Art Pottery, Politics and Food
Thursday, March 03, 2005
 
The Empire Strikes Back?


According to C-NET's interview with Federal Election Commissioner Bradley A. Smith, the Bush administration is trying to undermine a 2002 excemption to campaign finance law so that a citizen's self-published non libelous internet speech and simular speech "coordinated" by groups of citizens would be excluded from the protections afforded traditional media:

It's very likely that the Internet is going to be regulated...It's going to be a battle, and if nobody in Congress is willing to stand up and say, "Keep your hands off of this, and we'll change the statute to make it clear," then I think grassroots Internet activity is in danger.

According to a speech by Senator Robert LaFollette, R-Wisconsin presented in the US Senate Chamber on October 6, 1917:

It appears to be the purpose of those conducting this campaign to throw the country into a state of terror, to coerce public opinion, to stifle criticism, and suppress discussion of the great issues involved in this war... The citizen and his representative in Congress in time of war must maintain his right of free speech.
More than in time of war must maintain his right of free speech.
More than in times of peace it is necessary that the channels for free public discussion of governmental policies shall be open and unclogged.

I imagine bloggers will have to download, print-out and wear the post modern version of the Nazis yellow paper star?

Image: sean
- posted by Sean @ 9:26 AM
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