Register This!

Consider this my registration of utter disgust with those who try to undermine the First Amendment in this country. Once again, members of Congress think that they can or should infringe on the First Amendment for no good reason other than to keep their hides nice and safe from criticism. That's precisely what the following two measures would do if implemented.

The first is the reimposition of what is euphemistically called the Fairness Doctrine. It is nothing of the sort. Instead of giving the marketplace the right to decide what airs, it would require broadcasters to provide equal time between competing viewpoints. This would be felt hardest in the AM talk radio marketplace, where left leaning radio is a mere fraction of the right leaning radio market. Air America's failure was one sign that the market was not accepting of this view since it doesn't resonate with most Americans. So, what could not be gained through market competition will now be overcome by federal diktat. The Left wants to kill off talk radio, and this is just the thing to make that happen. Dennis "the Menace" Kucinich is behind this gambit.

The second, and potentially far more damaging, is the supposition of registering bloggers. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced this mess and can be found at S.1 (which the Democrats have helpfully called ethics reform). Among the key features:

Section 220 of S. 1, the lobbying reform bill currently before the
Senate, would require grassroots causes, even bloggers, who communicate to 500 or more members of the public on policy matters, to register and report quarterly to Congress the same as the big K Street lobbyists. Section 220 would amend existing lobbying reporting law by creating the most expansive intrusion on First Amendment rights ever. For the first time in history, critics of Congress will need to register and report with Congress itself.

Indeed, the acutal text of the offending section is here.

Gee, that would bring some of the biggest names in blogging under the registration requirement including Instapundit, TPM, Daily Kos, LGF, Firedoglake, Andrew Sullivan, Ed Morrissey, TTLB, and even yours truly (depending on the day). This comes on the heels of the earlier McCain Feingold campaign finance reform legislation that cut into your 1st Amendment rights.

Never mind that the McCain Feingold campaign finance reform was not reform and took away a clear First Amendment right to free speech - and in particular political speech (and yes, I'm aware the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality, but the Court has been wrong before - see Plessy v. Ferguson), but this is yet another assault on the right to free speech in the US. It is high time that people tell our Representatives that we will not tolerate further infringements of the right to free speech.

Thankfully, it appears that the GOPers in the Senate decided to append line item veto legislation to the ethics reform package and scuttled the whole damned thing for now with parlimentary procedures. Blue Crab Boulevard has more on what happened (via Sister Toldjah). The ethics package may have been delayed because of partisan bickering, but the American people benefit by giving more time to reveal the nature of this provision.

UPDATE:
The offending language in S.1 was stricken as a result of an amendment passed earlier tonight. That such language was included in the first place should raise eyebrows on both sides of the aisle.

UPDATE:
Never mind that part about raised eyebrows on both sides of the aisle considering that the 55-42 vote (2 not voting) was nearly along party lines: Alexander (R-TN); Allard (R-CO); Baucus (D-MT); Bayh (D-IN); Bennett (R-UT); Bond (R-MO); Bunning (R-KY); Burr (R-NC); Chambliss (R-GA); Coburn (R-OK); Cochran (R-MS); Coleman (R-MN); Collins (R-ME); Conrad (D-ND); Corker (R-TN);
Cornyn (R-TX); Craig (R-ID); Crapo (R-ID); DeMint (R-SC); Dole (R-NC); Domenici (R-NM); Dorgan (D-ND); Ensign (R-NV); Enzi (R-WY); Graham (R-SC); Grassley (R-IA);
Gregg (R-NH); Hagel (R-NE); Hatch (R-UT); Hutchison (R-TX); Inhofe (R-OK); Isakson (R-GA); Kyl (R-AZ); Landrieu (D-LA); Lott (R-MS); Lugar (R-IN); Martinez (R-FL); McCain (R-AZ); McConnell (R-KY); Murkowski (R-AK); Nelson (D-NE); Roberts (R-KS); Salazar (D-CO); Sessions (R-AL); Shelby (R-AL); Smith (R-OR); Snowe (R-ME); Specter (R-PA); Stevens (R-AK); Sununu (R-NH); Thomas (R-WY); Thune (R-SD); Vitter (R-LA); Voinovich (R-OH); Warner (R-VA).