Free Speech Coalition/Free Speech Defense & Education Fund 2002 Selected Activities 1/8/02 Conducted FSC leadership breakfast; distributed packets of pertinent materials; Planned strategy for future activities.   1/9/2002 Sent information packets to leadership members who could not attend breakfast.   2/02 Philanthropy Monthly reprints FSDEF amicus brief of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society case.   3/1/02 Sent FSC analysis of IRS Final Excess Benefits Regulations; sent full text of the new IRS regulations.   3/5/02 Conducted FSC leadership breakfast; distributed packets of pertinent materials; Planned strategy for future activities.   3/6/02 Sent information packets to leadership members who could not attend breakfast.   3/14/02 Sent legislative alert and draft letters in support of S. 1562 (corrective legislation to the Cooperative Mailing Rule) to very large list of recipients.   4/9/02 Mark Weinberg and Bill Olson convinced the House Ways and Means Committee staff that 501(c)(4)s should NOT be included in new authority for IRS disclosure of nonprofit information to State charity regulators. Their revised amendment was approved by the full committee.   5/7/02 Conducted FSC leadership breakfast; distributed packets of pertinent materials; Planned strategy for future activities.   5/8/02 Sent information packets to leadership members who could not attend breakfast.   6/24/02 Sent copy of Watchtower Bible Society case's favorable decision by the U. S. Supreme Court. FSDEF had filed an amicus brief on this case, addressing the free speech infringements by the Ohio Township of Stratton, by requiring door-to-door canvassers, whether for religious, political or others purposes, to pre-register with local officials. The Supreme Court, on an 8-1 decision, struck down this provision, thus protecting free speech.   7/8/02 Sent memo to FSC members regarding status and strategy regarding effort to change the tax code to remove distinction between grass roots and direct lobbying, to reduce financial and administrative burden on advocacy nonprofits.   7/9/02 Conducted FSC leadership breakfast; distributed packets of pertinent materials; Planned strategy for future activities.   7/10/02 Sent information packets to leadership members who could not attend breakfast.   9/10/02 Conducted FSC leadership breakfast; distributed packets of pertinent materials; Planned strategy for future activities.   9/10/02 Sent information packets to leadership members who could not attend breakfast.   11/10/02 Article printed in The Philanthropy Monthly, entitled Making a Bad Law Worse, New York's Amended Charitable Solicitation Law, written by Bill Olson and Mark Fitzgibbons.   11/12/02 Conducted FSC leadership breakfast; distributed packets of pertinent materials; Planned strategy for future activities.   11/12/02 Sent information packets to leadership members who could not attend breakfast.   11/15/02 FSDEF filed amicus brief with the U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in the case of Aid Association for Lutherans v. U. S. Postal Service, challenging the constitutionality of Postal Service's claim of immunity from legal challenge regarding regulatory decisions associated with nonprofit mail, thus denying due process to nonprofits appealing postal decisions.   11/21/02 Sent letter and copy of Philanthropy Monthly article about deficiencies of NY solicitation law to all 213 members of the New York legislature.   11/9/02 Bruce Eberle and Dick Dingman held a strategy meeting with former VA Attorney General Mark Earley regarding possible legislative efforts in the VA General Assembly.   12/4/02 Sent a solicitation to members and friends for support of two pending lawsuits (Ryan v Telemarketing Associates, and Lutherans v U. S. Postal Service)   12/9/02 Business Mailers Review publishes article covering FSDEF's brief in Aid Association for Lutherans v. U. S. Postal Service.   12/27/02 Sent message to leadership group regarding approval of FSDEF co-sponsorship of the amicus brief on Ryan v Telemarketing Associates.   Misc. Dick Dingman attended 12 strategy meetings of a broad coalition of nonprofits to develop and implement lobbying strategy in pursuit of tax code change to delete the tax code distinction between grass roots and direct lobbying, thus reducing the financial and administrative burdens on advocacy nonprofits.