The First Amendment Applies Online, Too!

There has been much talk about determining how

much leeway political speech, or at least that from

certain quarters, should have online. Some people

(mainly those to the left of center) think that conser-

vatives have too much of a presence in cyberspace,

and that regulations of some sort will guarantee

other voices (again, mainly lefties) will have 

supposedly equal access and forum for their views.

But consider the following:

Ten years ago, The Federal Election Commission (FEC)

pondered whether it should regulate political content

posted on the Internet. In 2006 the commission 

unanimously approved a rule which freed the great

majority of political commentary on the Internet from

governmental regulation. This rule, casually known as

the Internet Freedom Rule, exempted all political

commentary distributed online for free by citizens

and groups alike, whether in e-mail or on blogs,

websites, or social media websites such as Facebook,

Twitter, and such. The commission retained jurisdiction 

over just a few limited areas: political parties, political

campaigns, and political action committees, and all others

who posts electoral advocacy online for an advertising fee.

This rule empowered millions of citizens to speak widely

as bloggers (like your favorite Peasant!), podcasters, 

YouTube posters, and such, reaching a nationwide audience.

New political communities have been formed online.

Political speech flourished as a result, with the Internet

becoming the nation's town hall, if you will.

But liberals have begun to call for investigations of 

conservative groups for posting political videos on 

YouTube without first reporting them to the FEC. 

The commission voted to investigate one such group,

voting along party/ideological lines; the two Republicans

voted no, the two Democrats and the lone independent

voted yes. This case generated a wave of protest from

citizens wanting the Internet to remain unfettered

by regulation, with nearly 2,000 comments submitted 

to the FEC to that effect. 

The FEC should stick to their 2006 rule and expand 

Internet freedom, for the low cost of a personal computer

and a monthly connectivity charge, people can reach

millions of people. The Internet has been a force for 

democracy for modern journalism, enabling so many

people to become online publishers of opinions and

ideas. Furthermore, the FEC has no authority to regulate

political speech for the purpose of limiting same, except

for regard to large monetary contributions that have 

corruptive potential. Also, citizens have the right and 

the ability to seek the viewpoints that they want to hear from. 

Government should not be allowed to impose regulatory 

hurdles to the ability to access these viewpoints. This would,
of course, fly in the face of the First Amendment.

Finally, the FEC would have no effective means of 

monitoring the Internet to find posts meriting its investigative

eye. And that is a good thing, lest the dread chill of govern-

mental presence be at the backs of all those who wish to

share political ideas and opinions. This is what happens

in countries with totalitarian governments. And for this reason

alone FEC regulation of content on the Internet, to the degree 

which some in our country would like to see, should never

be implemented nor encouraged.

If we are to remain a free country, we must foster and maintain

open channels of communication. To do anything to the contrary 

would undermine one of our most important freedoms: freedom

of speech. 

MEM

On Which Side is the Grass Greener?

Your favorite Peasant has a running battle, a friendly one
mind, going with a friend from my days in Minnesota
where I attended college and lived for twenty years
after my four years at the University of Saint Thomas
in Saint Paul. My friend, who still lives there, needles me
with articles which compare my Wisconsin, my once and
again home state with Minnesota on subjects such as
business climate, economy, quality of life, and so forth.
I came home to Wisconsin because, most of all, I missed
the warmth and genuineness of the people in the Badger State.
Besides, the people here, except for Madison and some
Milwaukee neighborhoods, are not reflexively politically
liberal --- that is to say that they are not knee-jerk about
their politics, unlike more than a few Minnesotans I have met.
I'm talking about a state that has gone Republican just once
in the presidential elections since 1932, almost three-quarters
of a century!

Anyway, I came across a recent guest editorial piece in the
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this week, written by Kurt R.
Bauer, President and CEO of Wisconsin Manufacturers &
Commerce. This gentleman pointed out the contrasts in the
economies of Wisconsin and Minnesota, and how each state
compares as a result. Bauer states that it is far too early to
tell how effective Wisconsin's Gov. Scott Walker's business-
friendly reforms have impacted the state's long-term economic
competitiveness. Bauer did state, however, that Walker was
hampered greatly in his first term by the left-wing protests
and the recall election that took place just two years after
first being elected.

But many indicators are optimistic on Wisconsin's future
economic prospects. Business optimism is very high, and
many leading rankings on economic outlook as well as
business climate have improved greatly since Walker took
office in 2011, taking over from a spendthrift Democrat
governor who even raided the state transportation fund
to spend that money on programs unrelated to transportation.
By comparison, Minnesota has not fared quite as well in
these rankings.

Now, Bauer does aver that Wisconsin does trail the North
Star State in some economic metrics; Minnesota has more
corporate headquarters, higher per capita income, a lower
unemployment rate, and a better educated population. But
the last measure is largely due to the fact that the Twin Cities
(Saint Paul and Minneapolis) were not part of the Great
Migration of people moving up from the south to get work
in the factories. Milwaukee, Beloit, and Racine, Bauer states,
were adversely affected by the loss of manufacturing jobs
in the 1970s and '80s when those jobs went overseas, and many
of the people left behind never made it back to the same
economic footing that they had when they had these jobs.
This phenomenon was not as prevalent in Minnesota.

Also, those well-schooled in technology (read: computers) and
in finance have largely chosen Minnesota over Wisconsin as
their career destinations, hence the edge Minnesota has over
my Badger State in education (your studious Peasant's
observation). However, the overall quality of education in the
colleges and universities in each state are running neck-and-neck.
Bauer also notes that the Twin Cities are a big draw for these
young and budding professionals in his article.

However, Wisconsin has a definite advantage over their western
neighbor in that it has a fully funded state employment pension
fund. Also, Wisconsin's taxes are declining while Minnesota
Gov. Mark Dayton, a stoutly liberal Democrat, has taxes on the
rise in his state. Moreover, Dayton has increased the costs of
doing business in Minnesota while Walker has taken same in
the opposite direction in Wisconsin. Furthermore, when
Wisconsin recently became a right-to-work state, that left
Minnesota surrounded on three sides by states considered by
business observers as being more business-friendly, making
Minnesota stand out in a negative way.

A note to my friend, who is also an avid reader of this blog:
Wisconsin's improving business climate will lead to a better
economy for Wisconsin. My state realizes this truth and is
acting upon it. Minnesota seems to not be cognizant of the
benefits of making itself more business-friendly, and that is
to its peril. You may want to begin looking at the online
versions of my state's newspapers' jobs sections and circle
some leads!


MEM

The Milwaukee Irish Fest was Grand!

Your part-Hibernian Peasant enjoyed Milwaukee's Irish Fest,
gathering with family and friends during this, my annual
Irish vacation. It's so wonderful, having an Irish vacation
without actually leaving the country --- although one day I
shall do precisely that! Visiting Ireland has always been a
dream of mine; I have visited Great Britain and much of
continental Europe, and have enjoyed every place I saw,
but I won't rest until I've been to The Emerald Isle,
where I have many relatives. I shall of course visit them,
and will take in some of the historic sights of Eire, including
some of the touristy-type attractions, camera in hand.

But for now, going to Milwaukee's Irish Fest is a real treat!
Our fest is the biggest Irish Festival in the world, so if you
want to enjoy more of Irish culture you'll have to visit
dear of Ireland itself!

It was great to be at the Milwaukee Irish Fest, and it's great to
be back with you, my beloved readers!


MEM

Br. Gregory Conant, R.I.P.

My grand readers, your sorrowful Peasant wishes
to announce the passing of a truly God and country
gentleman. A loyal servant of God, a staunch patriot,
and a beloved family member, my cousin Br. Gregory
Conant, passed away peacefully after several years of
declining health in Still River, Massachusetts on July 23
at the age of 87.

Having received the calling to serve as a monk when he
was sixteen years of age, Brother Gregory also had a great
love of country. He first enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard a
year later, concealing his true age, then followed this stint with
enlistment in the U.S. Army, serving in Korea during the
war there as a communications specialist. Never a fan of
communism, he came to loathe it even more as a result
of his experiences in the Korean War, seeing the devastation
and misery it had wreaked upon the Korean people. After
his military service, he then began his training for his
holy vocation.

A proud conservative, both politically and religiously,
and staunchly pro-life, Brother Gregory was an activist
on all these fronts, making both friends and enemies
with his outspokenness and forthrightness. Your proud
Peasant was in agreement with Brother Gregory on
every subject but one: he would constantly badger me to
enter the seminary and become a priest or a brother.
It was an issue on which we had more discussions than I
can recall, and had clashed rather heatedly on a few times
as well. But in the end, my cousin acknowledged my need
to go in the direction I felt compelled to go, to establish
and maintain a career in business while devoting time to
politics as well, and we remained close friends as well as
close relatives in the years that passed. And now my
dear cousin has passed as well.

Bold, forthright, redoubtable, passionate, outspoken,
irrepressible, and unapologetic, Brother Gregory was
an advocate for his faith, his country, and the improvement
of the human condition --- spiritually, physically, and
morally. Would that we had public servants with his
courage, his conviction, and his outspokenness.
Come to think of it, the Catholic Church could use a few
more hearty souls like my cousin as well.

Rest in peace, Brother Gregory. We'll see each other again
when I'm called up yonder.


MEM

It's Time For My Annual Irish Vacation!

My dear readers, your beloved Peasant is going
to take another break this month, as August is the
month in which the Milwaukee Irish Fest takes place.
Therefore, I shall not be posting anything this week
but for this notice.

I shall be getting together with family and friends,
from Ireland as well as from around the country and
of course here in Milwaukee. The festival goes from
Thursday, August 13 through Sunday, August 16.
If any of you are going to be in Milwaukee during
this time frame, come to our Irish Fest! You'll have
so much to see and do; Irish music from performers
from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Canada, the U.S.,
wherever there is Celtic culture --- Irish dishes,
Irish whiskies, Irish theater, discussions on Irish
history and politics, the great and wickedly fast
Irish sport of hurling, a sailing regatta, a tug-of-war
tournament, Irish show dogs, and oh so much more!

For more information visit www.irishfest.com/ .
By the by, check out The High Kings in concert!
They are a hot (and growing hotter!) Irish
singing group of four ridiculously talented singers/
musicians from Ireland who have taken the United
States by storm! And one of the High Kings,
Finbarr Clancy, is a cousin! No blarney!

Meanwhile, do visit National Review Online
for your week's dose of conservative observation
and commentary on the latest political news.

www.nationalreview.com/

The Peasant shall return after the Milwaukee Irish Fest!
God bless!


MEM

The Peasant Recharges His Batteries

Your faithful Peasant is going on a trip to visit
some family members who live in another part
of Wisconsin, so while I am away please enjoy
these wonderful online publications until my return.
Their links are to be found below. I shall be leaving
on my trip in two days from today, so I want to get
this notice to you, my wonderful readers at this time.

Thank you all for your readership, your friendship,
and your encouragement in my efforts to bring you
the sharpest, most concise, most on-the-mark
commentary on the political and economic news
of the day! I shall be back before you know it,
well-rested and ready to roll!

God bless!


MEM


National Review Online
www.natioanlreview.com/

Newsmax
www.newsmax.com/

Reason
www.reason.com/

Freedom Weekly
www.freedomweekly.com/

Theodore Bikel, R.I.P.

Theodore Bikel, Austrian-born folk singer, actor,
and human rights activist, passed away recently
at the age of 91.

Best known for playing Tevye in the Broadway
production of "Fiddler On The Roof", and a veteran
of many other theatrical productions as well as
film and television, Bikel was also an outspoken,
indefatigable human rights activist who had protested
at the Soviet and South African embassies in the days
that the Soviet Union and Apartheid existed, getting
arrested at both places.

Your appreciative Peasant had the opportunity to hear
Bikel fifteen years ago when he was on the lecture
circuit, and found him to be all that he was made out
to be, and more besides. Warm, genuine, caring, witty,
and even handy with a song (he sang a couple of
Hebrew hymns), Bikel captivated the entire audience
that evening! My only regret is that I didn't get to meet
him and tell him directly how much I enjoyed his lecture,
his theatrical work, his singing, and his efforts to improve
the human condition for all, especially for those whose
conditions were made intolerable and unbearable by tyrants,
be they fascist, communist, or any other terrible
variety of freedom-squelching ideology.  Bikel played
no favorites but for his preference for humanity, for
human beings to live free and thrive. He was also a strong
opponent of capital punishment, be it for political
opponents of a corrupt government or for those guilty
of violent, non-political crimes. Bikel, no softie on crime,
believed in sentencing which could be amended or
reversed in the event of new evidence coming to light
proving the innocence of, or at least the doubt of the guilt,
of the accused.

Theodore Bikel was as much at home singing with his
fellow folk singer friends which included the Clancy
Brothers and Tommy Makem, Odetta, and many other
of his contemporaries as he was protesting the
unjust treatment of someone somewhere in the world.
Bikel was a great soul with a great voice and a great
presence. He shall be greatly missed.

Rest in Peace, Theo.


MEM