nerd’s eye view

Freedom of Blogging

September 23, 2005 – 8:23 am | by nerd's eye view

I don’t know how we missed this between the dueling hurricanes and the war and the Roberts hearings, but apparently the FEC is working on “regulations that would extend the nation’s campaign finance and spending limits to the Web.“

Bloggers, at least the ones able to pay attention to this issue (what with the war and the Roberts hearings and and and) responded in a predicitable manner stating that the proposed new regulations amount to suppression of first amendment rights.

The proposed regulations, which I’m going to try to find time to read, are here. There’s a decent starter Q and A here.

Since I just stumbled across this this morning on Bloglines - they’ve submitted a statement to the commission - I’m still digesting the implications. Still, the price of freedom is eternal vigilance, right? This issue loudly calls for our vigilance - and perhaps our collective and indvidual action. We should use our voices while we still have them. You might have noticed that I have some political opinions and while you may not agree with them, I naiively hope that you support my right to express those opinions.

There’s a smartass quote somewhere: Freedom of the press belongs to those who have one. Now, we ALL have one. I’ll openly concede that the digital divide keeps many people offline, but with the public library providing internet access, any American with a library card can blog. The free press is in the hands of the people. How incredible is that? And how hard should we work to ensure that it stays that way? Eternal vigilance.

As with most civil rights erosion, this isn’t likely to hit us overnight. But with Roberts, the mystery justice sure to be on the bench any minute now and an open seat to be filled by another Bush nominee the prognosis for how this issue will play out before the Supreme Court isn’t good. We’re unlikely to get another Justice Douglas: “Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.”

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Aside: I am increasingly suspicious of the adminstrations tactics. They’re always legistlating while we’re looking over there. Look, a hurricane! Quick, let’s get our Justice in! Look, another hurricane! Freedom of speech, BAH! Hey, there’s a war on! Let’s hold off on the morning after pill, k, FDA? And so on. Paranoid doesn’t mean you’re wrong.