Actually, you're OK unless you got paid to post your opinion here.
The headline is inaccurate and alarmist. The bill refers specifically to "PAID attempts to influence the general public or segments thereof," and defines how much dinero qualifies for the "paid" crowd, so it does not apply to people who maintain non-profit personal blogs or offer their opinions gratuitously on internet bulletin boards.
On the other hand, one must note that if the bill is interpreted literally, legitimate media figures ranging from columnist/advocates like George Will to comic/advocates like George Carlin to major opinion-shapers like Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh could conceivably have to register as "lobbyists," since they earn a living by attempting to influence more than 500 people on matters of public policy!
He absolutely did break plenty of laws, and was convicted of doing so. Hell, he may hold the all-time record for felonies by one man, but his conviction was (rightfully) overturned because the immunized testimony he previously had given to Congress obviously prejudiced the criminal jury.
In Congress, he admitted conducting secret foreign policy behind the president's back and in violation of the Borland Amendment. He also claimed lapses of memory - hundreds of times, as I recall - an amazingly poor mind for a guy who graduated first in his class at Annapolis and later got a Ph.D. in Physics!
The point is, however, that a person does not have to testify against himself in a criminal court, for the very reason that juries tend to be prejudiced by hundreds of incidents of memory lapse or pleading thr fifth. Irrespective of the law, juries tend to see this as weaselly, criminal behavior. The fact that he had proved himself to be a weasel so very publicly made it impossible to get an unbiased jury.
The prosecutors appealed the appeal to the Supreme Court, asking for the jury's conviction to be restored, but the Ultimate Ninesome refused to hear the case, and Poindexter's conviction remained overturned.
He is legally "not guilty", but he admitted some crimes, was convicted of still others, and may be guilty of far, far greater ones. (People say he was masterminding a drug-selling operation, the profits of which went to finance the Contras. He was never formally accused of this.)
By the way, the e-mail between Ollie North and Poindexter, which they thought was destroyed, was backed up on the government's computer system, finally became public five years after the trials, and is now publicly available in a book as well as on some web sites.
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Wow! I didn't know TB-L was such a serious drug abuser. Didn't he used to be connected to reality? I hope he can get treatment.
Actually, you're OK unless you got paid to post your opinion here. The headline is inaccurate and alarmist. The bill refers specifically to "PAID attempts to influence the general public or segments thereof," and defines how much dinero qualifies for the "paid" crowd, so it does not apply to people who maintain non-profit personal blogs or offer their opinions gratuitously on internet bulletin boards. On the other hand, one must note that if the bill is interpreted literally, legitimate media figures ranging from columnist/advocates like George Will to comic/advocates like George Carlin to major opinion-shapers like Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh could conceivably have to register as "lobbyists," since they earn a living by attempting to influence more than 500 people on matters of public policy!
He absolutely did break plenty of laws, and was convicted of doing so. Hell, he may hold the all-time record for felonies by one man, but his conviction was (rightfully) overturned because the immunized testimony he previously had given to Congress obviously prejudiced the criminal jury. In Congress, he admitted conducting secret foreign policy behind the president's back and in violation of the Borland Amendment. He also claimed lapses of memory - hundreds of times, as I recall - an amazingly poor mind for a guy who graduated first in his class at Annapolis and later got a Ph.D. in Physics! The point is, however, that a person does not have to testify against himself in a criminal court, for the very reason that juries tend to be prejudiced by hundreds of incidents of memory lapse or pleading thr fifth. Irrespective of the law, juries tend to see this as weaselly, criminal behavior. The fact that he had proved himself to be a weasel so very publicly made it impossible to get an unbiased jury. The prosecutors appealed the appeal to the Supreme Court, asking for the jury's conviction to be restored, but the Ultimate Ninesome refused to hear the case, and Poindexter's conviction remained overturned. He is legally "not guilty", but he admitted some crimes, was convicted of still others, and may be guilty of far, far greater ones. (People say he was masterminding a drug-selling operation, the profits of which went to finance the Contras. He was never formally accused of this.) By the way, the e-mail between Ollie North and Poindexter, which they thought was destroyed, was backed up on the government's computer system, finally became public five years after the trials, and is now publicly available in a book as well as on some web sites.