Blogger’s "Right" to speak? may soon be criminal
“In what sounds like a comedy sketch from the Bob and Tom Show, but isn’t, the U. S. Senate would impose criminal penalties, even jail time, on grassroots and causes and citizens of those who criticize Congress.
Section 220 would amend existing lobbying reporting laws 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.
My jaw dropped when I received this in an email from my friend and attorney.
The email stated:
“Section 220 of S. 1, the lobbying reform bill currently before the Senate, would require grassroots causes, even blogger’s, 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 Washington lobbyists.
“On January 9 2007, the Senate passed Amendment 7 to S. 1, to create criminal penalties, including up to one year in jail, if someone knowingly and willingly fails to file or report to congress.’ “That amendment was introduced by Senator David Vitter (R-LA). trying to make a blatant attempt to take mine and your Freedom away. The Right of Freedom of Speech.
Yet this legislation, which is well known to be targeted at rights of speech, the press, association and them that petition the government, is being withheld intentionally from the public to prevent a debate.
Senator Vitter, however, is now a co-sponsor of Amendment 20 by Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT) to remove Section 220 from the bill. if so the Senate will have criminalized the exercise of First Amendment rights. We’d be living under totalitarianism, not democracy.
“Thousands of nonprofit leaders, blogger’s, Chatters and other citizens I hope will hammer the Senate with calls and emails in opposition to Section 220, which seeks to silence the grassroots and the blog. The criminal provisions will scare citizens into SILENCE unless this is stopped.
“We the People.” What a grand and magnificent concept! With these words we began the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States.
From the First Amendment (in the “Bill of Rights”) to the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law…abridging…the right of the people…to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
“NO LAW”! We the people have the right to freely communicate with each other and to petition the government WITHOUT INTERFERENCE.
Current attempts to regulate grassroots activists, under the guise of “lobbying reform,” would overturn this core concept behind the American Republic. These attempts must be stopped. This is one more attempt to tell the American people to shutup and sit down and never mind what what congress is doing behind our backs. The grassroots legislation is not only unconstitutional on its face, it will certainly lead to further governmental abuses of rights of citizens.
Daily the Will County Watchers reach out to 3,500 readers and we are growing daily, I currently receive 119 to 436 emails daily this is on average and respond to as many as possible, It is even unclear if I will be breaking the law by responding back to said emails.
“The bill would require reporting of ‘ paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying. ‘ Grassroots is defined merely as communications of and to 500 or more members of the public, with no other qualifiers.
I strongly oppose as we all should the required registration and reporting of efforts to communicate to the general public that urges citizens and informs the public relating Congresses actions. Personally I need less government not more government, Americans have fought and died for the rights enumerated in our Constitution, and now at our finger tips we have computers that allows us to chat vast distances, yet Congress wants to take away this right to discuss what’s going on in our country and to legislate away the free exercise of those rights, this brings Americans closer to tyranny. We have men and women, soldiers, American solders fighting to give another county a voice yet our own congress wants to take away our voices, this will have made our own solders on their return to have fought and died in vain.
will county watcher 
JJ.
I have searched for this and found what you are speaking of, it scares me to think that freedom of speech may get me 1 year in prison for disagreeing with how our government is doing us, I hate to think my son is over there fighting and putting his life on the line for these son of a bitches and helping some god forsaken country get their voice as you pointed out JJ.
I enjoy blogging and have commented in my blog on congresses actions, I also use my blog so that I can chat with my son while he is over there fighting, now I soon may become a criminal also if this passes.
I also know that there will be them that is pro government that will try to make them that are News junkies believe it is for the better.
I value my blog because it allows me to see my son and to have a connection to him, I miss him so much and I am scared to death that he may lose his life or worse come home a cripple. weekly I chat with all of my sons battalion, these men and women need us, I don’t want to be silenced.
That’s our illustrious, paranoid, control freak president for you. This one falls under “taking measures to reduce terrorist activities.” Mark my words.
I think I’ll move to Russia. I hear it’s pretty loose there these days.
Who has the majority in the House and Senate today?
I see the illegals are on the march again for their rights,Rights? What rights? theses economic leaches cross the border and demand rights. they overload our hospitals get bank loans which causes higher lending restrictions on American citizens. Out breaks of diseases that haven’t been around for years are showing up in large numbers in our schools.
If these illegals want our rights let them fight for it like we did, send them over to Iraq so that they have the choice if they really want our rights or not. It sure in hell would not be amnesty, they would then have earned there place here.
Theses illegals are yelling for rights that my son is fighting for and these waste of skin illegals are sitting back and demanding all they can get for free….Just a bunch of Mexican Cockroaches.
Our sons, husbands, and fathers are dying so that these leaches get their rights?. Freedom is not free it has a cost let the illegals have to pay it!
Karen
I agree with you, we give up our rights so these illegals can have theirs, “NO” if there is 11 million illegals here in America like the government under-estimates then round up their asses and send their butts over their see how they like it. I wonder how fast the ILLEGALS would cry fowl, I would venture to say 2/10th of a sec. If freedom is not worth fighting for then they should stay home.
Our military is volunteer and these men and women never signed up to die so that an illegal can get their rights before an American or take their place if killed in action so now they are then American citizens. I am beginning to wonder if this war is being fought for the right reasons myself.
And if any illegals don’t like what I have to say they can pound it up their asses, all 11 million of them. Welcome to freedom of speech.
Typhoid is on a rise and the disease is due to illegals, Salmonella Typhi lives only in humans. Persons with typhoid fever carry the bacteria in their bloodstream and intestinal tract. In addition, a small number of persons, called carriers , recover from typhoid fever but continue to carry the bacteria. Both ill persons and carriers shed S. Typhi in their feces. So lets ask our selves how many other diseases are coming into America unchecked…Is our kids at risk.
Tuberculosis and hanta virus are also on the rise thanks to our south of the border friends.
Here’s something scary. The tuberculosis they’re bringing up here is highly resistant to antibiotics. The filthy living conditions — five families to a house — helps to spread this vicious disease. As it mutates to withstand antibiotics, it will get stronger, deadlier and much harder to treat. It was the leading cause of death in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. It can again get deadly.
Hanta is often fatal, too. I don’t know why or how its spreading, but this formerly rare condition is becoming more common. It causes the “crash and bleed” of ebola, where your lungs and innards turn to mush. There is no cure, by the way.
Here’s something from the Centers for Disease Control–
“TB is an infection that has experienced spectacular ups and downs. Drugs were developed to treat it, complacency set in that it was beaten, and the disease resurged because patients stopped their medication too soon and infected others. Today, one in seven new TB cases is resistant to the two drugs most commonly used to treat it (isoniazid and rifampin), and 5 percent of these patients die.”
Whoa…
Hanta virus is caused I believe by coming near the dust that develops from deposits of bat dung. I read about an outbreak in New Mexico, when some people (white) came into contact by being in a barn.
This line was funny:
“The filthy living conditions — five families to a house — helps to spread this vicious disease. “.
Do you think NAFTA and US policies contribute to that? You realize as NAFTA was implemented, illegal immigration increased substantially?
But all this other racist crap? Let’s fight over the immigrants, gays, abortion, maybe mock the some other religions, and we’ll be too busy to notice the legislation that is being discussed which will %$#% us up the butt.
I have one final question. How does invading Iraq promote our freedom again?
It’s about oil, power, and money for the wealthiest of the wealthy, and this legislation is being pushed to protect their interests and shut up the people who may cause the ‘unwashed masses’ to interfere.
It’s a sign that the antiwar sentiment is making people nervous.
To quote Rush Limbaugh, “you want the truth, follow the money”.
We’re being played here and are too stupid to realize it.
Ok… let the racist bashing resume.
Have a nice day.
dan
By the way- contact your representatives to know what you think of this bill:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
Keep in mind, emails rarely get read or communicated.
A written letter is best, or a phone call to the representatives office (or better yet, both).
dan
Here’s the link to the text of this section:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c110:1:./temp/~c1105M5FKy:e38473:
The wording seems fuzzy, but I doubt it’d affect a blog (see the financial requirements).
dan
I’m sorry if I sounded as if I was a bigot against Mexicans. That isn’t true. I am against ILLEGAL aliens. And I don’t consider myself a dupe.
Illegal aliens not only spread disease, but lower the mean average wage. When you have people willing to work for less than minimum wage, it creates a supply/demand situation in which greedy big business will hire illegal immigrants rather than U.S. citizens. And if one more person says, “They’re doing the jobs no one else will do,” I’ll shit in my pants.
There are plenty of citizens who are desperate for a job and would take just about anything with benefits. But you see, illegal aliens don’t need benefits through their jobs, they can get on Medicaid much more easily than many citizens.
When you have some people willing to work cheap — like scab labor — it drives down the living wage. I think, Dan, that this is a situation worthy of attention.