Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The CIA-Censors Model: Killing Rush Softly with 'Localism'
RightSidenews ^ | 2/1/09

Posted on 02/02/2009 8:04:12 AM PST by Sammy67

Our late colleague Jim Boulet last year unearthed the facts here and here and here on how the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) ‘localism' schemes could shut down or inhibit talk radio.

Last Thursday, Ishmael Jones, nom de plume of a former officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) clandestine service, gave his take on the danger radio ‘localism' poses to free political speech in his American Thinker article "What the CIA's Censors Can Teach Us about Plans to Muzzle Talk Radio" here.

Here is Ishmael Jones on this Administration and their possible ‘localism' approach to shutting down political speech on talk radio.

"Fortunately, the Fairness Doctrine is so obviously unconstitutional in the eyes of most Americans, so blatantly an attempt to block free speech, that it should be easy to defeat. Respect for the First Amendment is broad in American society - American soldiers fight to defend it, schoolchildren understand its importance. Happy warriors like Rush and Sean are already taking on the Fairness Doctrine with full confidence.

Smart politicians on the left know this and it's unlikely that a Rahm Emanuel, for example, would recommend support for heavy-handed attempts to censor conservative radio via a renewed Fairness Doctrine.

More likely is that the left will use the

(Excerpt) Read more at rightsidenews.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: advertising; americans; barackobama; business; cabletv; censorship; censorshipdoctrine; china; cia; citizens; communism; communist; congress; conservativeradio; constitution; defend; democrats; dictator; dnc; economy; employment; entertainment; fairnessdoctrine; fcc; federal; firstamendment; free; freedom; freespeech; freethinker; god; gop; government; hannity; ishmaeljones; jobs; law; liberty; localism; marxism; media; military; news; obama; politicalspeech; president; public; radiostations; republicans; revenue; rush; rushlimbaugh; scheme; socialism; society; speech; talkradio; thought; unconstitutional; unitedstates; usgovernment; war
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-25 next last

1 posted on 02/02/2009 8:04:12 AM PST by Sammy67
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Sammy67

This has been my battle cry for years “LOCAL POLITICS MATTER” GET INVOLVED folks!!


2 posted on 02/02/2009 8:07:36 AM PST by Paige ("All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing," Edmund Burke)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sammy67

We’d better start thinking of some good alternatives to criticize Jesus Junior and the Democraps. Something besides blogs.


3 posted on 02/02/2009 8:07:36 AM PST by bergmeid (Watchin' Obrother self-destruct)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sammy67
If they pulled this in the Orlando area, it would put AM 540 and 580 out of business. Don't think the local politicos would allow this here, but you never know.
4 posted on 02/02/2009 8:11:01 AM PST by poobear (a 2-iron is best for killing Cottonmouths, Copperheads, and Water Moccasins...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sammy67

In my town, there is a lot of advertising on the local AM radio, which also carries quite a bit of talk radio. If they kill the talk then the radio stations go down as well as those businesses that advertise on there. Of course, liberals wouldn’t mind a bit.


5 posted on 02/02/2009 8:11:56 AM PST by caver (Obama's first goals: allow more killing of innocents and allow the killers of innocents to go free.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sammy67

“More likely is that the left will use the subtle, silent, and creeping tool of government bureaucracy to strangle conservative talk radio. The enforcement of ‘localism’ regulations, as described in a 17 November 2008 American Thinker article by Jim Boulet, would use a system of complaints to the FCC and community advisory boards to attack conservative radio. A few tweaks in FCC regulations can require radio stations to submit time-wasting and expensive reports, hold public meetings, and create panels of local residents, led by community organizers, to evaluate programming. If the bureaucrats and peoples’ panels are not pleased with a radio station’s compliance, they’ll be able to take away the station’s license. The goal would be to attack conservative radio in obscurity, without an open showdown.”

Well then, Guess I will have to get on the board of that.


6 posted on 02/02/2009 8:14:39 AM PST by Danae (Amerikan Unity My Ass)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Danae
The big problem is that nationally syndicated radio shows have a lot of financial clout and make up a big chunk of a local station's revenues.

Using this type of method to silence popular talk radio shows would pretty much destroy the AM radio business and send all of its listeners to satellite radio and the internet.

7 posted on 02/02/2009 8:21:00 AM PST by Alberta's Child (I'm out on the outskirts of nowhere . . . with ghosts on my trail, chasing me there.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: poobear

Big cities once enjoyed a competitive AM radio market but that changed with the advent of FM radio. The dying AM stations were mostly gathered up by chain owners; sometimes five or six of them operated from the same location. Breaking this up will mean that most of the AMs will die off.


8 posted on 02/02/2009 8:21:37 AM PST by Eric in the Ozarks
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Danae

What is good for the goose is good for the gander....we can do the same to abcnbccbsmsnbc also....might not shut em down, but make em pay....


9 posted on 02/02/2009 8:21:59 AM PST by joe fonebone (The libtard votes in every election, regardless of the candidate.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Sammy67

AM radio was saved by Rush, count the trickle down.


10 posted on 02/02/2009 8:22:43 AM PST by boomop1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sammy67
This will the beginning of the end of the RAT party. These idiots forgot that almost half of Americans do not support the RAT party and the numbers will grow as more of this Communistic crap hits. America is already tired of the MSM and Hollywierd.
11 posted on 02/02/2009 8:24:32 AM PST by Logical me (Oh, well!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sammy67

If the illiberals censor broadcast talk radio it will simply move to subscription radio and it will become MORE inflammatory when people like Rush and Savage won’t have to answer to Federal regulators in any way whatsoever.


12 posted on 02/02/2009 8:24:44 AM PST by MahatmaGandu (Remember, remember, the twenty-sixth of November.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: caver
If they kill the talk then the radio stations go down as well as those businesses that advertise on there. Of course, liberals wouldn’t mind a bit.

Of course they don't because their favorite NPR stations will continue to pollute the airwaves with leftwing news and pompous blowhards like Garrison Keillor courtesy of our pocketbooks.

13 posted on 02/02/2009 8:31:47 AM PST by Dahoser (America's great untapped alternative energy source: The Founding Fathers spinning in their graves.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Sammy67

Easy enough to solve...when it begins to happen, let’s knock out NPR, HairHamerica, and every leftist talk show host and force them to play by their own rules agaisnt themselves, just like Saul Alinski’s rules for radicals teaches.


14 posted on 02/02/2009 8:33:44 AM PST by woollyone ("When the tide is low, even a shrimp has its own puddle." - Vance Havner)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sammy67

This is a job for organized Community Activists. Such a group, moving with coordination, can use FCC rules to mess with any radio content.

One of Alinsky’s Rules For Radicals is to make your opposition obey their own rules.

So the Left targets AM Talk, we can target the little network of taken-over college stations that is NPR.

Then on to ABC, and NBC, and CBS! Eyyyarggh!


15 posted on 02/02/2009 8:58:32 AM PST by DBrow
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sammy67

bump

Viva la Revolucion!!!


16 posted on 02/02/2009 9:11:35 AM PST by CPT Clay (Drill ANWR, Personal Accounts NOW ,)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Alberta's Child

I agree. My Dad sells AM Radio Advertising, and that would kill the whole AM dial.


17 posted on 02/02/2009 9:19:16 AM PST by Danae (Amerikan Unity My Ass)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: joe fonebone

Now THAT could be fun, but not at the expense of the entire AM dial. This would kill AM Radio completely.


18 posted on 02/02/2009 9:19:58 AM PST by Danae (Amerikan Unity My Ass)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: DBrow

Even as a kid then, I can remember from 1965-1967 the libs (national networks) put the issues of civil rights almost nightly on the news....very little anti-war protests. Bobby was killed, LBJ decided not to seek re-election, Nixon won and the issue of civil rights and the Great Society flew out the window...then it became filmed footage every night of the Vietnam War at the dinner table. Then, the libs stayed on it right until Nixon stepped down. Then they constantly made fun of Ford. Then the world become a beautiful free heaven drug place when ‘Ol Peanut got elected. That’s the perception of The Left and how they manipulate to achieve their agenda (communism and total gubmint control with them in control.)


19 posted on 02/02/2009 9:23:09 AM PST by RSmithOpt (Liberalism: Highway to Hell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: RSmithOpt

Yes! And during the Co-Presidency the news was cheerful and upbeat. I know many people who don’t know WTC got bombed, we dropped tons of HE on Iraq, we invaded Somalia, and so forth.

Plus, as engineering layoffs soared and stores all around where I live closed, mall stores shuttered, ect, the media take was the economy is Good with Unprecedented Economic Growth and prosperity for all.


20 posted on 02/02/2009 9:46:11 AM PST by DBrow
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-25 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson