If they crackdown on political blogging - what does this mean for the DU?

Everything about this site, for the most part, revolves around politics. What is going to happen to our right to free speaach when they start imposing fines when we exercise that right?

This is the link to the story if you haven't read it yet.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x110295

Obviously this is a counter attack for the successful campaigns many have waged against Bush & Co. If they manage to silence the Bloggers, what does that mean for people like us who rely on the internet for news and commentary? What's going to happen when another election is stolen and no one is allowed to speak of it on the net without being fined thousands of dollars for illegal punditry? Is this simply paranoia or is this a real threat to our constitutional right to free speech?

Also, if they manage to successfully attack the net, can we export our blogging to servers in other countries? Would the fines/penalties still be applied if the server is in another country? Should we start looking for web servers in Russia or China to voice our American opinions?

The blogosphere is now a new political propaganda tool for them, doncha know? Checked out Gannon/Guckert's new site? He's spinning lies just like Novak, distorting what Greenspan said about SS.

the left at the very top of your screen, we already are underground. ROTFLMAO. Okay, I'm being a smart ass tonight. I couldn't resist. Sorry You mean we go further underground. I get it. Do you have a shovel? Or a back hoe? Ah, hell, they'll probably kill us all before then anyhow. They look at us like we are cockroaches. They really do. The way they talk about us is absolutely blood thirsty. I live amidst Freepers. Those people on Free Republic are TAME and MILD in comparison to the real deal. They want us dead or beaten beyond belief. We should definitely go undergroun, deeper, that is. And start speaking in math. They aren't smart enough to even do math. I can be taught math, I've discovered. Does that mean I've evolved a little?

They can just issue them journalism credentials like they did to Gannon/Guckart. The FreeRepublic could be set up as a news organization because it voices "mainstream" views in an open and honest forum while us conspiracy thoerist over here at the DU are simply muckracking hacks.

How can they stop us?

They could shut down the DU completely if the want to by fining the people who run it to the point they can no longer afford to own it. They could essentially shut down Gov Deans entire web-based progressive movement in one swift stoke of a pen.

Think of the Meet-ups. These could be considered campaign contributions. Think of the petitions and the e-mail campaigns. This could be a real threat.

the law, the third reich has arrived in America.

because blogs attract people who think for themselves,Democrats and Republicans,and I'll bet our blogs will attract way more Republicans than the neocon blogs will .

subversive and plotting against the government.

Hey Mister Tambourine Man and Puff the Magic Dragon. Remember that movie where they discussed ways to discuss a subject using slang, code, or otherwise nonrelated words or phrases. We'll have to develop a code. Maybe a numbering system. If one DU'er who is influencial enough and popular enough came up with a number/letter code and passed it on privately, maybe we could all still stick together like frick and frack. Who were frick and frack anyhow?

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-fri1.htm

The origin is ultimately in a famous partnership of Swiss comedy ice skaters, Werner Groebli and Hans Mauch, whose stage names these were. They came to public fame in the later years of a series of skating spectaculars called Ice Follies, promoted by Eddie Shipstad and his brother Roy, which began in 1936 and ran for almost 50 years. Their association lasted so long, and they were at one time so well known, that their names have gone into the language.

Some care may be needed in using the phrase, as it is said also to be a Black American English slang term for the testicles.

Rock and roll meant sex too. That was in Hairspray and I love John Waters. He concentrates on the stuff from the 60's Baltimore era a lot. That's where I got that. Either Hairspray or Cry Baby. I can't remember. I'm hopped up on cold meds and anything else I can get my hands on. I'm passing out and wired at the same time. Pardon my dead brain cells acting up. I got a cold and I'm whiney. Where is the lady that's always making us drinks and getting us food pictures on here? I want chidken soup and loads more drugs. I'm sorry to ramble.

Next time someone says Frick and Frack, we might be the only people in a hundred mile radius who knows what that means.

To crack down on Blogs is a violation of our civil rights to Free Speech and our right to freedom of assembly. It's preposterous.

Bush's America. They will stop at nothing. Codes will save our hides, I think. We can maybe save the country from total and complete fascist 1984 style domination and control somehow. We already have "newspeak". The fuck is a "homocide bomber" anyhow? All bombs cause homocide. It's newspeak for suicide bombers. I'm still reeling form Misunderestimate and Is our children learning? Come on, we'd be better off to start our own language and keep them from learning what we invent or discover next that they'll take away from us. It's been happening since the dawn of time and fire.

Let's learn a native American tribal languange. I'm up for watching Dances with Wolves a few more times. Oh I mean, Shoemani Toetanka Owachee. ;)

That's not a bad idea. Just might wanna stay away from Navaho. They already know that one. We could be like tri lingual and really perplex their tiny little closed minds this way. I'm gonna watch it again too. Thanks for the idea.

What we should be worrying about is whether we will still have electricity to go online
and dail-up, or cable, to use.

If a billionaire's dollar is devalued he is still a millionaire. If my dollar is devalued, I'm robbing millionaires and ducking the law.

did in WWII. When the Jews were told to wear the Star of David on their armbands, the Dutch all wore armbands.
I the blogs are clamped down on, we all start our own blog. There will be so many blogs in defiance they won't be able to stamp out the fire. Especially if every one takes it to court on the First Amendment right.

The cops will be robbing the millionaries as well,
and the jails are already full to capacity.

The reason Rethugs are talking so tough
is because all they have left is hot air and a mushroom cloud.
Game over.

and then there is no problem. The only point they can regulate is campaign finance.

is protected by the First Amendment. McCain Feingold can't touch that. It's the paid stuff that is the problem. It's copying text from a candidate's website and sending it to your e-mail list that will be a problem. That activity might be considered to be a political donation. Certainly, they can't clamp down on those of us who copy from stories we find in the "legitimate" press and post it and discuss it. That would be a violation, again, of the First Amendment.

McCain Feingold doesn't really work very well. It's too complicated for ordinary people to understand. It has all kinds of pitfalls for the unwary.

Elections should be returned to the people. Every person (meaning humans the only kinds of beings that can vote) should be limited to donating $2,000 per year to any and all political campaigns, not just one campaign. Corporations and other such entities should not be allowed to give money to campaigns directly at all. And all corporations and other such entities (which cannot vote) should have to report any money spent on public policy campaigns, governmental relations including lobbying and wages to people involved in such potentially political activities. They should leave individuals (voters) alone.

Both sides will be pissed off if this would happen. I don't think it will ever work. We'll never let them trash our Constitution that badly.

a professional journalist (20 years in the newspaper biz; now I own my own freelance writing business), am I legit or not?

It's in quotes because there is nothing legitimate about it at all. It's very corrupt nowadays -- illegitimate. It includes everything from the LA Times to the Washington Times -- the kinds of media the reporters represent who get into the White house press corps without a problem.

There are other ways to express opinions without linking to specific web pages without permission. Links are handy, but it's not too hard to google open source material. Of course any result in a search engine is also a link, so that would mean they would have to remove all the campaign web sites from the search engines too. Would they really want that?

...think of flyers at a public forum. You are completely within your rights to hand out flyers of a political nature.

Doing so online is a direct extension of that act, into the Internet realm. It is no different.

Private citizens can hold public discussions (including flyers, contact info, etc.) about political issues in this society.

This proposal would undo that, likely enforced for one party in particular more than the others (although there would be some show of neutrality).

into our hearts and minds?
As soon as we voice our opinions to each other, Rovevien plots can be developed to counter-act anything we plan, as I'm sure he and his minions study all the progressive sites.
I think codes are a good idea, though my math is rather bad.:tinfoilhat: