honor no other God. For this religiouspractice, Newmeyer and Braunstein were jailed and are nowsuing. FREE SPEECH: We find that technology has giventhe government an excuse to interfere with free speech.Claiming that radio frequencies are a limited resource, thegovernment tells broadcasters what to say (such as newsand public and local service programming) and what not tosay (obscenity, as defined by the Federal CommunicationsCommission [FCC]). The FCC is investigating Boston PBSstation WGBH-TV for broadcasting photographs from theMapplethorpe exhibit. FREE SPEECH: There are also lawsto limit political statements and contributions to politicalactivities. In 1985, the Michigan Chamber of Commercewanted to take out an advertisement supporting a candidatein the state house of representatives. But a 1976 Michiganlaw prohibits a corporation from using its general treasuryfunds to make independent expenditures in a politicalcampaign. In March, the Supreme Court upheld that law.According to dissenting Justice Kennedy, it is now a felonyin Michigan for the Sierra Club, the American Civil LibertiesUnion, or the Chamber of Commerce to advise the publichow a candidate voted on issues of urgent concern to theirmembers. FREE PRESS: As in speech, technology hasprovided another excuse for government intrusion in thepress. If you distribute a magazine electronically and do notprint copies, the government doesn't consider you a pressand does not give you the same protections courts haveextended to printed news. The equipment used to publishPhrack, a worldwide electronic magazine about phones andhacking, was confiscated after publishing a document copiedfrom a Bell South computer entitled "A Bell South StandardPractice (BSP) 660-225-104SV Control OfficeAdministration of Enhanced 911 Services for SpecialServices and Major Account Centers, March, 1988." All ofthe information in this document was publicly available fromBell South in other documents. The gov...
