Freedom of Speech in America - 305 Days a Year

No more freedom of speech for you, you dolt!

You thought you had freedom of speech in American, First Amendment and all that. But, noooooo! Not for the next 60 days. If you want to run an ad for or against an incumbent, you'll be in violation of the ill-advised McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act, designed exclusively to ensure the re-election of incumbents and to restrict Freedom of Speech as we know it. As we move into the most fun-time ever, traditionally used to slam incumbents and laud challengers, the up-tight duffises have taken all the fun out of otherwise rip-roaring good old American fun. If you can't lampoon candidates, who the heck can you rake over the coals for their assinine behavior - in either party. With all due respect, it would seem that a prisoner of war where every "right" was curtailed would be vehement in his defense of our liberties here at home. Alas, that is not the case. We are moving toward 1984 everyday. You can have free speech but only on selected issues and only for 305 days a year. But it can't be "hate" speech as determined by the Ministry of Speech Police. Are we in the blogosphere violating the Reform Act if we "blaspheme" some of the elected officials who couldn't get and hold real jobs and have somehow turned themselves from citizen-representatives expected by the Constitution to have 'real' jobs among their constitutents into welfare government lackies with set holiday recesses, tidy pensions, and health care only the few could dream of? Probably. I read yesterday in the The Washington Times even organizations who want to run ads for or against a given issue, without naming candidates (generally incumbents) are having to get court-ordered permission. What the hell are we coming to as a nation? Re-read Orwell's 1984. It'll curl your ears to see the similarities with what has come to pass. And, having braved that, take on Animal Farm. That's the delightful "children's story" (cough) in which some animals are more equal than other animals. I'd bet money that those books are NOT taught in American schools today in any language. Make notes, write in the margins. Build for yourself a list of the freedoms subtly re-directed. But have fun with it. The excercise could provide you a list of potentially hilarious blog posts when coupled with the ass-backward way we are doing things now in the "freedoms" catagory. This list with a tad of research as supporting documentation could keep you busy for months. The Campaign Finance Reform Act is great. It has stiffled the freedom of speech of we the little guys, and allowed the 504(c3) groups like moveon.org to flourish. Way to go Johnny and Russ. You champions of liberty, freedom, and open borders.