We're Not Out of the Woods Yet

The country is better off since the passage of the Bennett Amendment, which removed the grassroots lobbying provisions from the new Lobbying Transparency and Accountability Act.  As you will recall, Harry Reid, the Majority Leader in the Senate, had proposed legislation which would have required churches, nonprofit and other public interest organizations to register as grassroots lobbyists.  This would have been one of the most significant restrictions placed on the freedom of political expression in our Nations history.  We heard from over 100,000 citizens in just a week, expressing concern and outrage over this attempt to silence our voice.  While we are pleased that the Senate bill passed with the grassroots lobbying language removed, trouble looms in the House of Representatives.

Our Government Affairs staff is reporting that in the next several weeks, Speaker Pelosi will be introducing lobbying reform legislation which would include the provision restricting grassroots lobbying activity.  In fact, the plan is that the House would pass the bill with the restrictions and then try to keep the language in legislation when it is conferenced between the House and the Senate.  We were successful in the United States Senate because the American people spoke out and spoke out aggressively.  In fact, what the grassroots lobbying restriction attempted to muzzle was precisely what we utilized to convey the urgency of removing these restrictions, and we were successful in this endeavor.  But now the attention turns to the House of Representatives where those in favor of the legislation have a significant edge over those who are opposed to it.  The Senate is closely divided.  The House of Representatives provides more margin for those who want to stifle speech.

At the very same time this lobbying legislation will be debated in the House, Speaker Pelosi has also allowed Congressman Dennis Kucinich to begin holding hearings on the so-called Fairness Doctrine.  This is yet another attempt to silence conservative and Christian voices in the country.  For instance, our radio broadcast, Jay Sekulow Live!, is carried on approximately 850 stations across the country.  If the Fairness Doctrine were to be implemented, every time we address a major cultural issuewhether it be abortion, matters pertaining to marriage, or judicial nomineesgroups who oppose our position will be entitled to equal time.  Constitutional Attorney Craig Parshall, who serves as General Counsel for the National Religious Broadcasters, said it best:  Frankly, we see it now as a very onerous burden on the freedom to broadcast and, particularly, a threat to religious broadcasting.  Congressman Kucinich is planning on holding hearings during the month of February.  His goal is to implement the Fairness Doctrine.  Any time government has the ability to censor a message broadcast over the airways because of the political ideology or religious perspective, we should be concerned.  In the short period of about three weeks, we are seeing put in place attempts to restrict speech in unprecedented ways.  Whether its through grassroots lobbying regulation, or the return of the Fairness Doctrine, we are poised to see an attempt to silence our voices.  The good news is because of the ability to communicate through the Internet, such as on www.townhall.com, or over the radio and television broadcast airways, our message can go forth, and we can mobilize tens of thousands of Americans who will not tolerate these new attempts at government censorship.

Let us not sit back on our success in defeating the grassroots lobbying provisions in the Senate.  There is much work to be done.  Clearly, we are not out of the woods yet.