Eclectic Echoes

Senate passes Do-Not-Call Legislation

The House passed the bill 412–8, the Senate passed it 95–0, President Bush says he will sign it. 51 million phones out of 166 million land line phones and 150 million cell-phones, in the US are signed up. But, wait a minute, a second Judge (this time in Denver, CO) has blocked the Do-Not-Call list on the basis of free speech. Saying that the FTC is discriminating between charitable speech and commercial speech, the FTC is possibly violating the telemarketers right to free speech. Rep Tauzin quipped that “We should probably call the bill ?This Time We Really Mean It Act? to cure any myopia in the judicial branch. The bill leaves no doubt as to the intent of Congress.?

I wonder exactly how fast a constitutional ammendment could be passed?

Other questions:

Do (should) corporations have the all the same rights as individual citizens (e.g. free speech )

Is it an issue of free speech when the system is paid for largely by the consumer ?

how is this different from prohibiting solicitors in an apartment complex or eek business complex.

Of course I also have to ask, why can’t Congress move this efficiently on other issues, many of which have far greater importance than stopping telemarketing scum from interrupting our evenings.

Full story at MSNBC found via /.