The FEC exempted the Internet from the McCain-Feingold law, because they felt that Congress's omission of the Internet from the definition of “public communications” was not incidental and that Congress felt that the Internet should not be subject to the same restrictions that are applied to other public communications via McCain-Feingold.

Interestingly, in a recent House Administration hearing, most members present seemed to agree with the FEC. In the Rules Committee meeting which decided how this bill was going to be voted on, Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) pulled for the bill to be voted on as a suspension bill — because the bill would be so uncontroversial.

Little did they know that so many Members would object to it; Barney Frank (D-MA) on the fact that it was brought as a suspension, and Marty Meehan (D-MA) on its merits. Meehan argued that the bill would open the floodgates to unlimited corporate and union money being spent on Internet activities to benefit federal candidates and in coordination with federal candidates.

See the the bill

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 07:25:18 PM



IRS Sends Letter to Church for Sermon Opposing War
From the LA Times:

The Internal Revenue Service has warned one of Southern California's largest and most liberal churches that it is at risk of losing its tax-exempt status because of an antiwar sermon two days before the 2004 presidential election. Rector J. Edwin Bacon of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena told many congregants during morning services Sunday that a guest sermon by the church's former rector, the Rev. George F. Regas, on Oct. 31, 2004, had prompted a letter from the IRS.

In his sermon, Regas, who from the pulpit opposed both the Vietnam War and 1991's Gulf War, imagined Jesus participating in a political debate with then-candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry. Regas said that "good people of profound faith" could vote for either man, and did not tell parishioners whom to support.

But he criticized the war in Iraq, saying that Jesus would have told Bush, "Mr. President, your doctrine of preemptive war is a failed doctrine. Forcibly changing the regime of an enemy that posed no imminent threat has led to disaster."

On June 9, the church received a letter from the IRS stating that "a reasonable belief exists that you may not be tax-exempt as a church … " The federal tax code prohibits tax-exempt organizations, including churches, from intervening in political campaigns and elections.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 03:40:38 PM

Tuesday, November 01, 2005