True North

Thanks to this post on Huffington Post, Michele Bachmann's Emergency House Call event is helping to expose the corrupt House rules. First a little background is required.

CREW is asking for an investigation into whether the event violated this House rule:

In a letter sent to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), CREW contends that Bachmann violated House rules by using her official member's website to garner "grassroots lobbying" for the health care protest in question.

The Members' Handbook specifies: The content of a Member's Website...[may] not include grassroots lobbying or solicit support for a Member's position." CREW argues that Bachmann broke this rule.

Think about what this rule asks. This rule is a violation of Congress's First Amendment rights. Furthermore, this rule restricts or prohibits representatives' ability to tell people to petition their representatives. That's the epitome of arrogance.

Earlier this year, the House and Senate tried prohibiting members from blogging, using YouTube, FaceBook and Twitter. Only our activism prevented that. Still, Speaker Pelosi slipped this rule in with the intent of restricting spontaneous outbursts of We The People.

What's the purpose of this rule if not censorship? Speaker Pelosi and her tyrant minions have a history of trying to silence their opponents. It isn't surprising that they've instituted a rule that attempts to limit Congress's free speech rights.

Comments welcome at LFR.