The Broward Coalition of Condominiums, Homeowners Associations and Community Organizations, Inc., regularly puts out newsletters. No surprise. Lots of organizations do.
This Florida organization, though, does something more. Its newsletters regularly feature political subjects. Nothing shocking about that, either. This is America, right?
Well, yes. But the First Amendment has been abridged. In Florida, especially, there exist onerous “electioneering communications” laws that squelch the kind of speech that the Broward Coalition engages in.
Florida law requires any group of people to register with the government if the group mentions a candidate or ballot issue in any media — electronic, paper, or plastic — and to report all of its spending and funding sources, too.
That kind of oppressive control is what started the American Revolution. Fortunately, we have a less violent way of opposing speech tyranny today.
The Broward Coalition has joined with the National Taxpayers Union and the University of Florida College Libertarians to file suit. Represented by the Institute for Justice, they charge that the law regulating their speech goes against the First Amendment.
Bert Gall, IJ senior attorney, puts it exactly right when he insists that “Florida’s law is part of a growing trend of shutting up and shutting out anyone but political pros from politics.”
And that trend must be stopped.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
2 replies on “Florida Anti-Speech Tyranny”
Come January 20th, 2009, many of us fear this nation will be exposed to many more “laws” and “regulations” designed to “limit” speech. Certain parties find certain speech inappropriate or that certain speech may provide citizens with options those certain parties feel might cause citizens to decide against the plans of those certain parties.
“Balance as bias” are famous words uttered by a former politician. He told media types that if citizens are provided options to decide on their own, citizens may waste time on alternatives that would inhibit the plans people like himself had decided were best for the rest of us!
Its called propaganda. And the means to silence is called indoctrination. Socialists love it. In fact, Hugo Chavez is providing the world with a modern day example of this as he shuts down any media outlet or person whose views are contrary or offer an option to the views Chavez has decided are best!
America’s media have already shown us they are biased. They have already shown us their propensity to hold down stories they feel would do harm to a favored candidate or party. We have seen video tape held so the public is not informed. We have seen stories go un-investigated because to do so would reveal the political positions of a favored candidate. We have seen associations dismissed as no big deal, when in fact they would reveal the character of the candidate the media seeks to protect.
God help us. Some are truly working against us!
Shutting Up the Non-Pros…
It’s a trend. Mostly by Democrats, but sometimes by Republicans, too, to “shut up” everybody but the “pros” in politics. McCain-Feingold led the way with that unconstitutional law (illegally declared constitutional by the Supreme Court) that stops…