Ruling Could Unleash Flood of Campaign Cash

[CaptainHaplo]

Platypus - how familiar are you with the Bill of Rights, and its stated purpose?

Specifically, the Bill of Rights was proposed and adopted to protect INDIVIDUAL rights further than the unamended constitution provided for.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

This says clearly that free speech is a right that the government cannot restrict. However, can a corporation talk? Can a union? Yes and no. The amendment clearly speaks to this - the RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. It thus says that if a UNION wants to have a large group of protestors outside congress - then the government cannot restrict that right provided they protest peaceably. Thus in that case those assembling are of a LIKE MIND - and are protected regardless of which side of an issue they are on. However - a COMPANY or UNION who sends a representative to congress to LOBBY, or pays for an ad supporting a specific candidate - cannot honestly claim to have everyone in the "group" fully in support. This lobbyist protectionism is not the purpose of the First Amendment. Its intent as history shows given the debates when it was adopted - show that the entire Bill of Rights was an addendum to the constitution as an additional protection for one group and only one group - the PEOPLE of the US.