Be afraid…be very afraid……
“The possibilities that [FEC commissioner Bradley] Smith lays out are chilling and, if enacted, could spell the end of blogging as we know it. Indeed, it could turn much of what is published on the Net into a samizdat-style activity.
“Bigger blogs will come under closer scrutiny, which means that any expression of support on CQ with a referential hyperlink may well get valued at more than the $2,000 maximum hard-cash contribution. In order for me to operate under those conditions, I will need to hire a lawyer and an accountant to guide me through the election laws and calculate my in-kind donations on almost an hourly basis. How many bloggers will put up with that kind of hassle just to speak their minds about candidates and issues?”
As is pointed out by Mike Krempasky of Red State: “Make no mistake – Democrats and Republicans together got us into this mess, including President Bush – who in the most glaring example of political cowardice of his administration signed McCain-Feingold.
But now that it’s becoming clear what sort of disaster we’re heading for as this law evolves and expands – the Democrats own this one. The Republican members of the FEC have seen the edge of the cliff and are trying to back away, only to be frustrated by the three Democratic appointees on the Commission. So I hope that our friends on the left side of the blogosphere will join us in urging those Democrats to stop this before it’s too late.
Consider it the first opportunity for the left-of-center bloggers to have their very own Sister Souljah moment.”
If this comes to pass, then like everything else in America, sharp witted political commentary will have to be outsourced. It will be us expatriate Americans who may have to save what is left of the First Amendment. Since after all, there’s no crackdown on blogs overseas . (How I wish that were true!)
Geez louise…….Skippy-san
