Thursday, November 03, 2005

Who's for Free Speech on the Internet?


Thomas Paine : Collected Writings : Common Sense / The Crisis / Rights of Man / The Age of Reason / Pamphlets, Articles, and LettersToday's report at Powerline regarding free speech on the Internet is disturbing. The bill was, in the words of Rep. Mark Kennedy, "designed to protect the free speech rights of Americans whose only alleged crime is wanting to use the Internet to express their opinions."

A House vote on a motion to suspend the rules and adopt the 'Online Freedom of Speech Act' required a 2/3 majority to pass. Because the 225-182 vote isn't quite two-thirds, it has yet to pass. On a party basis, here's how the voting broke down:

179- 38 Republican
 46-143 Democrat

That's right. Now you know who's for free speech on the Internet.

The only rationale I can figure is that, by limiting the effect of bloggers, the bill's opponents hope to restrict one of the few alternatives to mainstream media.

Joshua Sharf provides this link to the roll call vote. Contact your representative accordingly. There are more details on the bill at Patriot Blog.

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