From the Free Press:
LANSING -- Blogging for Michigan, a liberal blog, is no friend of Senate Republicans. And they want none of it. Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop's chief of staff, Matt Miner, has ordered the Web site blocked from state Senate computers -- an action that has provoked cries of censorship from the liberal blogosphere and Senate Democrats. Republicans say it's a question of appropriate use of Senate equipment.
Democrats say it's a question of free speech and using blogs to communicate with the public. "It's a case of censorship, plain and simple. It's a very dangerous road to go down," Senate Minority Leader Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, said Monday.
:snip:
Senate Democrats have begun a 10-part series on Blogging for Michigan, found at bloggingformichigan.com, to give their slant on various issues.
Miner was not available for comment Monday. Bishop's spokesman, Matt Marsden, said the political content of Blogging for Michigan is "questionable," and that Bishop stands by Miner's decision to impose the ban. "The use of state time and taxpayer money to surf sites that are not applicable to the jobs staff were hired to do is not an acceptable use of state time or funds," Marsden said.
A suit on behalf of the blog by Public Citizen of Washington, D.C., charges that Fletcher's action is unconstitutional. "The worst thing government can do as far as First Amendment violations go is to pick out a particular speaker it doesn't like for special treatment," said Greg Beck, a Public Citizen attorney handling the lawsuit, which is pending.
Michiganliberal.com, a blog more widely read and longer established than the banned one, frequently lashes Republicans but it isn't blocked from Senate access.
Asked why by Michigan Information and Research Service, Miner replied: "Michiganliberal.com doesn't matter. They don't say bad things about us." Senate computers block access to Web sites that promote violence, weapons, drugs, gambling, sexually explicit and personal dating services, said assistant secretary to the Senate Pam Nyquist.
:snip:
Contact CHRIS CHRISTOFF at 517-372-8660 or christoff@freepress.com.
OK, apparently other political sites (read right wing) are NOT a waste of taxpayer dollars. Even one left wing, MichiganLiberal, site was left untouched because apparently:(again bold added for emphasis)
Bishop's chief of staff, Matt Miner, ordered the blog be blocked on Thursday. Other political blogs, such as Michiganliberal.com and Michiganconservative.com, were not blocked. "Michiganliberal.com doesn't matter, they don't say bad things about us," Miner told MIRS, a daily political newsletter
Get that?
No fucking threat to Republicans, No Censorship.
So today, after legal challenges and huge public outcry, he caved. He said, wasting taxpayers money not being productive at work was valid, but never explained why all right leaning sites were not blocked.
Douchebag.
Again from Blogging for Michigan (link above)
After four day of solid pressure from both the left and right side of the political spectrum and those that truly understand the intent and importance of the First Amendment, Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, relented and stopped the illegal censoring of a liberal blog for daring to call him out on his foot-dragging and attempt to hold the state budget hostage for his political gain. Late last Friday Bishop blocked access to the liberal blog "Blogging for Michigan" and only BFM from Senate computers. Bishop and his staffers blamed, depending on who asked and the time of day, that BFM was banned for saying mean things about Republicans or political staffers should not waste government time by reading political content.
So the big question is, do you really think they are not afraid of us?
Do you really think that is not why they bought Markos?
Do you really think that the FOX tirade is not an attempt to come for us?
Yeah, we won a round, but the fact is, how many of you have been blocked from liberal sites at work, yet can get on any red nation one?
The bomb is coming, and we, the plain spoken, blue-speaking, truth speakers will be shrapnel.
Don't be afraid, be very aware.
Lets keep speaking about them trying to silence us, the LAST FREE PRESS!!!!!
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