The American Mind

The FEC regulating webloggers seems to be in order.

Draft rules from the Federal Election Commission, which enforces campaign finance laws, would require that paid political advertisements on the Internet declare who funded the ad, as television spots do.

Similar disclaimers would be placed on political Web sites, as well as on e-mails sent to people on purchased lists containing more than 500 addresses. The FEC also is considering whether to require Web loggers, called bloggers, to disclose whether they get money from a campaign committee or a candidate and to reveal whether they are being paid to write about certain candidates or solicit contributions on their behalf.

These rules would not affect citizens who don’t take money from political action committees or parties.

So if TAM is fortuate enough in the future to get political ads I’ll be drowned in FEC compliance. Thanks guys. Way to uphold the free speech rights of passionate, concerned citizens.

Here’s how I’d get around these rules:

1. Publiclly announce I’m ending all weblogging and turning things over to an anoynmous writer.
2. Move TAM to an off-shore web server far away from the FEC’s clutches.
3. Post anoynmously through annonymizers.
4. If I’m questioned by government officials I won’t lie to them. That’s the one lesson everyone to take from Martha Stewart’s trial. Instead, I’ll simply plead my Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

My plan doesn’t stop legal costs from incurring. I’m not a lucky weblogging power broker like Kos who can get lawyer to file a comment for him. But it would be a big middle finger to the FEC, Sens. McCain and Feingold, and President Bush who signed the damn campaign finance bill.

“FEC Treads into Sticky Web of Political Blogs” [via Scared Monkeys]