Posted on 04/05/2006 8:29:51 AM PDT by neverdem
www.gunowners.org
Apr 2006
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
Remember the Swift Boat Veterans?
After a presidential election which was determined by fewer than 120,000 Ohio voters, it is clear that George Bush is president of the United States -- rather than John Kerry -- because of the swift boat veterans and because of pro-gun support.
For their part, the swift boat veterans formed a political organization under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code -- and their organization was therefore called a "527."
Shortly, the House of Representatives will consider legislation (HR 513) which would regulate "527 organizations" -- like the Swift Boat Veterans -- as severely as the most heavily regulated political groups in the country. The result could be to effectively eliminate organizations like the Swift Boat Veterans.
It is clear that the enemies of Free Speech are choosing their targets strategically. First, Senators like John McCain regulated (in 2002) the ability of groups such as GOA to use radio and TV to criticize any candidate before an election.
Then, earlier this year, McCain & Co. wanted to further regulate GOA and similar organizations by requiring them to register their "grassroots" communications with their members and to file twice as many frivolous reports.
Now, this new legislation (HR 513) would try to strengthen the Anti-Free Speech beachhead to limit even more avenues to free speech.
The restrictions on our liberties need to end here.
Really, this battle is similar to the battle to preserve our gun rights. Anti-gunners have fought a guerilla type of warfare, chipping away at our gun rights with piecemeal legislation. Some gun owners -- who didn't own ranch rifles or AR-15s or other so-called assault weapons -- were lulled to sleep for a time and thought that the anti's weren't really interested in their hunting shotguns or rifles.
They soon found out they were mistaken. And it just shows, once again, that when the anti's get a beachhead, they don't stop there. They keep coming and coming.
That's why we must now fight this battle to preserve another bastion of Free Speech. It is our constitutional right -- it is not a "privilege" to be expanded or contracted based on the impact on the party in power.
ACTION: Please use the pre-written letter below to help direct your comments to your representative. Ask him to oppose H.R. 513 which would limit the constitutional Free Speech of "527 organizations" like the Swift Boat Veterans.
You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your Representatives a pre-written e-mail message such as the one below.
And, you can call your Representative toll-free at 1-877-762-8762.
Dear Representative:
The House will soon consider legislation (HR 513) which would regulate "527 organizations" -- like the Swift Boat Veterans -- as severely as the most heavily regulated political groups in the country. The result could be to effectively eliminate organizations like the Swift Boat Veterans.
I would urge you to oppose that legislation.
Free Speech is a constitutional right -- not a "privilege" to be expanded or contracted based on the impact on the party in power. Thank you.
Sincerely,
*****************************
"Live Fire" radio with Larry Pratt is broadcast by the Information Radio Network on Saturdays at 12:00 Noon Eastern. "Live Fire" is simulcast on the web at http://inforadionet.com and previous episodes are archived at http://www.soundwaves2000.com/livefire/ in RealAudio. Recent guests and topics have included:
* Jim Jacobson: Christian Burmese refugees defined as terrorists for resisting genocide -- by US government
* Dr. William Watkins: How much power for Washington -- same disagreement in the 1790's as the 21st century
* Joseph Klein: The UN's stealth assault on US freedoms and guns
* Anna Zetchus Raetz of Liberty Belles: Beating back the Million Mom March
Repeal McCain-Feingold!
FEC’s coordination ruling could shake up the midterms
Here is the details of the bill if anyone would like to review before firing off their letters.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.00513:
BTTT!!
Congress should grow a spine and censor the true enemies of the U.S., the press.
Given that McCain-Feingold should not exist at all...
Is it me or does the Left abuse the 527's much more than the right and the Swifties? It seems that this action would hamper the Left much more than the Right.
This is aimed at keeping the Vietnam vets from "Swift Boating" McCain like they did Kerry.
The cure for a lack of free speech is not to restrict it further.
Censorship is anti freedom. No matter who is being censored.
Congress shall pass no law abridging freedom of speech or the press (except 60 days before an election, then congress can pass laws that abridge anything they damn well please, heck lets suspend habeas corpus and allow cruel and unusual punishments 60 days before an election too).
The Dems obviously have a plan to circumvent this if it is put into law just like they had with the original CFR.
Yes it is, restrict the freedoms of those who seek to restict OUR FREEDOMS!!
It's a matter of self-defense. The leftist press wants us U.S. citizens dead and they will do anything in their power/freedoms to do so.
Don't you see the leftist press are traitors. They support the mexican invasion of the U.S. They support bankrupting higher taxes and more regulations to destory us with. They support third world tyrants (Iran, North Korea), so these tyrants have the time to develope nukes to be used to kill us U.S. citizens.
The left press wants us U.S. citizens dead. So we must does everything in our power to stop them. If that means taking about their voices and pen through censoring them, then it will be worth it.
The Constitution is meaningless to the ruling political class now.
Thanks for the link!
That's my overall impression. I would use the word 'use' not 'abuse', but the left raised 3 - 4 times more money using 527s. Check the links in comment 1. Repeal McCain - Feingold!
The traitors in Congress ignore us. Better to spend our time writing to SCOTUS and demonstrating in the streets. Do you honestly believe Congress cares about us and the nation? Have you kept up with current events? We need to change our tactics.
Instead of pleading to Reps, we should be in the streets voicing outrage at our Reps, or getting some neighbors and friends to go to our local Reps office and raising hell. That will gain far more traction that writing a letter to a traitor.
Not if we are loud enough. Why do you think both Clinton and Schumer supported arming commercial airline pilots? You can't name bigger gun grabbers!
I believe it's true that 527's help the left more than the right, so if the law were applied in a neutral fashion, your premise would be correct.
But, when was the last time you saw any liberal brought to task for breaking any law? In practice, only conservatives are expected to obey laws. Or obey laws that haven't been passed yet, in cases like DeLay's. Or obey rules that liberals would LIKE to be laws, but aren't.
So since you seek to restrict my freedom, I am justified in doing whatever it takes to shut you up. Right?
It's a matter of self-defense. The leftist press wants us U.S. citizens dead and they will do anything in their power/freedoms to do so.
Take deep breaths.
The left press wants us U.S. citizens dead. So we must does everything in our power to stop them. If that means taking about their voices and pen through censoring them, then it will be worth it.
You may want to seek some counseling from a qualified person.
The 1st Amendment of teh U.S. Constitution does not protect journalistic speech if that speech is lying and/or aiding a foreign enemy of the State.
The would pretty much shutdown the leftist press right there.
Seek help.
Is there any way this could go to the new SCOTUS and they get rid of McCain-Feingold?
I hope it could, but I don't know.
Thanks for the link!
ping
More proof that for every day that Congress is in session, our liberties are in danger rather than being protected.
well... isn't THIS a stinking pantsload!
I think the Internet is as important to freedom in the Information Age as guns are in the Industrial Age!!
I'm keeping my (toner) powder dry.
Modem is loaded....
You totalitarians are funny!
The press are totalitarians. What I suggest is out of self-defense against totalitarians. See Post 12 and Post 20.
That's technically true about a lot of what the government regulates. Unfortunately, it uses selective intimidation to compensate for the lack of resourses.
The IRS doesn't have the resources either, but works by fear and threat. It can and will ruin your life if your number comes up in its lottery of selected taxpayers.
All they have to do is go after high profile bloggers and put them through a meat grinder in a high profile manner. Stop political blogging entirely? No. But they can surely put a serious crimp in it.
With Conservatives failing to defend the First Amendment, the Liberals have already won.
Many Conservatives (along with their Liberal soulmates) just want to fight over power; neither group seems much interested in freedom.
What a timely comment!
Harry Reid: now and then Hapless Harry hoisted on his own hypocrisy.
ANTI-COP CALUMNY NY Post b*tchslaps the old gray prestitute for misleading on various gov't actions.
(News standards, practices . . .). . . and propensities Barone continues on the "paper of record" and the MSM.
From time to time, I’ll ping on noteworthy articles about politics, foreign and military affairs. FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.
Thanks Never. I am troubled by this but was gleeful about Moveon getting hoisted. You helped clear up why I should not be too keen on this one.
If good men do nothing, that is evil enough.
See Post 12 and Post 20 on this thread.
God help us when the Senate gets ahold of it
It protects ANY speech. It has been bastardized by court decisions, but it was written to protect any speech.
thanks for the info
Lies are not protect speech, perjury is a crime.
A ban such as you propose has only occurred when the United States is in a state of war with a foreign power. We have not been in a declared war since V-J Day in 1945. Such a move of censorship is unprecedented in peacetime, which we have been in since the Japanese surrender in spite of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, two Gulf Wars, and several other conflicts. Besides, if the Democrats win the Presidency and the Congress, any increase in power passed during the current administration, even the Patriot Act, will likely be used against conservatives and traditional Americans.
But it has happened before and the press has forgetten that.
We have not been in a declared war since V-J Day in 1945. Such a move of censorship is unprecedented in peacetime,
But we are not at peacetime in the present.
which we have been in since the Japanese surrender in spite of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, two Gulf Wars, and several other conflicts.
I already know that.
Besides, if the Democrats win the Presidency and the Congress, any increase in power passed during the current administration, even the Patriot Act, will likely be used against conservatives and traditional Americans.
First the Patriot Act has sunset clauses for this very reason.
Second the leftist press is already using it's power to silence us through CFR, amoung other things. We need to counter them and silence them, legally, before they completely silence us.
I figure the best approach is by shutting them (the leftist press) down for flat out lying to the public and falsely accusing (demonizing) public and private people who disagree with them.
The 1st Amendment does not protect liars and that is their weakness.
Well, you're wrong. Lies ARE protected speech. Lies under oath, which constitute perjury, are crimes. When the NY Times lies, it is not under oath, and therefore not a crime. May be a tort, but not a crime.
Actually liars can be sued for dephimation (I don't know the correct spelling) of one's character.
Anyway, I cannot believe you are opening admit to defending liars who seek to destory the U.S. and it's citizens.
Are you suicidal...
Make lying a crime, and as soon as the Dems take over, Paul C. Jesup, YOU'RE in jail for what THEY define as lies, like maybe about WMDs in Iraq.
Give good men great powers and crooks grab his job. Or did you forget why our founding fathers wanted the government limited in the first place?
The American people are smart enough to figure out who's lying and who's not -- so long as dissent isn't silenced. If it IS -- THEN the problem is NOT the liars -- it's the promulgators of GOVERNMENT-ENFORCED censorship.
This is called "thinking in terms of PRINCIPLES," as opposed to short-sighted pragmatism.
"Perhaps an editor might begin a reformation in some such way as this. Divide his paper into four chapters, heading the 1st, Truths; 2nd, Probabilities; 3rd Possibilities; 4th, Lies." -- Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to John Norvell, June 11, 1807
You are being foolish believe that if we do nothing, and not counter this evil (leftists), that things will get better.
If good men do nothing, that is evil enough.
In other words, you are doing evil by doing nothing.
HR 513 WAS PASSED BY THE HOUSE TODAY WITH VIRTUALLY EVERY REPUBLICAN VOTING FOR IT. Grrrrrrrr.
See:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/05/AR2006040501465.html
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