It's not about keeping Terry Schiavo alive or any of the things you might be thinking. It's about the Online Freedom of Speech Act (dunno how long that link will last). Basically, it would exempt the internet from the campaign finance laws. One might reasonably argue the need for campaign finance laws as regards expensive-to-use media such as television or even newspapers. But the whole point of the internet is that any of us, at a tiny cost, can put up a website to speak our piece, including our piece about political candidates. And then people visit the page or not according to how well it catches on, not because we happened to buy time during a high-ratings show. Congress originally wasn't thinking of the internet when it passed the most recent campaign finance laws, but a federal judge ruled that the internet is included absent specific instruction from Congress. This is that instruction.
There are also Democrats who support this, including majority leader Harry Reid. So don't think that you have to cross to the dark side to support this. What Frist is thinking of doing is adding this to the must-pass lobbying reform bill. Not the best way to do a democracy, but it's been working in Congress for a hundred years or so, and now's not the time to draw a line in the sand. Contact your Senator and tell her or him that the internet can handle its own democracy and that it should be exempt from campaign finance restrictions which might affect bloggers or even ordinary citizens with a personal webpage. Tell her or him that the Online Freedom of Speech Act is more important than whether some lobbyist buys dinner and should pass at the same time as those new restrictions.
There are also Democrats who support this, including majority leader Harry Reid. So don't think that you have to cross to the dark side to support this. What Frist is thinking of doing is adding this to the must-pass lobbying reform bill. Not the best way to do a democracy, but it's been working in Congress for a hundred years or so, and now's not the time to draw a line in the sand. Contact your Senator and tell her or him that the internet can handle its own democracy and that it should be exempt from campaign finance restrictions which might affect bloggers or even ordinary citizens with a personal webpage. Tell her or him that the Online Freedom of Speech Act is more important than whether some lobbyist buys dinner and should pass at the same time as those new restrictions.
