In which of the following countries are certain types of political free speech a crime?

A) China
B) The United States

The answer may shock you -- because if you answered both "A" and "B," you're very close to being correct!

(And you could be 100% correct in a matter of days!)

Here's what happened:

In 2002, the Senate and House passed what is known as "McCain-Feingold" -- a constitutionally questionable law that severely restricts the ability of ACU (and other not-for-profit organizations) to give YOU non-partisan information on candidates for federal public office prior to an election.
McCain-Feingold essentially regulates -- almost to the point of impossibility -- political "advertising" 60 days prior to a federal election that appears on "any broadcast, cable or satellite communication, newspaper, magazine, outdoor advertising facility, mass mailing or telephone bank to the general public, or any other form of general public political advertising."

However, when McCain and Feingold initially proposed this legislation, they could not foresee the massive power and influence that average citizens would eventually come to wield through the Internet and for that reason --"McCain-Feingold" did not explicitly mention communications over the Internet.

So McCain, Feingold, and others of their mindset – when they realized they had overlooked the Internet in their efforts to regulate political speech -- went to court.

And -- big surprise -- a U.S. District Court Judge (Colleen Kollar-Kotelly) appointed by Bill Clinton, ruled that Internet communications were also covered under "McCain-Feingold!"

Fortunately, the House of Representatives has put forth the Online Freedom of Speech Act (H.R. 1606) and a companion bill (S. 678) is under consideration in the Senate.

Both are designed specifically to exempt the Internet from the draconian "McCain-Feingold Act."

But we have to ACT NOW because a vote on H.R. 1606 -- to preserve free speech on the Internet -- may come any day now!

And the vote may be very close!

Use the hyperlink below to send your URGENT Blast Fax messages to President George W. Bush, the leadership of the United States Senate and the leadership of the United States House of Representatives.

Tell them that you are outraged that a federal judge up-held McCain-Feingold and has taken away your freedom to speak out on the Internet.

Demand that they reaffirm the First Amendment by voting “yes” on H.R. 1606 and S. 678.

http://www.acuactionnet.net/hr1606.html

AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.

H.R. 1606 Affects You Too

I wonder what some of our elected officials think our Founding Fathers meant when they wrote: “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech….”

Because it would appear they want to abridge it and abridge it and abridge it again – until people like you and me are bound and gagged and helpless.

Addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference in February this year, conservative thinker and columnist George Will said, “And we are right now well into the most concerted and most dangerous attack on freedom of expression in this country since the Alien and Sedition Acts, which themselves were unsettled and therefore not designed to be permanent as the McCain-Feingold regimen of speech-rationing by the federal government is.”

Let's read what "McCain Feingold" says one more time and add the "Internet" to the legislation as McCain and Feingold intended:

"ANY [Emphasis Mine] broadcast, cable or satellite communication, newspaper, magazine, outdoor advertising facility, mass mailing or telephone bank [or Internet transmission] to the general public, or any other form of general public political advertising."

Think of the implications:

Do you post a lot of opinions in forums or bulletin boards?
Do you frequently pontificate or express opinions in Internet chat rooms?
Do you maintain a blog that is available to the general public?

If any of these situations applies to you -- then guess what -- "McCain-Feingold" may apply to you too!

Tell them that you are outraged that a federal judge up-held McCain-Feingold and has taken away your freedom to speak out on the Internet.

Demand that they reaffirm the First Amendment by voting “yes” on H.R. 1606 and S. 678.

http://www.acuactionnet.net/hr1606.html

AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.

Do You Remember Rather-Gate?

Why is the Left so rabid, so hysterical in its opposition to H.R. 1606?

The answer should be obvious:

They weep for the good old days when the only major sources of news were ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and newspapers like the New York Times.

They can’t get rid of Rush and Fox News, but they can still crush the political websites. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has made that a tantalizing possibility.

But they can beat down H.R. 1606 and when that happens, ACU and other activist websites (and possibly even your blog) will be effectively silenced – their mouths stuffed with reams of government regulations and miles and miles of red tape.

Or to put it another way:

We all remember what happened just before the 2004 presidential election. Dan Rather and some producers at CBS -- in a blatant attempt to influence the outcome of the election -- published a FRAUDULENT story about President Bush's National Guard service.
Fortunately, bloggers (private citizens) were able to spread the truth and expose the fraud behind this story!

Would that have happened if "McCain-Feingold" applied to the Internet?

That's a good question!

And maybe that's why the New York Times came out AGAINST H.R. 1606; claiming that allowing free speech to go unregulated on the Internet would cause "a cornucopia of political corruption."

Tell them that you are outraged that a federal judge up-held McCain-Feingold and has taken away your freedom to speak out on the Internet.

Demand that they reaffirm the First Amendment by voting “yes” on H.R. 1606 and S. 678.

http://www.acuactionnet.net/hr1606.html

AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.

The Internet Is A Powerful Weapon

Don’t think that John McCain and his liberal cronies aren’t aware of the power of the Internet. They know you are making a difference in Washington.

Every time you jam their fax machines and shine the light of day on their plots, they are reminded of the power that you -- as average citizens -- are wielding.

And they don't always like it. In fact, some actually fear it. The power of the average citizens threatens their incumbency... it threatens the back-room deals they make with special interests... in essence, it threatens business as usual in Washington.

The Internet is the last vestige of free and effective political speech in America. It's what’s left of the Voice of the People.

Let's keep it that way!

Don’t let Congress take away your First Amendment rights!

And please ACT NOW -- because a vote -- to preserve free speech on the Internet -- may come any day!

Tell them that you are outraged that a federal judge up-held McCain-Feingold and has taken away your freedom to speak out on the Internet.

Demand that they reaffirm the First Amendment by voting “yes” on H.R. 1606 and S. 678.

http://www.acuactionnet.net/hr1606.html

AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.

J. William Lauderback
Executive Vice President
American Conservative Union

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION
1007 Cameron Street | Alexandria, VA 22314 | 703-836-8602 | Fax 703-836-8606
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