News From the Political Front

John McCain, a big proponent of free trade, wants the free flow of political information in this country regulated, limited—even stopped. The infamous McCain-Feingold (read: Incumbent Protection) Act has already voided a large chunk of the First Amendment, infuriating Americans who take the Constitution seriously. Now McCain and a growing number of co-sponsors are pushing S2128 in response to the Abramoff scandal. Instead of promoting honest reform, McCain wants to widen Congress's control over political speech.

Among other things, the bill redefines the term "lobbyist" in the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to include grassroots activists, possibly even individuals working at home on their own dime. All "lobbyists" will be required to file quarterly financial reports, including lists of their subscribers and their donations. Clearly, this puts a huge burden on small operations (such as bloggers) and aims at silencing them. Unfortunately, Republican Christopher Shays has proposed S2128's twin in the House.

From the Patriot Post