mr. speaker , i rise today as a proud cosponsor of h.r. 1606 , the online freedom of speech act , which is bipartisan and bicameral legislation offered by my colleagues , mr. hensarling and mr. wynn , as well as the minority leader of the other body . 
that 's across the aisle support we do n't see often enough these days . 
this bill is designed to protect the free speech rights of americans whose only alleged crime is wanting to use the internet to express their opinions . 
these individuals find themselves in jeopardy because an activist court decided to radically expand the meaning of a law beyond what congress intended . 
the court decided that the fec , the agency in charge of regulating our election laws , was in error when it decided it did not have the authority to require the regulation of free speech on the internet . 
as a result of this ruling , all computer users and bloggers now stand to see their first amendment rights thrown out in the name of `` freedom '' . 
the ruling effectively says that individuals have fewer free speech rights than giant media corporations that pay people to offer their opinions . 
using this twisted logic , large newspapers and media companies oppose this bill because they fear the competition bloggers pose to them . 
i disagree with the mainstream media elites at the washington post and the new york times who seem to think that an unregulated media is dangerous , unless it is them who are being regulated . 
what is disturbing and dangerous to me , and to the constituents i represent in this house , is the ease with which so many advocate government regulation of speech . 
mr. speaker , bloggers do n't have to spend millions of dollars on printing presses , nor do they have to invest in tv or radio broadcast towers . 
they are able to share their opinions and ideas free of charge on the most powerful tool of free speech the world has ever known . 
bloggers are everyday citizens . 
they are our neighbors , friends , and coworkers who want to be able to share their ideas without asking permission from a gatekeeper in the mainstream media and certainly not from a government official . 
they are the historical descendants of founding fathers like thomas paine and other pamphleteers who contributed enormously to our democracy . 
mr. speaker , i read a children 's book called house mouse senate mouse to school children across my district , to try to help them understand the government that we will one day to turn over to their care . 
it shocks me that these schoolchildren have a better understanding of the meaning of the freedom of speech than some federal judges . 
mr. speaker , we are trying to spread a message of hope , opportunity , and freedom around the world . 
i support this legislation so that we do n't lose the ability to have that message shared among the american people . 
