Congress to Send Critics to Jail, Says Richard Viguerie...

[bridgit]

'MANASSAS, Va., Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of GrassrootsFreedom.com, regarding legislation currently being considered by Congress to regulate grassroots communications:


"In what sounds like a comedy sketch from Jon Stewart's Daily Show, but isn't, the U. S. Senate would impose criminal penalties, even jail time, on grassroots causes and citizens who criticize Congress.


"Section 220 of S. 1, the lobbying reform bill currently before the Senate, would require grassroots causes, even bloggers, who communicate to 500 or more members of the public on policy matters, to register and report quarterly to Congress the same as the big K Street lobbyists. Section 220 would amend existing lobbying reporting law by creating the most expansive intrusion on First Amendment rights ever. For the first time in history, critics of Congress will need to register and report with Congress itself.


"The bill would require reporting of 'paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying,' but defines 'paid' merely as communications to 500 or more members of the public, with no other qualifiers.'

http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20070116/pl_usnw/congress_to_send_critics_to_jail__says_richard_viguerie

[originalpckelly]

1. Oh these wonderful idiots. That means all DUers would have to fucking register with Congress...

I have a feeling they're going to have to change this law before it gets passed and signed. :rofl:

[tkmorris]

15. You accept at face value

You accept at face value this tool's interpretation of what the bill says? Have you learned nothing?

[w4rma]

27. Agreed. This is a deliberate misinterpretation to try to derail ethics legislation. (nt)

[villager]

2. bit of projection there, Richard?

n/t

[endarkenment]

3. So now I'm a lobby? Is DU a lobby?

Arguably what we do here is not communication.

'paid' == 'communications to 500 or more members of the public'

WHAT?

If I stand on a soapbox in a public park and advocate, the most basic exercise of free speech, I now have to register as a lobbyist?

[bridgit]

5. i think if these...'people', have their way and dem opposition is further...

neutralized/marginalized, the term "critic" will be sitting alone and by itself beneath a very broad umbrella of interpretation yes

[Sugar Smack]

10. See, that's the thing: you are totally right. Those out-there semantics

of the media are having their way with the public as we speak. I don't remember the precice moment when the words "war" and "occupation" and "invasion" officially became known as "conflict". Conflict is when the office here insists I haven't paid my rent and I have to produce the cancelled check. Or when neighbors disagree on whether or not to put a fence up.

This mollifies everyone's precious sensibilities, makes the most violent and extreme, unjust and bloody chaos sound like a paper cut. So it will be with "critic".

:scared: :rant:

[bridgit]

13. Sugar, you know what i'm saying, these things seep in like ghosts, or full roaming...

vapours...they pass by, some never see them, in either event no one says anything, many more even pick up those tag lines, those ill formed thoughts and it is done voila! 'critic', becomes cluster fucked x(

i love the way you think :hug:

[Sugar Smack]

14. We've come equipped with sensitive flags;

mine go up every time a euphemism is born. Then I think of that "slow boil" phenomenon and wonder how to talk to people without their accusing me of being a little too imaginative. Well, let them think that. I love the way you think, too!! :hug: :hug:

As "Jaws" would have it: "We're gonna need a bigger soapbox"! :rofl:

[bridgit]

17. but Czarina *curtsy* yes! a bigger soapbox for our...hm, let's see...

discourse, dissertation, lecture, oration, pep talk*, pitch, sermon, soapbox* (there's that soapbox thing again), spiel* (spiel could work ;)), talk ('talk' works too :))

know that i love you, think the world of & want/desire vast oceans of peace for you :hug: :loveya:

[Sugar Smack]

19. Our Hoop Skirts!!!! *LOLOL*

and our opinions, concepts, views, notions, persuasions, estimations, conclusions and apprehensions! Oh, and let's not forget the bullhorn. Can't run a soapbox without a bullhorn. I adore you too. Keep kicking ass tonight!

I wish you so much good. :loveya: :hug:

[bridgit]

21. could we have sausage curls too...

they go so well with hoop skirts :rofl: :headbang:

[SalmonChantedEvening]

25. But but but...

If we call this what it is, a civil war spiralling into total chaos, then a scourge err surge would seem useless.

Can't have Dear Leader's new plan be useless before it's been set into motion, now can we?

Soften the reality and the silly plan seems like it has a chance. :eyes:


Hiya hiya!!

:hi: :hug: :loveya:

[Sugar Smack]

4. OMG!! Jeebus! We're lobbyists!

*LOLOLOLOL* See y'all in the pokie. :woohoo: :loveya: :yourock: :pals: :patriot: :rofl:

I didn't know I had so much POWER. Did you? Geeze, what a RUSH.

[bridgit]

6. YOU! just fold up your little tent & come along with me cause it's time for a drinky-poo...

:loveya: :beer: :woohoo:
:spank: O8) :loveya: :hippie: :yourock:

[Sugar Smack]

7. Good Lord YES!!!

It sure as hell is. My little tent! Oh, and my soapbox. What're you having, because there's only coppery-looking water in jail. I'm having a beer so's I can laugh instead of cry. So we'll have a drink while we still can, my sweet.



:loveya: :yourock: :loveya: :yourock: :loveya: :yourock: :loveya:

:beer: :toast: And we'll talk about the heartache that has become this country, and how we could clean it up in 15 minutes!

[bridgit]

8. i've switched to Cosmopolitans cause i heard they are lower in something...

carbs, or fat or something i forget but it doesn't matter...cause they sure are good anyhow and yes! bring your soapbox cause we could teeter on it together and sing songs of revolution much needed

:patriot: :toast:

[swimboy]

33. I know you're discussing real and important things . . .

            i've switched to Cosmopolitans cause i heard they are lower in something...

. . . but I just have to stop and admire a perfect sentiment perfectly expressed when I see one.

[bridgit]

35. swimboy!!

:hi: :hi: :hi: :hug:

[shadowknows69]

20. Somehow I thought I'd be better paid to be a lobbyist

n/t

[bridgit]

22. geawd you got that right...

x(

[madokie]

26. no shit, me too

Hows the book coming along

[Solly Mack]

9. Cheney must need more people to waterboard

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Now hold on a minute here...

this is Richard Viguerie pissing and moaning about this, which should ring the first alarm bell.

Then when you read down his "article" (actually a PR screed from his organization) he says that the same guy who proposed the amendment is now leading the effort to kill it.

Sounds like a non-issue to me.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

18. Yes, it's RICHARD F. VIGUERIE, for chrissakes

The "F" is for fuckhead.

If people don't bother to know their enemies, then I guess they deserve to work themselves into a lather over this. He's talking 527s. He's defending Swift Boaters - literally. Grassroots is a buzzword he's using to pull the wool over the eyes of the uninformed. Sad to see it working.

[Faryn Balyncd]

32. Among other things, Richard Viguerie also supported the Democratic takeover of Congress in 2006

Time for Us to Go -
Conservatives on Why the GOP Should Lose in @006
The Washington Monthly, October, 2006
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0610.forum.html

The Show Must Not Go On - Richard Viguerie
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0610.viguerie.html

[mmonk]

12. Show me the money

if we're lobbyists. What a joke. Is this supposed to survive a freedom of speech challenge?

[Robbien]

16. Pure Hype. This is just the conservative program to try and kill lobby reform

Read the bill it says no such thing. This is Gingrich/Viguerie/RNC/etc attempt to put spokes in lobby reform.

I read a lot of GOP money is going into killing this reform.

[berni_mccoy]

23. BWAHAHA! Two REPUKE Senators added an ammendment that would CRIMINALIZE IT.

The bill still passed, probably because the Dems know that the Ammendment won't survive review by the House and it will be removed before becoming law.

And look at the source of this story: a RW NUT JOB.

[bridgit]

24. oh yeah, they're still out there flinging shit, and some of it sticks...

that's the part i don't care for

[philly_bob]

28. Check background on Viguerie. 'Funding Father' of Right-Wing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Viguerie

Sinister figure, his opinions are not to be taken at face value.

[KharmaTrain]

30. Yep...He's Looking At Stirring The Pot

Vigurie's one of the darkest figures in the past 30 years...and still at it. He's Gingrich's godfather and is connected with Scaiffe and many other well-funded sources. Many GOOOP Senators got nice checks from Vigurie clients...I wonder how many are listening.

Cheers...

[ToeBot]

29. Bob Bennett, if his handlers bothered to wake him up, he's follow orders from the...

Republican elite. View anything he does with a great deal of suspicion; the man does no thinking on his own.

[AnnInLa]

31. Liberal Blogger, John Aravosis, addresses this issue:

www.americablog.blogspot.com (for some reason, I can't click on his permalinks, sorry)


"By the way, there's a rumor going around that needs to be dispelled. Far-right groups, mostly religious right types, are spreading the rumor that the Democrats are about to pass anti-lobbying legislation that will shut down all the conservative and liberal advocacy groups. Funny, therefore, that none of the liberal non-profits are very worried about the legislation shutting them down. That's because it won't shut anyone down. It's a lobbying disclosure bill, period. Yes, the ACLU has some qualms about it, but that's normal - they're a free speech group. But it should tell you something that the only groups who are concerned are the religious right and a few arch-conservative direct mail types like Richard Viguerie. Their latest ploy is claiming that bloggers will be regulated by this bill. Not true, according to folks I talk to on the Hill - well, unless the blogger in question accepts $25,000 to use their blog to lobby for some specific legislation.

We should be so lucky."

[Rex]

34. Richard Viguerie - rightwing trash...check!

Thanks for the info.

[bridgit]

36. co-rrect...

x(