Freedom Wins in case over Campaigning - Citizens United v. FEC

Thanks to the McCain–Feingold Act (Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002), the established corporate news media can do something you cannot. They can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to communicate about politicians, campaigns, and issues. This gives the media an advantage when it comes to informing the public as to what your choices are when it comes to Public elections. They rarely include real people who are considered underdogs, in favor of the very career politicians that create these kinds of freedom limiting laws.

To gain an even better understanding of these kinds of campaign finance laws please watch the following 4-minute video:

Most cases against the campaign finance laws have focused on the freedom of speech, but these challenges have always been denied by the courts, under the perverse reasoning that "money isn't speech." However, a 2003 case, Ron Paul v. FEC, argued that the freedom of the press is a right that must be protected for all Americans, not only for those who run media businesses. The claim was denied, but that was only the beginning . . .

A co-plaintiff in the 2003 case, Citizens United, renewed the fight last year. They challenged campaign finance provisions that prohibited them from broadcasting a movie they had made about Hillary Clinton, who was then running for President.

On January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment freedom of speech guarantee prohibits the Government from enforcing any financial restrictions limiting core political speech involving elections based on a speaker’s corporate identity. The Supreme Court restored some of your ability to join with others in order to better exercise your freedoms of association, of speech, and of the press.

However, there are still many more media lies that need to be corrected, more taxpayers need to be educated about the true causes of government corruption, and why campaign finance laws like McCain-Feingold are not a cure, but a cause. There are still many other incumbent protection laws that make it difficult to fire members of Congress, and limit your rights of association, of speech, and of the press.

Benafiting from Hard Work...

Who wants to work hard to earn a living and build up wealth in today's work of government taxing the rich more heavily, and giving bailouts to anyone who fails or can't make it on their own?

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Maybe instead we should force people into our way of thinking with ideas of extremists:



Or just rush head on into socialism and let the government do everything for us and to us:

LDS Chruch Sends Food and Medical Supplies to Haiti

On 13 January 2010 The LDS Church released the following statement regarding the earthquake in Haiti:

We express our sympathy and prayers on behalf of the citizens of Haiti following the recent devastating earthquake. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is immediately shipping humanitarian relief, including personal hygiene kits and supplies for newborns. Efforts are underway to determine further humanitarian response in coordination with government and disaster relief organizations. Donations for relief efforts can be made at http://give.lds.org/emergencyresponse.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been working diligently since the disaster to provide aid to the people of Haiti through its humanitarian aid program. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of relief supplies have arrived already, and more are being shipped.

In a statement published on the Church’s official Web site, Church President Thomas S. Monson and counselors Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf appealed to church members to help the people in Haiti, noting that more aid is needed. Thanks to those donations and the efforts of the Church, three air shipments of aid provided by the Church have arrived and are being used in Haiti included a total of nearly 225,000 pounds of relief supplies. The Church provided the transportation for one of those flights, and CARE and United Airlines provided transport for the other two.

Islamic Relief USA, has donated the cost of transporting additional supplies via the Dominican Republic to Haiti, and has also been distributing clean drinking water to Haitians in Port-au-Prince. These shipments will include another 160,000 pounds of supplies donated by the Church, including medical equipment, blankets, quilts, first aid kits, water filtration bottles, wheelchairs, and special kits designed to help with newborn and hygiene needs. Pallets of supplies specially designed for orphanages will also be in the shipment.

In addtion to the supplies, a team of Latter-day Saint doctors are already on the ground in Haiti assisting in the recovery effort, and 5,000 Haitians are being sheltered at Church buildings throughout Port-au-Prince.

It reminds me of Luke 21:11 were it says "great earthquakes shall be in divers places", as being one of the signs of the Latter Days.

Seth Hollist for Public Office.

Check out Seth's Latest News and Opinion editorials as the Collin County Independent Examiner.

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Some day I hope to to run for office as a Moderately Conservative candidate that's more interested in doing what's right for his constituents, rather then selling out to special interest groups, behind closed doors dealings and a power hungry freedom grabs. Instead I find myself with a deep desire to defend the U.S. Constitution as it was originally intended, instead of trying to re-interpret based on what happens to be trendy for the day. I also don't find myself being particularly strong towards one party or another as they all seem to think they same type of government is good at all levels, as apposed to me, who believes that government has different rolls at different levels: for example, a Federal/National/World Government is there to set standards that insure the States work together as a single unified nation while protecting the nation as a whole from destructive outside influences; beyond this any Federal government should be very limited as to it's influences upon the States. The States should be more moderate in providing social services to it's people, and enabling the local and county governments to organize community efforts to look after each other.

This is in contrast to the Republicans who tend to like big government (even under Ronald Regan the size of the federal government grew in some ways) so long as it benefits free enterprise and their own "conservative" views of socially acceptable behaviors and morality. While I certainly think that a moral nation will be more prosperous with less social unrest, I believe more strongly in one's ability to chose for one's self, and do not believe any amount of government controls or laws can ultimately keep a society moral but should rather be focused on protecting life liberty and the pursuit of happiness (but providing no guarantees to any).

My ideas also contrast the Democrats in that I do not believe it's the Federal governments roll to protect the individual, nor provide anything for them. Rather I believe these should provided on a limited basis by the States, and to a greater degree by local governments and communities. After all, it's not truly charity if you are forced into it, and I believe we would all be more generous, giving, and moral as a society if we had a bigger stake in taking care of our fellow neighbors, rather then paying someone else to do it for us.

If I could, I would be a member of the Constitution Party (they certainly think I am), on a national level if they didn't seem so self righteous about certain aspects of their party platform. However, on a State and local level, I would probably differ from them to some degree.

Libertarians have some good ideas, but they often take them too far and ignore the importance of some of the things that Federal government does to provide standards and order to the nation as a whole. They also ignore the importance of the Federal government being at least moderately involved in international affairs as part of it's efforts to promote world peace and protect the nation from destructive out-side forces.

The Green party is focused on things that I believe have been overly exaggerated. While I agree that having clean air and a clean environment improves quality of life for everyone, it has to be balanced with reality and a sense that Man is also a part of nature as the dominate creature on this earth. I believe we are meant to take care of this earth, and use it to our benefit while maintaining those uses and it's resources for the future.

Other parties just don't have enough of a presence in the political spectrum to have gotten my attention.

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Check out some of my other posts on this blog:

The Clean Slate Amendment

Bad Gun Laws

Affirmative Action Abolished

Separation Church and State

The Importance of Self Governance

The Problem with Politics

Who's Rich Enough to Be Taxed

Bailouts R us vs. Inflation

My commentary on the 2009 Presidential Inauguration

Seth.Hollist.org Moves to Spaldam's Rants

- Posted by Seth Hollist

LDS Chruch Presidency gives Christmas Message

The 2009 Christmas Message of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints, was presented on Sunday to millions around the glob.

President Thomas S. Monson reminisced about Christmases past and urged those in attendance to remember the spirit of the season saying, "Finding the real joy of the season comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done or in the purchasing of obligatory gifts,” said President Monson. “Real joy comes as we show the love and compassion inspired by the Savior of the world, who said, ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me.’"