House To Vote On Limiting Speech Of 527 Organizations
House To Vote This Week On Further Limiting Free Speech
Remember the Swift Boat Veterans?
After a presidential election which was determined by fewer than 120,000 Ohio voters, it is clear that George Bush is president of the United States — rather than John Kerry — because of the swift boat veterans and because of pro-gun support.
For their part, the swift boat veterans formed a political organization under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code — and their organization was therefore called a “527.”
Shortly, the House of Representatives will consider legislation (HR 513) which would regulate “527 organizations” — like the Swift Boat Veterans — as severely as the most heavily regulated political groups in the country. The result could be to effectively eliminate organizations like the Swift Boat Veterans.
It is clear that the enemies of Free Speech are choosing their targets strategically. First, Senators like John McCain regulated (in 2002) the ability of groups such as GOA to use radio and TV to criticize any candidate before an election.
Then, earlier this year, McCain & Co. wanted to further regulate GOA and similar organizations by requiring them to register their “grassroots” communications with their members and to file twice as many frivolous reports.
Now, this new legislation (HR 513) would try to strengthen the Anti-Free Speech beachhead to limit even more avenues to free speech.
The restrictions on our liberties need to end here.
Really, this battle is similar to the battle to preserve our gun rights. Anti-gunners have fought a guerilla type of warfare, chipping away at our gun rights with piecemeal legislation. Some gun owners — who didn’t own ranch rifles or AR-15s or other so-called assault weapons — were lulled to sleep for a time and thought that the anti’s weren’t really interested in their hunting shotguns or rifles.
They soon found out they were mistaken. And it just shows, once again, that when the anti’s get a beachhead, they don’t stop there. They keep coming and coming.
That’s why we must now fight this battle to preserve another bastion of Free Speech. It is our constitutional right — it is not a “privilege” to be expanded or contracted based on the impact on the party in power.
ACTION: Please use the pre-written letter below to help direct your comments to your representative. Ask him to oppose H.R. 513 which would limit the constitutional Free Speech of “527 organizations” like the Swift Boat Veterans.
You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your Representatives a pre-written e-mail message such as the one below.
And, you can call your Representative toll-free at 1-877-762-8762.
—– Pre-written letter —–
Dear Representative:
The House will soon consider legislation (HR 513) which would regulate “527 organizations” — like the Swift Boat Veterans — as severely as the most heavily regulated political groups in the country. The result could be to effectively eliminate organizations like the Swift Boat Veterans.
I would urge you to oppose that legislation.
Free Speech is a constitutional right — not a “privilege” to be expanded or contracted based on the impact on the party in power. Thank you.
Sincerely,
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“Live Fire” radio with Larry Pratt is broadcast by the Information Radio Network on Saturdays at 12:00 Noon Eastern. “Live Fire” is simulcast on the web at http://inforadionet.com and previous episodes are archived at http://www.soundwaves2000.com/livefire/ in RealAudio. Recent guests and topics have included:
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