I actually ran across this story about the DISCLOSE Act on Hot Air. 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.
I decided to dig a little deeper and discovered it was very difficult to find information on this topic. The few stories I did find revealed some very scary stuff.
Reason.com has a very good article on this subject. The following is an excerpt from the article. 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…”
So they were turned away by the courts from using the FCC as an instrument to regulate the internet. Now they are using the FEC. The Democrats believe they have found a way around the court ruling that prohibits them from regulating the internet.
Sean Parnell posted an article on Red State where he highlighted deep concerns about this bill. He wrote, Among the many deficiencies uncovered so far (crafted behind closed doors, favors the speech of organized labor while silencing the business community, designed by Democratic Congressional political leadership to enhance their election advantages, and ignoring that current disclosure requirements are more than sufficient) , another has recently come to light – the bill would impose significant restrictions on the right of citizens to speak freely on the internet about candidates.
So as you can see this is a bill could have the teeth to limit free political speech online. This is deeply disturbing. The fact is this administration fully understands how effective conservative bloggers have been in informing the public. Bloggers have become the new media because there was and is a need for it. With the MSM failing to do their job, a new type of media has emerged to fill the information vacuum left by the MSM.
Political speech is one of the most sacred rights of a free people. The Founders understood that without the free exercise of speech, the public could be led astray by an out of control government. This is why it became part of the Bill of Rights. People need to be able to express their political opinions without fear of reprisal. These were rights that were never supposed to limited or abolished.
So how important was free speech to the Founding Fathers? Here are a few quotes.
Without Freedom of Thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.Benjamin Franklin, 1722
Reason and free inquiry are the only effectual agents against error. Thomas Jefferson, 1781
For if Men are to be precluded from offering their Sentiments on a matter, which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the consideration of Mankind, reason is of no use to us; the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and dumb and silent we may be led like sheep to the slaughter. George Washington, 1783
Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; US Constitution.
Any questions?
Liberty forever, free speech for all!
Original Post and Image Credit: The Current
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Matt
I believe that future generations should have the same opportunities that myself, and those that came before me, had. My parents taught me that I could do anything I wanted to do. I don’t want to have to tell my daughter, “You can do whatever the government tells you to do.” We are at a crossroads in this country; are we going to be free, or are we going to be slaves to the nanny state. I choose freedom.
This is very, very frightening news indeed! Thanks for posting this. We have got to take back control of our government before they take control over us. We are reaching the tipping point in this country, I hope that people are paying attention and vote these people out of office in November.
Thanks for the comments Steve. I think we’re already close to the tipping point financially. President Obama and his team have always stated that they want to control the message or communication. This is why we have a President that refuses to hold any press conferences. This is why we have a President that wants the FCC or now FEC to get a handle on and neutralize the so-called “lies” that the bloggers are writing. He wants to control the message, and the only way to control the message is to limit free speech, something our Founders would have been adamantly against.
You have to remember this is a President that views the Constitution as a charter of negative liberties. “Charter of negative liberties,” is a play our words to make you feel that there is something flawed about our Constitution. Progressives are masters at this. I’ll spin it truthfully; the constitution is a charter for limited government.” That’s a more accurate description of it.
If the donkey party brings THIS to the floor, the fight over ObamaCare will look like a pillow fight by comparision. And they will own starting the revolution and the streets at that point.
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
[For a light hearted take on our present peril]
The problem Liberty is they won’t really have to bring it to the floor for any debate. They can just make it policy through regulation. The only thing we can do is challenge the constitutionality of it.
One of the most interesting things about the last 30 years has been how, as political speech has been pinched and regulated and restricted, every other form of speech has become more and more protected.
An artist can get naked, cover herself in chocolate syrup, writhe around on a canvas and call that ‘performance art’ and thus free speech that cannot be limited. Meanwhile, a political party is strictly limited regarding when, how and how much they can campaign for their causes and candidates.
Amazing when you think about it.
What makes it stranger even yet KingS is that political speech is supposed to be the most protected. Our Founders feared that without the free exercise of speech, government could and would overstep their Constitutional authority whenever they saw fit. Hmmmm…kinda what they’re doing today.
The left has lamented the loss of the fairness doctrine for years. They’ve really been hating the internet for a while now. We’ve been able to do what the MSM refuses to do; investigate and speak out. Of course they want to shut it all down.
I remember right around he time I started blogging, Henry Waxman was talking about regulating bloggers.
Matt these anti-constitution forces in our government need to go. If they want to live in a country where free speech is not protected or certain rights don’t exist, then there are plenty to choose from. Instead they have chosen to take a system that’s foundation is individual liberty and find loops holes to get around it. Our Constitution is starting to look like Swiss cheese. It’s time we draw the line and starting driving these intellectual hacks back into the shadows of the fringe elements whence the came from. We do this by informing the uninformed or misinformed of their agenda and action. Like the Financial Reform bill.
Regressives hate media outlets that they don’t control and which expose them. It’s therefore no surprise that they’re going after internet blogs and talk radio.
It’s all bout controlling the message Karen. Control…control…control and more control.
John,
I have never doubted that we would lose our freedom of speech. Frankly I am surprised that we have held it this long. To that idea I believe most people have held similar beliefs about this most precious freedom and already have ceased to excercise their right to it for fear of repercussion.
In truth, none of us knows to what extent our blogs and comments are followed and logged by those that would enslave us. Be sure that they are doing it. I am not sure my rantings have came up on their radar yet. Still, even that there can be the question that we might lose our First Amendment Right tells me that the battle has been enjoined. Our enemy currently controls all the heavy artillery in this battle and we have only our voices. If that goes what will stop them. Consider this as this question will need to be answered by American Patriots soon. Those in power will settle for nothing less that our compelete submission.
Thanks so much for your words.
Ken
I was talking to a friend today Ken about this subject and he told me that I worry too much. He said the government would never think about limiting free speech. You see this is their power; ignorance.
A few years back it was the nut jobs screaming about a one world government. Behind the scenes they were building the infrastructure in the financial word to support just that. Bringing the EU online and forcing the economies of the world to be interdependent on each other. People were living in ignorance; happy as can be…that was until the right crisis came along to implement it. Look at where we are today. A new world government is the flavor of the day. It’s like they’re floating it out there to get us used to the fact. Now who are the nut jobs? Perhaps the real idiots were the ones who denied this could ever happen while at the same time ridiculing the wackos that said it would.
Today the same is being done with the Tea Party movement and the supposed language they are using. The pundits say the language is hate, seditious and needs to be toned down. They continue to misrepresent the truth and tell lie after lie about the movement. Political opinion is now being morphed into subversion by the left. They are trying to tie the two together so they can control the message. And they’re well on their way. We sound the alert and once again we’re a bunch of right-wing wackos running around screaming the sky is falling.
We must draw the line somewhere and it all starts with the Founders and the Constitution.
Wow John. Quite a find and an excellent article. November CANNOT come fast enough.
Thanks Don. You know this has been flying under the radar for awhile now and it was very tough to find information on it. Hmmmm…I wonder why?
I don’t see them being able to enforce this in any meaningful sense though, there are thousands of blogs, and all sorts of ways to get information out on the internet. They can’t police all of us and shut us all up unless we move to a commie style police state. And i don’t see the democrats going that way, no matter how much we know they want to.
I agree MK, that is will be tough to enforce it. I still believe that it would be challenged in court.
When Bill O’Reilly and President Obama made that big fuss over the Supreme Court ruling that
corporations had a right to fund third party campaign ads I just knew that something like this was
in the works. The problem comes from moderates like Bill O’Reilly who think that the
government needs to control and regulate some things, things that they shouldn’t or have and
completely messed up, but still think government is needed to solve the problem.
Thanks for the comments Solomon. What was it that Ronald Reagan said about the government: “Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem.” How true those words continue to be.
Wow John, this is a great find and very scary stuff.
They will do whatever they can to silence us.
I’m sure praying they won’t get away with it.
Thanks for the comments Bunni. We must stay sharp and be mindful of their attempt to find loopholes or backdoors to get around the law or obstacles that prevent them from achieving their goals.