Sunday, August 27, 2006

1st Amendment Clobbered; WRTL Files "Mommy, May I?" Petition

In the Regime of Incumbent Protection, anyone wishing to merely mention the name of the Sacred Federal Cows must perform a "Mommy, May I??" dance, groveling before the blackrobes.

So much for the First Amendment in the Feingold Era of "Reform (for the Sake of the Incumbents.)" Therefore:

A pro-life group filed a motion Friday in district court to allow them to air a radio ad calling on Wisconsin citizens to contact Wisconsin Democratic Sens. Russ Feingold and Herbert Kohl and urge them to push the Child Custody Protection Act through conference committee.

Wisconsin Right to Life filed a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in the District Court for the District of Columbia to allow them to air the ad because the state is currently in the blackout period mandated by the McCain/Feingold campaign finance law.

"Because Senator Kohl appears on the primary election ballot, permission is needed from the federal court to air grassroots lobbying ads mentioning his name, even though the radio ad has nothing to do with elections," said James Bopp, Jr. counsel to Wisconsin Right to Life in a statement.

Feingold made damn sure that no one would screw with the Sacred Incumbents:

"Wisconsin Right to Life officials risk jail terms if the radio ad is aired without permission by the federal court," Bopp added. The group plans to run the ad on Sept. 5.

The ad is favorable to Kohl, Lyons said, because it mentions that Kohl voted in favor of the measure. She said no one can claim "the ad is a 'ruse' to defeat" Kohl.

"It is a genuine grassroots lobbying ad that deserves to be aired. It is free speech in its purest form," Lyons concluded.

Free speech? What's THAT?

Sorry. It's the property of the newspapers only. You know--like the one that did NOT run this story.

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