Update 9/11: The Club for Growth has a nice round up of prominent bloggers discussing the “McCain-Feingold Iron Curtain” — alas, I am not a prominent blogger and did not make their list. Ho-hum.
Coyote Blog reminded me it’s time to put out the black flag of mourning for the loss of our First Amendment rights to Freedom of Speech through November 7, 2006. Because of Senators McCain and Feingold and liberal justices on the Supreme Court we no longer have the right to criticize incumbent politicians on radio or TV from now until election day November 7, 2006. The all-knowing members of the media can legally criticize those currently in office from now until election day. But good old citizens like yours truly, no matter how much money we want to spend in advertising, cannot say one word against incumbent politicians on radio or TV. At least I can have my soapbox here on the Internet, but as the Coyote rightly pointed out — the free speech stranglehold came very close to being applied to blogs.
So why is it that those in the “media” are deemed more important than those of us good citizens? I certainly have no idea. But we all know where most of the “media” stand and it’s not where I stand (or sit)!
I will be exercising my right to vote next week in our local primary election and in November. I will be expressing my freedom of speech on the issues and politicians as I see fit on this blog in the days ahead. You are forewarned!
It’s a good job my fingers don’t talk because I’m speechless!
[...] The second issue I’ve found came up in the top post from the day I checked his site: John McCain has endorsed him. McCain’s campaign finance reform act just killed free speech this past Monday (ht: Karen of Scottsdale), so I was hoping that a candidate from either side would be willing to give him the middle finger, but I’m apparently too hopeful of a guy. Munsil’s website contains no mention of the term "campaign finance", so we can’t really be sure that he’s even against the bill. His only critical mention of "clean elections" (besides the accusation flap from earlier) is that it’s "rife with problems." [...]
The Loss of Free Speech…
I feel like blogging vulgarities galore about everyone from Hillary to Bush to McCain but I barely pay……
Why don’t you just write a letter-to-the-editor?