With regard to the FEC ruling...

Doug Williams makes a very valid point that sort of (but not really) wrecked my buzz regarding the FEC decision to protect the First Amendment Rights of bloggers and others who utilize the internet for means of political speech. The problem? That this issue even came up in the first place:

I have a problem with the notion that the FEC had authority in this matter in the first place. Once that essential point is conceded, your “right” to freedom of speech becomes a privilege endowed by a benevolent government bureaucracy. Once it is conceded that they have the authority to grant such a privilege, it must also be conceded that they have the authority to take it away.

When the decision came down, I was so ecstatic that that fact completely escaped me. It just goes to show that government cannot be relied on to be the guardian of our Constitutional rights. It's up to the People to keep up the watch.



(Filed under first amendment assaults)