Monday, October 09, 2006

 

Stirring Up a Blog Swarm!


THE DEAD PELICAN
BY CHAD E. ROGERS

During the week of the Secretary of State's election, this space received an anonymous threat from someone saying "I'm turning you into the ethics board!"

And now, THE DEAD PELICAN has learned of an upcoming October 13 ethics board hearing to discuss the regulation of blogs and political ad placements!

An excerpt from the docket of the October 13 ethics board meeting reads as follows:

G30. Docket No. 06-699

"Consideration of a request for an advisory opinion concerning the regulation of web-blogs and blog sites and the placement of political campaign signs."

The full text of the ethics docket is here.


REGULATING LA BLOGS?
BY EMILY METZGAR
http://www.emilymetzgar.com/

So at its next meeting, the state ethics board intends to discuss the regulation of political blogs in Louisiana (hat tip The Dead Pelican).

If that weren’t so consistent with elected officials’ obvious squirmishness at the possibility of being held accountable this development would be funny. For a recent reminder see Anderson, Advocate, Gill and Shuler.

The ethics board agenda item to consider “a request for an advisory opinion concerning the regulation of web-blogs [sic] and blog sites” is just the latest example of how the status quo appears mighty uncomfortable with the possibility that their voting records and other behavior relevant to their public service might be coming under closer scrutiny than it has in the past.

That the public might be better informed as a result of alternative media sources is clearly not an acceptable development.

I wish the ethics board the best of luck in trying to overturn the First Amendment without stirring up a blog swarm that garners national attention.


LA trying to regulate website content?
BY C.B. FORGOTSTON

For a group of people that "nobody pays any attention to" we "Internet Kooks" sure do get a lot of scrutiny.

Today, fellow "Internet Kook" Chad Rogers of the TheDeadpelican .com reports that the Heh, Heh, Heh, Ethics Board has been asked to issue an "advisory opinion" on "the regulation of web-blogs and blog sites."The fact that this matter even found its way onto the agenda of the Heh, Heh, Heh, Ethics Board is more evidence of the joke that is the board.

The board wouldn't even think twice about an advisory opinion on regulation of newspapers in LA.

It begs the question remains who has the political clout to get such a ridiculous matter before this group? This whole thing smacks of efforts to intimidate the citizens of LA.


LPNS: THESE "ETHICS" FOLKS MAY NEED A CALL FROM YOU:

Louisiana Board of Ethics and The Supervisory Committee for Campaign Finance

2415 Quail Drive, Third Floor
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808
Phone (225)763-8777 or 1(800)842-6630
Fax (225)763-8780

Mr. Robert Roland, Chairman
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Mr. Henry C. Perret, Jr. Vice-Chairman
Lafayette, Louisiana

Dr. Herbert Baptiste, Sr.
Natchitoches, Louisiana

Judge John W. Greene
Covington, Louisiana

Judge E. L. Guidry, Jr.
St. Martinville, Louisiana

Mrs. Gwendolyn Hamilton
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Mr. R.L. Hargrove, Jr.
Calhoun, Louisiana

Mr. Michael T. Johnson
Pineville, Louisiana

Mr. Michael J. Kantrow, Sr.
Shreveport, Louisiana

Mr. Joseph Maselli
New Orleans, Louisiana

Ms. Ascension Delgado Smith
Shreveport, Louisiana

Dr. Dolores Spikes
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

LPNS COMMENTARY: AS WE WARNED LAST MONTH, "THE POWERS THAT BE AT THE STATE CAPITOL ARE UPSET. THEY ARE SERIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT ANYTHING THEY CANNOT CONTROL."

THE POLITICAL BLOGS, WEBSITES AND TALK RADIO PROGRAMS THAT HAVE EVOLVED IN LOUISIANA OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS ARE TAKING A TOLL ON THE STATUS QUO. AS C.B. FORGOTSTON SAID IN A RECENT NEWSPAPER ARTICLE, "I DON'T KNOW IF THEY RESPECT US AS MUCH AS THEY FEAR US."

READERS TAKE NOTE: THESE ARE VERY POWERFUL PEOPLE WITH NO INTENTION OF YIELDING ANY OF THAT POWER TO THE AVERAGE CITIZENS OF LOUISIANA.


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