LOL. Anyone who posts on a usenet newsgroup communicates with 500+ people.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "llundrub" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Yep > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Vaj > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2007 11:20 AM > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Congress Wants to Blame the Grassroots for Its Own > Corruption > > > 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 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 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 > GrassrootsFreedom.com. > > > > > SOURCE GrassrootsFreedom.com >
