Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

Our Constitution’s First Amendment is quite clear:

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.

For the last 30+ years, the liberal left has attempted to redefine it. They want the first portion to read “Separation of church and state.” They also have some problems with the “abridging the freedom of speech” portion. They are now running scared, and the panic is pretty easy to see. They have been quick to point out that people like Michael Moore and Whoopi Goldberg have a right to speak freely. Yet they do not offer the same freedom to the Swift Boat Vets. The Democratic Party embraces Moore, but tells Dubya he must condemn John O’Neill.

The world is changing before our eyes, my friends. No longer do CBS, ABC, NBC, New York Times, Newsweek, and NPR control the flow of information. And they are very afraid. FoxNews has been subject to demands for their license to be revoked. Walter Cronkite has condemned the internet as a haven for misstated facts. Individual bloggers are attacked. John Hinderaker and his crew at Power Line have taken personal hits from the local “major” media. These guys are pretty smart and up to speed on the facts. Not a smart move, in my humble opinion. They’ve have responded, but their antagonist is in hiding.

You cannot view FoxNews regularly and claim they are right-wing. The only reason you might have for doing so is by relativity. They actually employ some conservative reporters and anchors. Nobody else seems to. But they also have a wide range of perspectives represented.

Even the ones who are conservative, though, are professional enough to keep it outside their work. Brit Hume’s interview with John O’Neill was as tough as they get. He asked the questions that needed to be asked. And he didn’t let anything slide. I’d like to see Katie Couric be as demanding with someone like Michael Moore–ain’t gonna happen.

All this is having an effect. Again, Hindrocket takes the lead and points out that the Presidential race is tightening in the Battleground States.

This freedom of speech stuff is pretty good! Look at me. For a few bucks, a (very) little knowledge of HTML and CSS and PRESTO! I can publish my thoughts! The big difference here in Blogsville, though, is that if I say something that isn’t true, someone will point it out. Try that at the LA Times. The “Blogsville Gazette” kept the Trent Lott story going. It has kept the Swift Boat Vets story going–pretty non-partisan if you ask me.

I think the fear you smell belongs to those you would use the political system to control our society rather than be controlled by it. They are the leftist advocacy groups, the liberal politicians, and the mainstream media–both print and electronic. We who edit the “Blogsville Gazette” have another voice which is being heard more and more each day. And it is replacing the voices of those self-important folks who want to control our thoughts.

Lileks, of course, has a good take on it.

No magazine really reflects the world as I see it. They either magnify an interesting portion beyond its importance, or float off into irrelevance. Which is why I prefer the internet. Every day, a thousand pages. We make it. It