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Dead Constitution
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Title: Congress to Send Critics to Jail, Says Richard Viguerie
Source: GrassrootsFreedom.com
URL Source: http://www.grassrootsfreedom.com/gw ... ArticleID=398&CMSCategoryID=24
Published: Jan 17, 2007
Author: Richard A. Viguerie
Post Date: 2007-01-17 17:31:48 by randge
Keywords: Ethics reform, Viguerie, S 1
Views: 356
Comments: 31

Congress Wants to Blame the Grassroots for Its Own Corruption

MANASSAS, Va., Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of http://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.

"On January 9, the Senate passed Amendment 7 to S. 1, to create criminal penalties, including up to one year in jail, if someone 'knowingly and willingly fails to file or report.'

"That amendment was introduced by Senator David Vitter (R-LA). Senator Vitter, however, is now a co-sponsor of Amendment 20 by Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT) to remove Section 220 from the bill. Unless Amendment 20 succeeds, the Senate will have criminalized the exercise of First Amendment rights. We'd be living under totalitarianism, not democracy.

"I started http://GrassrootsFreedom.com to fight efforts to silence the grassroots. The website provides updates in the legislation and has a petition to sign opposing Section 220.

"Thousands of nonprofit leaders, bloggers, and other citizens have hammered the Senate with calls in opposition to Section 220, which seeks to silence the grassroots. The criminal provisions will scare citizens into silence.

"The legislation regulates small, legitimate nonprofits, bloggers, and individuals, but creates loopholes for corporations, unions, and large membership organizations that would be able to spend literally hundreds of millions of dollars, yet not report.

"Congress is trying to blame the grassroots, which are American citizens engaging in their First Amendment rights, for Washington's internal corruption problems."

CONTACT: Mark Fitzgibbons, +1-703-392-7676 or +1-703-408-3775, for >http://GrassrootsFreedom.com.

SOURCE http://GrassrootsFreedom.com

Click for Full Text!

Poster Comment:

Text of S 1

Roll call

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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 31.

#1. To: randge (#0)

congress obviously agrees with smirk that our Constitution is just a g.d. piece of paper.

Lod  posted on  2007-01-17   17:43:11 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

This bill is a dagger aimed right at all of us.

Dig this:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SEC. 220. DISCLOSURE OF PAID EFFORTS TO STIMULATE GRASSROOTS LOBBYING.

(a) Definitions- Section 3 of the Act (2 U.S.C. 1602) is amended--

(1) in paragraph (7), by adding at the end of the following: `Lobbying activities include paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying, but do not include grassroots lobbying.'; and

(2) by adding at the end of the following:

`(17) GRASSROOTS LOBBYING- The term `grassroots lobbying' means the voluntary efforts of members of the general public to communicate their own views on an issue to Federal officials or to encourage other members of the general public to do the same.

`(18) PAID EFFORTS TO STIMULATE GRASSROOTS LOBBYING-

`(A) IN GENERAL- The term `paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying' means any paid attempt in support of lobbying contacts on behalf of a client to influence the general public or segments thereof to contact one or more covered legislative or executive branch officials (or Congress as a whole) to urge such officials (or Congress) to take specific action with respect to a matter described in section 3(8)(A), except that such term does not include any communications by an entity directed to its members, employees, officers, or shareholders.

`(B) PAID ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE THE GENERAL PUBLIC OR SEGMENTS THEREOF- The term `paid attempt to influence the general public or segments thereof' does not include an attempt to influence directed at less than 500 members of the general public.

`(C) REGISTRANT- For purposes of this paragraph, a person or entity is a member of a registrant if the person or entity--

`(i) pays dues or makes a contribution of more than a nominal amount to the entity;

`(ii) makes a contribution of more than a nominal amount of time to the entity;

`(iii) is entitled to participate in the governance of the entity;

`(iv) is 1 of a limited number of honorary or life members of the entity; or

`(v) is an employee, officer, director or member of the entity.

`(19) GRASSROOTS LOBBYING FIRM- The term `grassroots lobbying firm' means a person or entity that--

`(A) is retained by 1 or more clients to engage in paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying on behalf of such clients; and

`(B) receives income of, or spends or agrees to spend, an aggregate of $25,000 or more for such efforts in any quarterly period.'.

(b) Registration- Section 4(a) of the Act (2 U.S.C. 1603(a)) is amended--

(1) in the flush matter at the end of paragraph (3)(A), by adding at the end the following: `For purposes of clauses (i) and (ii), the term `lobbying activities' shall not include paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying.'; and

(2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:

`(4) FILING BY GRASSROOTS LOBBYING FIRMS- Not later than 45 days after a grassroots lobbying firm first is retained by a client to engage in paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying, such grassroots lobbying firm shall register with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives.'.

randge  posted on  2007-01-17   17:55:35 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

From that wording, it sounds as if this provision is directed at "paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying," and not at "grassroots lobbying" itself.

aristeides  posted on  2007-01-17   17:57:39 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

From that wording, it sounds as if this provision is directed at "paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying," and not at "grassroots lobbying" itself.

Not really...see the definition of "paid" below...

"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.

scrapper2  posted on  2007-01-17   18:00:12 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

but defines 'paid' merely as communications to 500 or more members of the public, with no other qualifiers.

Posting on the net, an action arguably viewable by more than 500 souls, would fall within the definition.

It's all happening as we predicted..America is collapsing right before our eyes...and all we can do is watch...while we are turned into an oligarchy at the least, and a dictatorship at the worst.

IndieTX  posted on  2007-01-17   23:48:30 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

        There are no replies to Comment # 31.

End Trace Mode for Comment # 31.

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