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The Blog War
By Richard Lewis
Bloggers refer to the traditional "institutional press," that is print and
broadcast media as the MSM or the "Mainstream Media". The WEB is the New Media.
The MSM media corporations are
exempt from state and federal election laws which restrict "free speech" and
"free press" RIGHTS of all other American Citizens, as well as organizations
including churches, and even the Republican and Democrat parties!
The Web has been an unrestricted free speech zone, until Senator John McCain and
Senator Russ Feingold won a court challenge requiring the Federal Election
Commission to draft federal election regulations that will apply to political
communications on the WEB!
The process of drafting regulations for the WEB has already begun. By law, the
Federal Election Commission is required to provide the general public
opportunity for input, thirty days or more before existing federal election
regulations can be changed or new federal regulations are adopted.
Bloggers should ask themselves some questions. Have any of the MSM talking
heads, whose political speech is
exempt from election regulations, spoken out in defense of bloggers’ First
Amendment Rights? Have the broadcast stations in your area informed the public
about the proposed restrictions to the WEB? What about public service
broadcasters? Has your state’s
educational television network informed its viewers about the plans to
regulate political communications on the web?
If the broadcast stations in your area have not informed the public about the
proposed WEB regulations....why have they failed to report this news of interest
to all who do not enjoy the same RIGHTS as the broadcast media ? Is it
intentional? Has the MSM spiked this story?
To find out why, I contacted the four television network affiliates in my area.
The assignment editor at one of the television stations asked me how he could
report a story that he had not heard anything about. I thanked him for "making
my point" that restricted media doesn't work and that is why every American is
suppose to enjoy equal and unrestricted first amendment rights just like the
mainstream media. So it does not matter why the MSM is not reporting the
proposed restrictions of political speech on the WEB. No broadcast corporation
or newspaper chain no matter how large or well financed has enough resources to
cover every news item, political viewpoint and issue.
MSM broadcast licenses are up for renewal now through August 2005. Federal law
provides the general public an opportunity to participate in the decision to
renew or deny a broadcast license. Do you believe your local MSM radio and
televisions broadcast stations have operated in the public interest? Remember
these media corporations are exempt from Federal Election Laws and enjoy
unrestricted First Amendment Rights that "We The People" do not and are about to
lose on the WEB!
If you are interested in keeping the web free from federal election regulations,
I suggest the following options.
[1] Write your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator. Make it clear that you
expect them to pass legislation in this session of congress which will place the
web off limits to Federal Election Regulations. Make it clear they will not have
your vote if they fail!
Senator Harry Reid of Nevada introduced a
bill,
S 678 IS, that would exempt Internet communications from campaign finance
laws. The bill reads: Paragraph (22) of section 301 of the Federal Election
Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431(22)) is amended by adding at the end of the
following new sentence: "Such term shall not include communications over the
Internet." Ask your senators,
www.senate.gov/, to co-sponsor and sign on to the above bill.
First Amendment Restoration Act
Current law prohibits citizens from running ads criticizing elected federal
office holders by name within 60-days of an election. Nothing could be more
contrary to the principles of a free society and representative government.
Fortunately, Representative Roscoe Bartlett (R.-MD) has re-introduced his “First
Amendment Restoration Act” to repeal these restrictions on free speech and
political dissent. Click here to send a message to your representatives asking
them to co-sponsor
HR 46.
You can find your Congressman's email address
at
www.house.gov/ and write him yourself.
[2] Contact your local newspapers and broadcast stations. Insist they provide
their readers and viewers the facts about proposed restrictions on political
communications on the WEB. Ask the editors and newsreaders in your area to speak
out in defense of "your unrestricted free press rights" a WEB unrestricted by
Federal Election Regulations.
[3] If you believe any broadcaster in your area has not operated in the public’s
interest,
file your complaint with that station and the Federal Communication
Commission before the end of August 2005.
My Sample Letter
[ Remember these media corporations are not [L]iving beings; they are only
persons for the purpose of law, but these corporate [l]egal persons now enjoy
greater First Amendment Rights than real live people!]
[4] Write a strong letter to the
Federal Election Commission in opposition to any election regulations that
will restrict "your freedom" to communicate your political ideas on the web.
Insist that your web activities are entitled to the ultimate press exemption,
your individual "First Amendment Rights"!
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