very purpose, to deliberately violate the law so it can be put to the test.

As I recall, the SCOTUS decision said that IF the law were applied in a way that violated people's first amendment rights, then they would revisit the case. I fail to see how the law could be applied in any other way, but it's possible that the court would reverse itself. They have left themselves room to do so.

It would be helpful if liberal groups as well as conservative groups were willing to test the law.

[Joe Brower]

"Just how can the NRA or any other group dodge the fecal McCain-Feingold restrictions? And will they have the guts to do so?"

Good questions! There was scuttlebutt a couple of weeks ago about the NRA buying a media outlet. The editorial by Mark Chesnut also mentioned that the next issue of NRA's "First Freedom" magazine would be providing details of what their big brains are coming up with. I can hardly wait. Maybe, at last, the NRA will pay a bit more real attention to the "grassroots" they're always talking about.

[ninenot]

WIth its own TV or radio station, NRA becomes "the media," thus exempt from prosecution under the Act.

It's a little more complex than that, but not to worry--the NRA has lawyers.

Broadcast can be national through the 'net.

[4CJ]

And will they have the guts to do so?

I know several people that WILL do someting about it. You can make a difference as well. See this thread, or Congressman Billybob's site here.

[whattajoke]

Anyone else see McCain on The Daily Show Wednesday night? He was most decidedly NOT being a GOP team player. you'd have thought he was on the other side of teh aisle. (Agreed that the SOTU was best watched with the volume off, etc).

[Sunshine Sister]

Somebody who comes here has already said he was going to do this. I'm sorry but I can't remember who it was. There should be a thread that gets posted every day regarding this.

[Cicero]

Congressman BillyBob, I think.

But it wouldn't hurt to have a number of people and/or organizations do this. First, however, they would probably want to line up some volunteer legal help.

It's possible the ACLU might help. I have a pretty low opinion of the ACLU, but they do have a lot of good lawyers, and their primary mission is supposed to be the defense of our civil liberties, among which one of the first is free speech.

[King Black Robe]

The NRA will definitely have the guts to follow through on its plans to purchase a media outlet of its own. But those in the liberal press who feel they run this country (with the aid of a handful of activist judges), will hammer and hammer them. They will make up stories against them and act like the sky is falling.

The outcome? Who knows. It depends on if the sleeping electorate ever wakes up. Honestly, the best chance at getting the electorate mad enough to act will probably come when the SCOTUS overturns the DOMA and declares gay marriage a constitution right newly located in the shadows of the 14th amendment (or whereever else).

Let me take this opportunity to say that I hate the liberal media most of all. May they fall flat on their faces, busied with problems in their own homes resulting from their own children hopping on school lunchroom tables making out with same-sex classmates, soliciting gay sex from would-be "johns" so they can rob them, etc...any social ill brought on by their own immoral, sham liberal political advocacy disguised as news.

[neverdem]

Didn't Stephen Moore, of the Cato Institute, have a TV advertisement against Dean running just recently within the 30 day limit on the primary election in New Hampshire?

[gundog]

The pig-Latin loophole.

[King Black Robe]

I believe we need to push for equal CFR treatment for the media. If their sorry mouths become threatened, they will miraculously find their voice to defend the rest of us.

Here is my idea:

(Patriotic visuals) "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

(Picture of a diverse group of of citizens wearing gags) The Kansas City Star campaigned to silence these citizens 60 days before an election, while making sure the law still protects their own speech rights.

Send a message to the Star. Tell them that if they want to silence you, you will silence them. Cancel your subscription for the 60 day duration of your speech abridgement.

If they won't listen to you, should you be listening to them?

end

We could target swing state markets that are oppressed with grossly liberal media monopolies, especially those media outlets that campaigned hard for CFR.

[King Black Robe]

Here is Congressman Billybob's idea (as formatted by Valin):

HOORAY For John!

Hugh & Series, Critical & Pulled by JimRob Special to FreeRepublic | 17 December 2003 | John Armor (Congressman Billybob)

This is nothing like the usual whine by someone whose post was pulled. JimRob pulled my previous thread for a good reason. "If direct fund-raising were permitted on FR, it would soon be wall-to-wall fund-raising."

So, let's start again correctly. This is about civil disobedience to support the First Amendment and challenge the TERRIBLE CFR decision of the Supreme Court to uphold a terrible law passed by Congress and signed by President Bush.

All who are interested in an in-your-face challenge to the 30- and 60-day ad ban in the Campaign Finance "Reform" Act, please join in. The pattern is this: I'm looking for at least 1,000 people to help the effort. I will run the ad, and risk fines or jail time to make it work -- AND get national support.

But there should be NO mentions of money in this thread, and not in Freepmail either. This is JimRob's electronic home, and we should all abide his concerns.

Put your comments here. Click on the link above, and send me your e-mail addresses. I will get back to you by regular e-mail with the practical details.

This CAN be done. This SHOULD be done. But it MUST be done in accord with JimRob's guidelines.

Fair enough?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1042394/posts

Note if you are interested in more on this please contact myself or Congressman Billybob

Update
I've already tested the idea of my in-your-face challenge ads, first in the print media and then deliberately illegal on TV, with certain editors I have a long relationship with. I could trust these two gentlemen, one in the print media and the other in the broadcast media, with a "heads up" on what I am planning. Both said they wanted to know, in advance, when I am about to do this.

The bottom line is clear. If I am willing to put my neck on the line, with the possibilities of a fine and jail time, THAT effort will put CFR back on the front page in all media. And that is part of the point. There's not much value of going in-your-face against the enemies of the First Amendment unless the press takes up the story and spreads the word. It is now clear they will do exactly that.

Update 2
QUICK PROGRESS REPORT, ANSWERING A SUPPORTER'S QUESTION: We have about 15% of the needed 1,000 sign-ups.

Spread the word, direct folks to the front page link on my website.

Google-bomb the phrase "anti-CFR" directing readers to that page and link. (We're already #2 and #4 on Google.)

Target date is now August, since the NC primary looks to be put back to September. (Remember, the ad isn't illegal until the 29th day before the election.)

Cordially,

John / Billybob

[Sunshine Sister]

Would that be an amazing turn about for the ACLU? I thought they existed just to hate Christians. When I heard they were filing a brief in support of Rush I about fell down.

You are right about needing a lot of groups intentionally breaking the law. I hope we can prevail and get that awful legislation repealed or struck down!

[Congressman Billybob]

There are various ways to "get around" CFR. The intention of the NRA to buy a TV station, so it immediately enjoys the media exception, is one. The millions of dollars now being pumped into non-party organizations is another.

Personally, I think a frontal assault is appropriate. Have you been reading the daily CFR threads that are posted by Valin? If not, you should, to get up to speed on this subject.

Congressman Billybob

Click here, then click the blue CFR button, to join the anti-CFR effort (or visit the "Hugh & Series, Critical & Pulled by JimRob" thread).

[King Black Robe]

I would also like to put a spin on my "silence the media too" campaign that really gets under the liberal snake skin. Stuff like "the people versus the powerful media," "Big media corporations with their big money have undue influence over elections by owning the right to frame the debate, while average citizens are silenced," and "Fat Cat Dan Rather donated (x amount of in-kind dollars) to Democratic candidates during the 30 days preceding the primary. An act that is illegal for anyone outside the media elite."

[blackie]

We Will Find a Way!

Be Well ~ Be Armed ~ Be Safe ~ Molon Labe!

[Rensselaer]

Those ads were paid for by Moore's PAC, the Club for Growth. A PAC can still run ads within 60 days of an election. So can a wealthy individual. It's just incorporated groups like the NRA, Right to Life (and yes, Handgun Control Inc. and Planned Parenthood) that are silenced.

[neverdem]

Thanks for the clarification about PACs.