[Noisebridge-discuss] Partisan definition

[Christie Dudley]

This word has come up quite a lot in discussions recently, and it occurs to
me that people don't seem to understand what it means.  This is totally
understandable because the meaning has dramatically shifted within the
United States, specifically with respect to politics and legal requirements.

The traditional definition describes a group of people who band together to
represent the people, usually in a military fashion, resisting occupation
and/or royal rule.  These are fighters for the people.  By this definition,
I think we would all have to agree that Wikileaks would certainly qualify as
a "partisan" organization.

The American legal definition is (surprise, surprise) pretty stilted from
this.  It refers pretty specifically to registered political parties and
people who are running for office.  I don't think anyone could argue that
Wikileaks has direct impact on any election, despite how much we want to
have some effect on elected officials.  (Or more likely concern for the
effect elected officials have over Wikileaks.)

So with this definition, I think we can leave the 501(c)(3) status out of
the discussion.  This is not to say that "the government" won't come down in
other ways on us, up to and including having us branded a terrorist
organization and seizing assets and whatnot.  I suspect there are some folks
involved here who would really enjoy being branded a terrorist for speaking
out for what they believe, but that's pretty tangential.

Christie
_______
"It is the time you have lost for your rose that makes your rose so
important."
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

"Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart."
William Butler Yeats
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