In the New York Post today, I write up the latest outrage campaign-finance reform has visited upon free speech:

It looks like John McCain has a little explaining to do to the NASCAR set.Kirk Shelmerdine — one of the greatest pit-crew chiefs ever, most famously for the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr. — is today engaged in a less-successful second career as a driver. But to the Federal Election Commission, he’s just a reckless campaign-finance law violator.

The day after Christmas, the FEC announced that it was sending Shelmerdine a “letter of admonishment” for his actions during the 2004 presidential campaign — namely, putting a “Bush/Cheney ‘04″ decal on a panel of his car for a total of four races.

It seems the FEC sees the decal as a “contribution.” The definition of possible “contributions” is expanding rapidly — bumper stickers on celebrity cars, ads for movies (see: Michael Moore and “Fahrenheit 9/11″ during the 2004 campaign), ads for newspapers that have incidental mentions of candidates names (see: Santorum vs. Casey Senate race in 2006), and, most egregiously, out in Seattle a while back, talk on a talk-radio program against a gas-tax increase.

Next up? Political t-shirts on rock stars? Bumper stickers on celebrities’ private cars? Who knows?

All we do know is that if there’s somebody willing to complain to the FEC, innocent civilians will have to answer to federal regulators for their unsanctioned political activities.

Thank John McCain.