Thursday, March 03, 2005

The End of Political Speech on the Internet

You've got to go read this. The Federal Election Commission is currently wrestling with what constitutes an improper "contribution" to candidates, and is apparently looking to target bloggers and other online types who, for instance, link to candidates' web sites.

Yes, putting a hyperlink on your page could soon be in the same league as improperly funnelling money to a campaign.

No word on whether linking to the FEC will also be a no-no, nor on whether encouraging interested parties to attend open FEC meetings to voice their opinions will be a problem in our new Republican America.

If you can't make the meetings, perhaps you could join me in calling the FEC (800-424-9530) to tell them that the 1st Amendment applies to people, and not just corporate news organizations.

[UPC cross-post]

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