Posted on 03/20/2002 12:51:54 PM PST by toenail
In direct and wanton violation of their oaths of office, sixty U.S. Senators just voted to squash the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Only until the next President comes along and enforces them. Are we so shortsided that we are willing to give up an essential freedom for a temporary political advantage? Of course if you "don't enforce" and take the unconstitutional parts to SCOTUS, then IF they declare them unconsitutional, you've got the same effect as a veto. Until they just pass the same law again, which of course they could after a veto also, but they'd have to wait until Bush is out of office, knowing he would veto it again.
Missed one, there were two Dems who voted NAY. Point still stands that the Dems are must better at enforcing party discipline, probably through having better files on their members, as well as their opponents.
I am almost positive I heard Ari Fletcher say a few weeks
ago to the press when they asked: "If CFR passes
will the president veto it? Ari's answer to them was: "The
president has said he will not veto it.
I think that even disclosure is a bad thing, especially for contributions under $1,000. Disclosure is essentially the opposite of privacy. Right now, you get your name, home address, job title and employer posted on the web if you make a $200 contribution. And since records go back to 1980, anyone can find out where you used to work and where you used to live. Full searches allow for someone to search by zip, or even by company. So if you work at a company, all your co-workers will know whom you support. All your neighbors will know this.
Clients of yours, customers of yours, everyone knows. Yet this really shouldn't be. $200 isn't going to get you in the Lincoln bedroom, it isn't going to change any legislation, etc. Yet your privacy gets totally blown away when you make a $200 contribution. So I full heartedly disagree. Disclosure isn't the answer.
Only until the next President comes along and enforces them
Even sooner than that. The moment Bush refuses to enforce a section, the administration will be sued in court to enforce it and will get blasted by said court (and the press) for selective enforcement.
As for Babs, she can't tell her son what to do, but ya know she has her ways of letting him know she's displeased. All Moms have that!
BTTT!
Good!
They will have to veto the whole thing because its all or nothing according to the Constitution. In fact, the Congress had a provision in the bill that said the Supreme Court did not have the power to veto all of bill, which is a direct violation of the separation of powers. This should make any self respecting justice rule against this immediately, but you never know with some of the, like Souter.
Not at all. Even if never actually enforced this would be a nasty "chiller" statute. Actually, not enforcing it makes it worse since it's impossible to challenge a statute that's never enforced.
It's important to recognize that this statute wouldn't have to be enforced to have its intended effect: the severe curtailment of political speech by 'unapproved' groups. After all, even if nobody has 'yet' been prosecuted under this abomination, how many broadcast stations or newspapers would be willing to risk running an ad which could get them in legal trouble if the government changed its mind about enforcing this garbage?
If the President signs this garbage, I will seek to get him unelected. Arresting congresscritters who voted for it after having admitted that it was unconstitutional would probably be a bit too controversial, but would be a far better action to uphold the Constitution.
I'm not sure how its exactly worded. I've been attempting to read the legislation tonight, but as usual, you have to be a lawyer to undertsand most of the finer points, as they relate existing law. But if I'm not mistaken, it's quite proper, for certain parts of this CFR legislation to be found unconstitutional by the USSC, while other parts can be deemed constitutional. At least that's the way I understand it to be.
Check it out here. Plug "HR 2356" into the number box.
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