The Right Wing

There is an ad out by the group American Issues Project damning Barack Obama for his friendship with Bill Ayers.  The ad is completely truthful and accurate.  Yet due to threats from the Obama campaign news outlets such as Fox and CNN have declined to run the ad.  The Obama campaign has also tried to silence the AIP, a citizen funded and founded group by trying to using the federal government.  They want the Justice Department to prosecute a major AIP donor, a private citizen, for exercising his right to political speech.  Does the silencing of citizenry due to their disagreement and criticism of a government figure sound familiar?  This sort of tactic is reminiscent of the English Monarchy, Communist Russia, Socialist Germany, Fidel Castro, and Red China among others.  This is best said by AIP’s attorney in response to Obama’s attempt to silence free speech.

Finally, Sen. Obama’s presidential campaign has now purchased paid television advertising related to the AIP advertising. Surely, the citizens of America are not in a situation in 2008 where a candidate for President of the United States is permitted to purchase paid advertising on a topic about which a citizens organization, following all applicable laws and regulations, is not allowed to sponsor advertising or if they do will find themselves subject to prosecution by your department. Surely we have not come to a point where the government and its agencies are used to protect presidential candidates from citizens’ speech, essentially destroying the very purpose, meaning and historical essence of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.