Thursday, October 12, 2006

 

MUZZLING TALK RADIO & THE BLOGS


DEAD PELICAN
BY PAUL HURD

While everyone seems righfully suspicious of the unexplained item on the Ethic's Board Agenda to consider their authority over Talk Radio and Internet Bloggers, no one has talked openly about what the Ethics Board was trying to accomplish. As suspected, this "consideration of a advisory opinion" was the first step in muzzling Talk Radio, Internet Bloggers and the rest of the independent alternative media.

In Seattle, Washington, a State court has held that the bloggers and the Talk Radio hosts are making "in kind" political contributions by taking strong opinion positions on current items on the voter's ballot. In the case in Washington, the issue supported by the bloggers and Talk Radio hosts was the repeal of gaoline taxes. What polical blasphemy, but I digress.

The State has asserted that the publicly voiced opinion of the Talk Radio hosts in support of tax repeals on the ballot were "in kind" political contributions by the Talk Radio hosts, and that the State's limits on political contributions limits the amount of support that the Talk Radio hosts or the bloggers can "spend" on the ballot issue.

The State conjured up the "value" of Talk Radio support and blogger support by equating them to the cost of paid political advertisements. Ultimately, the Talk Radio hosts and the Bloggers against gasoline taxes are on the verge of being fined for making excessive contributions on a ballot initiative, in violation of Washington State's campaign finance laws.

The advisory opinion was sought to begin to lay the groundwork that the bloggers and Talk Radio commentary on ballot issues are making "in kind" contributions that can be limited by the State under the campaign finance laws.

This week, the Washington State Supreme Court heard argument on this newest way for the establishment to muzzle freedom of speech, and bankrupt the alternative media with campaign restrictions and administrative fines for being too involved in politics.

Big Brother Lives Among Us!!. The People of Louisiana are watching too.


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