Another Attack on the First Amendment

by j. wright

Representative Tom Price, Republican-Georgia wrote in part recently: Democrats in Congress are gearing up to vote on new legislation that blatantly undermines the First Amendment. Known as the DISCLOSE Act (HR 5175), responding to the recent Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

The Court found that the federal government could not restrict the free speech rights of individuals or other entities wishing to participate in the political dialogue; a right under the Constitution’s First Amendment, and which the Supreme Court upheld.

This White House and their allies on Capitol Hill now see honest criticism as a threat to their big government, liberal agenda. It wasn't always that way. Remember back in 2003 when Senator Hillary Clinton, D- NY, screeched "I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration somehow you're not patriotic. We should stand up and say we are Americans and we have a right to debate and disagree with any administration." (Uhh... except this particular administration? They're exempt somehow?)

Under this proposed DISCLOSE Act, certain incorporated entities would be restricted in how they can exercise their free speech rights, but there is an exemption for some in the media sphere like newspapers, TV news, etc. However, there is one driving force in today’s public debate that is NOT exempt; Internet bloggers (of which I’m one).

Representative Price adds, “…many bloggers, in order to exercise their free speech rights, would have to jump through the same onerous new hoops…” and he calls it an overreach by one party in power.

Representative Price ends his article with this: “Democrats should not be allowed to give themselves carte blanche to shut down the ability of those in the blogosphere or elsewhere to participate in our nation’s collective dialogue. That flies in the face of our most sacred rights as American citizens.”

ShopFloor.org on May 25 had this to say:
House Could Vote on Bill to Limit Political Speech This Week.
The House leadership hopes to push the pace of floor consideration this week in order to get a vote in on H.R. 5175, the bill to limit political speech in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC. Supporters want to have the new, certainly unconstitutional law, in place in time to chill political speech before the November elections.

The National Association of Manufacturers was one of 86 business and trade associations to send a letter to the Committee on House Administration last week registering strong objections to the legislation.

As I wrote here recently, political dissent today is viewed by many radical leftists as unpatriotic. A few short years ago it was championed by many of the same politicians who are willing now to put “their boot on some necks.” In other words, we should all just sit down and shut up.


jaq~


Sources:
http://biggovernment.com/tprice/2010/05/27/bloggers-beware-theyre-coming-after-you/
http://www.shopfloor.org/2010/05/25/house-could-vote-on-bill-to-limit-political-speech-this-week/