According to a Fox News report, tonight the Senate passed their controversial "ethics" bill, though without the much-feared (by both liberals and conservatives) restriction on grass-roots lobbying:
The Senate, on a 55-43 vote, approved an amendment pushed by Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, to strip a provision requiring reporting of "grass-roots" lobbying.
Backers said it would shine light on special interest groups that use "hired guns" to organize mass mailings, phone-ins or e-mail campaigns. Opponents, including the American Civil Liberties Union and conservative groups such as the Traditional Values Coalition, argued that it was a free speech issue, discouraging people or groups from organizing petition drives.
Had that provision passed, it would have been yet another serious erosion of the First Amendment, which already took a huge hit with the McCain-Feingold (aka Incumbent Protection) Act a few years ago.
We shouldn't rest easy, though. They might not have got it this time, but liberals and the power-hungry (regardless of whether a D or R follows their name) will undoubtedly try again to silence their critics.
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