Previewing Blawg Review #2

Ronald Coleman will be the host for Blawg Review #2 next Monday. What can be said about our host that hasn't been said better, by more important bloggers? "Ron Coleman has important thoughts," says the Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds, adding, "Read the whole thing."

The name of the host blawg, Likelihood of Confusion, is the standard courts use to decide claims of trademark infringement as well as a fair description of the state of intellectual property, and discussions about it, in the 21st century, according to Ron Coleman. Ron's an intellectual property lawyer, and a writer who was a contributing editor of the ABA's Student Lawyer magazine and also wrote for the ABA Journal—he claims to have won "numerous" "prestigious" "journalism" awards.

Admittedly, we haven't had time to "fact check" any of that, but he writes better than many bloggers and seems to have important thoughts on the subject of online freedom of speech. In a recent post, Ron takes a critical look at some proposed laws intended to take the Internet out of the purview of American campaign finance reform laws, and thinks bloggers should be reticent.

I am not so sure we should "get behind" this law and allow and thereby take the pressure off the Net and the bloggers, who are the ones who should be fighting the good fight to rid all media of the special treatment given to "the press" for its commercial speech (called "news" and "editorial" content).

That doesn't mean I'm not in favor of bloggers getting the same benefits--and responsibilities--as "journalists," as I have argued before , and today, too, in commentary on Corante to a posting by Alex Wexelblat. I am. I just think everyone should get them--or get them back. Everyone. And I am afraid that if the pressure is off bloggers, we're more, not less, likely to continue down the path to free-speech hell.

If you'd like to exercise your rights to free speech on Ron's blog, as well as your own, get your submssion in now for Blawg Review #2. His promises to be another well-read weekly roundup of the best of the blawgosphere. He's really funny.