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Mr. President, Keep The Airwaves Free: As A Former Law Professor, Surely You Understand...
Wall St. Journal ^ | February 19, 2009

Posted on 02/19/2009 9:16:06 PM PST by Steelfish

OPINION

FEBRUARY 20, 2009 Mr. President, Keep the Airwaves Free As a former law professor, surely you understand the Bill of Rights.

By RUSH LIMBAUGH

Dear President Obama:

I have a straightforward question, which I hope you will answer in a straightforward way: Is it your intention to censor talk radio through a variety of contrivances, such as "local content," "diversity of ownership," and "public interest" rules -- all of which are designed to appeal to populist sentiments but, as you know, are the death knell of talk radio and the AM band?

You have singled me out directly, admonishing members of Congress not to listen to my show. Bill Clinton has since chimed in, complaining about the lack of balance on radio. And a number of members of your party, in and out of Congress, are forming a chorus of advocates for government control over radio content. This is both chilling and ominous.

As a former president of the Harvard Law Review and a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, you are more familiar than most with the purpose of the Bill of Rights: to protect the citizen from the possible excesses of the federal government. The First Amendment says, in part, that "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press."

The government is explicitly prohibited from playing a role in refereeing among those who speak or seek to speak. We are, after all, dealing with political speech -- which, as the Framers understood, cannot be left to the government to police.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: bho2009; bho44; bhofcc; censorshipdoctrine; democrats; fairnessdoctrine; localism; obama; rush; rushlimbaugh; talkradio
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To: DHC-2

Yep


21 posted on 02/20/2009 9:40:44 AM PST by unkus
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To: unkus
He has probably already signed a secret Executitve Order putting it into effect.

When Obama says something, the reality is often the opposite.

22 posted on 02/20/2009 9:47:11 AM PST by Jess Kitting
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To: Steelfish
No, he doesn’t understand. And stop calling him Shirley!
23 posted on 02/20/2009 9:48:55 AM PST by RichInOC (No! BAD Rich! (What'd I say?))
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To: Steelfish

Megadittos bump!


24 posted on 02/20/2009 10:14:42 AM PST by Girlene
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To: Steelfish

Christian talk radio will also be under assault. Just let a preacher come out against gay marriage on the air and see what happens....


25 posted on 02/20/2009 10:17:41 AM PST by Sybeck1 (WHITE AND EMBRACING WHAT IS RIGHT!!!!!!)
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To: GoodDay

There are dark forces at work in this world and now they are coming after the one force that kept stability in this world, America.

Only the good people of this country can counter the darkness and most of the people of this country have abandoned the Judeo-Christian Ethic.


26 posted on 02/20/2009 10:34:51 AM PST by rlferny
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To: broncobilly

I taught chemistry labs in college. That didn’t make me a chemistry professor.


27 posted on 02/20/2009 11:06:17 AM PST by DallasMike
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To: Steelfish; All

God bless you Rush! We love you, man!


28 posted on 02/20/2009 11:49:33 AM PST by cpforlife.org (A Catholic Respect Life Curriculum is available FREE at KnightsForLife.org)
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To: Steelfish; xcamel; steelyourfaith; neverdem; free_life; LibertyRocks; MNReaganite; ...
Ping and BTTT
 
PETITION TO BLOCK CONGRESSIONAL
ATTACKS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND PRESS
To: U.S. Congress, President of the United States, Supreme Court of the United States

Whereas, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution clearly states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances";

Whereas, members of Congress are recently on record saying they want to re-impose the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" on U.S. broadcasters, or else accomplish the same goal of censoring talk radio by other means, and thereby establish government and quasi-government watchdogs as the arbiters of "fairness" rather than the free and open marketplace of ideas;

Whereas, the U.S. experimented with the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" for 38 years - from 1949 through 1987 - during which time it was repeatedly used by presidents and other political leaders to muzzle dissent and criticism;

Whereas, the abandonment of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" in 1987, thanks to President Ronald Reagan, resulted in an unprecedented explosion of new and diverse voices and political speech - starting with Rush Limbaugh - that revitalized the AM radio band and provided Americans with a multitude of alternative viewpoints;

Whereas, talk radio is one of the most crucial components of the free press in America, and is single-handedly responsible for informing tens of millions of Americans about what their government leaders are doing;

Whereas, it is a wholly un-American idea that government should be the watchdog of the press and a policeman of speech, as opposed to the uniquely American ideal of a free people and a free press being the vigilant watchdogs of government;

Whereas, the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" - either under that name, or using a new name and even more devious methods - represents a frontal assault on the First Amendment, and its re-imposition would constitute nothing more nor less than the crippling of America's robust, unfettered, free press:

 

                                SIGN THE PETITION at http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=87882

 
Freepmail me if you want to join my fairness doctrine ping list.

29 posted on 02/20/2009 1:19:53 PM PST by Delacon ("The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule." H. L. Mencken)
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To: Jess Kitting

When Obama says something, the reality is often the opposite.
- - - - -

Exactamundo!


30 posted on 02/20/2009 2:43:50 PM PST by Canedawg (Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech or the press.)
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To: AT7Saluki

The Maha - in print!


31 posted on 02/20/2009 4:29:45 PM PST by Libloather (February is Liberal, Leftist, Marxist Awareness Month.)
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To: GoodDay

I think he didn’t want to leave a paper trail. He probably was planning a political career all along, even as a young man. He knew that paper trails trip people up. He didn’t want anyone questioning what he wrote years earlier when he was running for office.


32 posted on 02/21/2009 10:23:40 AM PST by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Canedawg
See here for more on Obamaspeak:

Obamaspeak: Where Every Word Means its Opposite

33 posted on 02/22/2009 8:59:51 PM PST by Jess Kitting
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To: Jess Kitting

Actually, imho when he says “change” he is using the code word for class warfare.


34 posted on 02/23/2009 2:50:57 AM PST by Canedawg (Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.)
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