DubyaDubyaDubya-dot-McCain-dot-Feingold

The FEC mulls closing the online "loophole" to campaign finance regulations.

Comments

[Ken Shultz]

"The laws may not always apply to the Internet as they would to other venues, Wertheimer said, "but by the same token the Internet cannot become a major avenue for evading and circumventing campaign finance laws on the grounds that people just want the Internet free from regulation of any kind."

This is bullshit. This is bullshit.

It's time to answer for your bill, Mr. McCain. You broke, you buy it--now fix it, Mr. McCain.

Holy mackerel! This is bullshit.

[kmw]

Is the FEC talking about "official" online campaigns, or ancillary entities?

If it's the latter, it's not a tenable idea. You can't stop me from IMing my friends with my political take. Or even posting to H&R, for that matter.

If they try to regulate webmasters, just move the servers to Aruba. And if they start threatening to arrest "offshore" content providers... Well, I think at that point, it's time to get the hell out of Dodge City.

[Ken Shultz]

kmw,

It isn't possible to stop people from buying and selling recreational drugs, but that doesn't mean some government yahoo won't die trying.

[Highway]

Anyone try voting in the online MSNBC poll they link in that story? Your choices are GWB, JFK, and Nader. No other choice, not even 'None of the above'. Thanks, MSN, way to represent.

[kmw]

Ken,

True, and that was kind of my point. I'm also saying if the "government yahoos" start trying to suppress my speech online, then we've become a western version of China, and I'm getting the hell out.

I'm sure I could get away with it even if it was illegal, but at that point we wouldn't be living in a democracy anyway.

[Ken Shultz]

kmw,

Yes, it is ironic that FEC might have to protect America from special interests by filtering what we can look at on the internet or who can pay for it or whatever.

[NoStar]

Highway,
What is worse, in MSN's Slate Magazine's Fray you can attach a presidential candidates icon next to your posts as long as you favor Bush, Kerry, or any of the long since failed Democrats (Dean, Braun, Sharpton. et al).

Nader, Cobb, and Badnarik supporters are not given this option.

This is a major reason why I quit posting on the Fray.

[Ken Shultz]

This is bullshit!

[Nobody Important]

It isn't possible to stop people from buying and selling recreational drugs, but that doesn't mean some government yahoo won't die trying.

Comment by: Ken Shultz at October 15, 2004 02:35 PM

It's not the government yahoo's that do the dying, but the innocent citizen who is asleep when the machine-gun toting yahoo's raid his house at 2:00 am.

[Nobody Important]

It isn't possible to stop people from buying and selling recreational drugs, but that doesn't mean some government yahoo won't die trying.

Comment by: Ken Shultz at October 15, 2004 02:35 PM

It's not the government yahoo's that do the dying, but the innocent citizen who is asleep when the machine-gun toting yahoo's raid his house at 2:00 am.

[Hmmm]

VOTE FOR BADNARIK!

Will the above comment be regulated? If the loophole is closed, then will I and/or Universidad Carlos III de Madrid be prosecuted for my illegal donation of the bandwidth of a foreign university as an independent expenditure on Badnarik's behalf?