The Political Chase

In Harm’s Way

“It is in our country’s interest to find those who would do harm to us and get them out of harm’s way.”

–George W. Bush, April 28, 2005

FEC - Potential Disaster for Bloggers

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has given notice of a pending rulemaking which will adversely effect blogs that contain political content. The FEC has provided a forum and a finite period of time for public comments on the pending rule(s), which will come under the umbrella of campaign finance laws. Comments are due by no later than June 3, 2005.

I discovered this pending rulemaking via redstate.org. Many thanks to them for their efforts in making this known. Information is available at their site and at the Center for Democracy Technology.

You can send your comments to the FEC at internet@fec.gov
Briefly:

For quick action, fill out the form at the Center for Democracy Technology

• HTML version of the draft rule
• Adam Bonin on writing comments to the FEC
• FEC formal notice in PDF format

John McCain et. al., had honorable intentions with campaign reform. Unfortunately, there is always a loophole to be found or an unknown profound negative effect to legislation. The 527 campaign ads in 2004 are a direct result of campaign “reform.”

I firmly believe John Kerry’s campaign mortal wound was the Swift Boat’s 527 ads on television. Now, the FEC is preparing for more - that which will virtually eliminate our ability to freely state our opinions.

When the president is in public places, all protesters are required to locate to a protest zone a half-mile away from the President. What’s the point of a presidential protest, if the President will never see or hear it?

I am not prepared to compose my opinions and put them away in a database contained to just my laptop.

It’s Only the Fourth Amendment

In an article (click here if not available) in today’s New York Times, “Plan to Let F.B.I. Track Mail in Terrorism Inquiries”, it is abundantly clear the Justice Department and the White House have transformed J. Edgar Hoover into Mickey Mouse. Given their current modus operandi, why don’t they and the neo-conservative members of Congress save time and add to the proposed legislation: all e-mail and telephone calls, each over-the-fence conversation I have with my neighbor, and affix a GPS tracking device to every American?

The Bush administration and its insatiable desire to literally rule over everything, has exploited the events of 9/11 beyond comprehension, much less sensibility.

As each day passes, the US Department of Justice and the Bush administration increasingly seem to forget about a rather significant document – The Constitution. The Fourth Amendment of The Constitution states, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.”

I have to ask the question. What exactly is not clear in the words, “…secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects”?

Update to Readers

It’s been quite some time since I posted to this blog. My objective was to publish frequently, at least three times a week, but available time has been an obstacle. Objectives and reality do not always go hand-in-hand.

Credible and worthwhile commentary on any issue, especially political, requires a considerable amount of time. I find nothing productive or useful in publishing entries just for the sake of “getting something out there.” It is a disservice to readers and to myself.

In simple terms, I am still here and will publish commentary, but cannot commit to a specific frequency at this time. My  thanks to the historically faithful readers and to those who will check this site from time to time for new items.