Posted on 07/08/2008 3:30:55 AM PDT by CapnJack
"Our massive strategy was to use the Fairness Doctrine to challenge and harass right-wing broadcasters and hope the challenges would be so costly to them that they would be inhibited and decide it was too expensive to continue." --Bill Ruder, Democratic campaign consultant and Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Kennedy Administration
The usual suspects will be doing the dirty work. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) or Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) will likely resurrect the failed Media Act (Meaningful Expression of Democracy in America Act) intended to make political commentary unflattering to Democrats more difficult to deliver and easier to suppress through congressional oversight and, of course, litigation. They have been trying for years. The Media Ownership Reform Acts, H.R. 4069 & H.R. 3302, and H.R. 4710, the MEDIA Act, all tried to control ownership, force their definition of "diversity" and "localism" and reinstate the defunct "fairness doctrine" that was used until 1987 to suppress conservative broadcasters with tit-for-tat opposing view requirements. These became a prohibitive financial burden if a broadcast was challenged, so controversial topics were assiduously avoided and programming was lackluster and innocuous.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
What other Owellian wonders await us after January 2009?
Bullet not the ballot.
Danielle Allen will be in charge.
Sorry, was I supposed to put a /sarc tag after that comment? I was under the impression after the Bush assassination novels/movies all was fair game and intellectually protected under the 1st Amendment.
It’s another method by the socialists to destroy our representative democracy and replace it with socialism.
We are rapidly heading to civil war in this country.
I would yes but only if you meant we should be resolving our fears with guns proactively.
That the other side is getting ready to fall in love with the power that armament conveys is what I would think important in your squib. The left is becoming jihadic, ready to go on crusade to eradicate those who so maliciously fail to agree with the self-evident truth of their propositions. They have the messianic bug and the ailment is becoming chronic.
We have to be very alert because their advocacy won’t be seen as punitive until long after it is effectively totalitarian, especially if the right-wing media is effectively suppressed.
In a grimly amusing sense, the long dark night of ignorance the left has threatened will come upon the world thanks to right-wing power will in fact descend thanks to left-wing secular evangelism. The irony should have long since stimulated comics and social critics to make endless and hopefully cruel fun of these New Evangelicals but it also seems most ‘social critics’ are studiously part of the problem and thus can’t see the humor, noirish or not.
You know, we’ll be in great shape if we ever get over our own anger and start making open and vivid fun of the leftists. Their own pomposity would be punctured and that itself would help dispel the spell they have cast on the populace.
But, we would first have to be happy ourselves. That might be a good place to start.
“You know, we’ll be in great shape if we ever get over our own anger and start making open and vivid fun of the leftists. Their own pomposity would be punctured and that itself would help dispel the spell they have cast on the populace.”
This is a very powerful tactic - using ridicule to display how lib ideas don’t work without unintended consequences. I’m being kind to them with the “unintended” assumption, figuring they’d rather be thought stupid than malicious.
We tend to get too bogged down with responding to libs with facts and truth, when the important thing is to change mindsets - particularly among the vast number of undecideds, and those only mildly stupid/uninformed. Ridicule can help a lot. (It’s one of the reasons I love FR)
If they get this through, I think we should launch a massive campaign to challenge every single bit of partisan news reporting that goes over the airwaves. “ABC reported Thursday on __________, but failed to mention ____________. Channel 7’s derisive treatment of candidate ___________ stands in stark contrast to the facts...why was there no mention of his opponent’s history of ____________.
Hoist them on their own petard. Make it so the “newsies” scream and beg to be let out.
The big no contract Rush got was a shot over the ratHOUSE’s head. As he said if the rat thinks talk radio people will just walk away, they are wrong.
I kinda hope the Dem’s try this. They will be scorched, scorned, fried.
Good idea, except lib dominated media such as TV and newspapers (i.e., the MSM) is usually exempt under these laws. Gee, wonder why?
Didn’t we always used to see “Editorial Reply” segments under the old regime? Never was used effectively enough.
"Our massive strategy was to use the Fairness Doctrine to challenge and harass right-wing broadcasters and hope the challenges would be so costly to them that they would be inhibited and decide it was too expensive to continue." --Bill Ruder ...Kennedy Administration
It may have worked back then as the people were just like mushrooms - kept in the dark and fed bullsheet. Since they didn't know any better it was all just fine.
But not now. The barn door was left open, the toothpastes is out of the tube and the genie is out of the bottle (did I miss any clichés?). To try to suppress the flow of information and ideas, and in the information age no less, is futile and plain impossible.
And if the JBT's did try any funny bidness, you'll see Rush, etc broadcasting and Internet streaming, from ships anchored just outside the 12 mile limit. It'll be akin to what the USA did with Radio Free America and the Iron Curtain.
Then there's option 2, another Civil War.
I meant "Radio Free Europe".
The Fairness Doctrine is specifically and intentionally fashioned such that the left leaning “news” agencies are not subject to it.
In other words, if you’re honest about your bias, you will be silenced, if you’re dishonest, you get a pass.
Leftists have to have the gov’t step in and silence dissenting views because their ideology is logically indefensible.
Shove that in every lib’s face every chance you get.
Quoth Obama:
“We cannot to continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we have set. We have got to have a civilian national security force that is just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded.”
Scary enough for you?
You’re not thinking that McCain wouldn’t sign this faster than Obama if a Democrat Congress sends it to him, are you? McCain IS the biggest offender in my lifetime to free speech and the 1st Amendment, not to mention chief water carrier for Soros et.al.
“Then there’s option 2, another Civil War.”
I vote option 2. I ain’t got any kids or wife (just an ex). So its time to just get it over with ... get some “Appleseed” training (www.appleseedinfo.org).
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