This issue is actually one of a larger context. It has been a topic of EXTREME leftist concern since the “blogosphere” took down one of their mouthpieces, Dan Rather.

What the Limo-Liberals fear more than anything else is a loss of control. This control need and fear is, in the purest sense, at the core of liberalism because the structure of their ideology is antithetical to Freedom. They need to maintain a ruse.

Ask anyone who has lived in, or been subjected to, information controls like former Soviet Union, China, North Korea, and many Middle East nations; they’ll tell you what value exists in communication with like-minded patriots. It is the core of morale.

Progs, leftists, Democrats et al, need to control because the construct of their ideology cannot survive the scrutiny of sunlight. Hence, all of their moves are to restrict free expressions of ideas and information.

Crowdsourcing allows people of specialty and keen understanding to join with others and expose truths. These constructs have made the Mainstream Media irrelevant. New Media is a smorgasbord buffet of information, take what you want, skip what you consider does not provide value. What Feinstein wants is to control the feeder pool of information into the funnel so they can control the type of information available.

Establishing what is and is not acceptable is the foundation to placing restrictions on future moves down the road. Everyone should pay attention.

(Via Gateway Pundit) Senator Feinstein proposed language that she said,”effectively sets up a test for establishing bona fide credentials that make one a legitimate journalist.” Legitimate journalists will be protected. Non-legitimate journalists, like blogs, will not.

When the First Amendment was written, there were no credentials for journalists, no journalism schools, no “professional” journalists. The press was a bunch of guys with printing presses. Benjamin Franklin was one, and he used his to great effect in the cause of freedom. Was he a “legitimate journalist”? Not by Senator Feinstein’s definition. If anything, Benjamin Franklin was more like a blogger than like Feinstein’s “legitimate journalist.”

Why does Sen. Feinstein want to regulate blogs and journalism? Because blogs today are dangerous to people like Sen. Feinstein. Just like printing presses were dangerous to tyrants in the 18th century.

As Samuel Adams said in 1768, “There is nothing so fretting and vexatious, nothing so justly terrible to tyrants, and their tools and abettors, as a free press.” (read more)