Perri Nelson's Website 

Crooks and liars

It's a truism isn't it that all politicians are liars? The left is very fond of the claim that "Bush Lied, People Died", even though it's been refuted many times. We all know that President Clinton lied. In fact he committed perjury. Of course he was "only lying about sex", so it wasn't a big deal. Heck, the media even praised him for his ability to lie smoothly.

People expect politicians to lie. Campaign promises are made to be broken. Candidates regularly inflate their resumes. Elected officials lie about their records and the records of their rivals all of the time.

The truth can be a very elusive thing in politics. Speaking the truth about a politician can even get you in trouble with the Federal Elections Commission if you do it in the sixty days prior to an election. We have the "corruption" of our elected officials to blame for that. After all, the corruption of public officials was one of the primary arguments that Sen. McCain used to advance the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law.

Politicians though have always been above such things. Censorship and the suppression of citizens' rights to free speech is necessary to avoid corrupting influences in politics. It doesn't matter which side of the political aisle you're on.

As an example, consider the ill-fated immigration reform bill. People that read it recognized it for what it was… amnesty for illegal immigrants. Talk show hosts and bloggers spoke out against it, and their voice was heard… by the people. The people overwhelmed their Senators with phone calls, email and faxes urging them to defeat the amnesty bill.

What was the Senators' response? They complained that the people were "unduly" trying to influence them. They argued for restrictions on talk radio, because Rush Limbaugh was trying to run the country. The so-called "fairness" doctrine reared its ugly head once again.

Never mind the fact that the first amendment to the constitution says (emphasis added):

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Despite these words, which were intended to protect the political speech of the people, our politicians have time and time again placed restrictions on political speech. The excuse is that they want to avoid the appearance of corruption, and the supreme court has swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.

So what do you think happened when the state of Washington enacted a law that banned politicians from intentionally lying about their opponents?

Well of course it was challenged.

Last Thursday, the supreme court of the state of Washington handed down its decision. Like so many court decisions these days, it was a split decision. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that by a vote of 5—4 the justices decided that lying in political campaigns is protected speech.

"The notion that the government, rather than the people, may be the final arbiter of truth in political debate is fundamentally at odds with the First Amendment," Justice Jim Johnson wrote in the majority opinion.

The dissent called the decision "an invitation to lie with impunity."

It's not often that I find myself agreeing with the American Civil Liberties Union, but this is one of those occasions. This was a victory for free speech. The government has no business regulating political speech.

Now if only Sen. McCain and a few other Senators that don't like it when the people speak could be convinced of that.

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Angel responded with:

great find perri and theyre gunning for talk radio with the fairness doctrine too!

Karl responded with:

Very well said