Posted on 12/07/2010 2:40:25 AM PST by Scanian
The First Amendment forbids Congress from infringing on Americans' right to free speech. But the Federal Communications Commission is not Congress. And Michael Copps, one of four FCC commissioners reporting to Chairman Julius Genachowski, seems intent on ignoring that pesky part of the First Amendment about "abridging the freedom of speech" when that speech is sent out over the airwaves.
In two American Thinker articles earlier this year, I discussed possible FCC attempts to force progressive programming into broadcast media. Now, in addition to a nasty Christmas present that Genachowski wants to give Americans on December 21 (Net Neutrality), Copps wants government to control private-sector broadcast content.
In a December 2 speech, Copps proposed that the FCC conduct a "public value test" of commercial broadcast stations.
"If a station passes the Public Value Test, it of course keeps the license it has earned to use the people's airwaves. If not, it goes on probation for a year, renewable for an additional year if it demonstrates measurable progress. If the station fails again, give the license to someone who will use it to serve the public interest."
Stations that don't comply with FCC demands would lose their licenses to organizations willing to do the agency's bidding.
The "Public Value Test" didn't fly extemporaneously from Copps's lips. Since Barack Obama became president, there have been growing noises about reinstituting the effects of the repealed Fairness Doctrine without calling any new regulation by that name. Progressives long to stop the resurgence of traditional American values that has taken place after two years of economy-killing, freedom-robbing Obama rule. Republicans blew out Democrats in the midterm election. Lefties are in quite a state, desperate to shut down opposition speech.
Exactly...which is why the Pubbies must do all they can to nip this in the bud or we will find ourselves living in a police state in no time.
If this means allowing crap to be broadcast as a result, so be it, we can always turn off our TVs or radios.
Very well said. Bulls eye!
It is transparent that, if this woman had any power (</sarcasm>), she would be a racist. But then, racism is vastly more commonplace than black racists will allow.
That's basically the whole deal - not that whites are innocent, but that nobody is."For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
Bill Cosby put it this way:"I was talking to a guy who uses drugs and I asked him: "What is it about the cocaine?"And that is the problem in a nutshell - people are not naturally good. No matter how black one might be.And the guy told me (assumes a solemn pose)
"It intensifies"And I said, 'Yeah, but what if you're an a$$hole?'"
your personality."
But to the issue of "free broadband for every nappyheadded child:"We don't have free broadband yet, and some of us can remember when nuclear power was going to make electricity "too cheap to meter." But in relative terms, effective medical care and car travel and airline travel are "too cheap to meter" in comparison to what the fabulously wealthy Queen Victoria could get. In not a few ways, the average American secretary is better off than Victoria was.
And if any technology is progressing rapidly in cost-effectiveness, it is electronics, with its famous "Moore's Law" chart showing efficiencies doubling every 18 months or so. So it certainly looks like broadband will be "too cheap to meter" - or something like it - within perhaps a generation.But of course, progress which does nothing to flatter the vanity of the socialist isn't "real progress."
” FCC attempts to force progressive programming into broadcast media. “
Who would listen?
We already have scads of Leftist broadcasting networks blairing away on the TV. And they are losing their followers.
FCC’s Michael Copps wants to put warders aboard the broadcast media to guard against that pesky peoples’ First Amendment thing.. No warder boarding!
Beam me up, Scotty.....
I just saw that the Hip-Hop tune "F--- You" is up for a Grammy Award as Best Song or something.
Lock 'n Load, folks.
That’s a good insight, but the GOP can just claw-back that money as well.
I think they seem a lot more savvy this go round than last.
Of course, we need to keep them that way for the next few decades.
I completely agree. There’s no such thing as a “natural” resource. Every resource is unnatural in that a human being had to first find its value and exploit it.
Look at anything ever.
Also, see Julian Simon here in general: http://www.juliansimon.org/
And specifically here: http://www.juliansimon.com/writings/Ultimate_Resource/
“serve the public interest.”
that means whatever the commissioner wants it to mean. If he doesn’t like what you say, you’re off the air.
Can be done, but think about it. At that point we’re an open dictatorship and bloody revolt.
The Brits don’t have a Bill of Rights. Ours is tacked up right at the 2nd Amendment.
Don’t know history or weren’t taught it? I think disinformation is a major goal of the Left. Their lies don’t hold up to even minor scrutiny.
We need to do to “progressive” what we did to “liberal”.
Prove that it is a lie through ridicule by truth.
Communicate to the little Goebbels Nazi that if he doesn’t back off he’ll face treason charges.
It's just not referred to much these days.
Time to fire up XERF in Cuidad Acuna and XEG in Monterey Mexico again.
Dah, komrade.
Don’t worry, I haven’t given up on you yet.
Moonbattery has the video of what Copps said, you should hear it in it’s full chilling context:
http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2010/12/fcc-commissione.html
Once again we were threatened with net neutrality.
These revolutionaries are as serious as a heart attack about taking our freedom to speak away online, on the radio, and on the TV. And they are not even trying to hide it.
1) Having heard it from Copps own mouth, now are you convinced that Net Neutrality is a threat? No, he did not put together ‘net neutrality’ with his machinations for controlling what is and isn’t news. It simply is too obvious to miss.
2) Which (if any) of the “astroturf” groups that you talk about have you seen point out what Copps recently said?
No, I'm convinced that fairness doctrine and other content control regimes are a threat. I remain convinced that threats to net neutrality, which include corporate controls to content access, threaten the Internet and our freedom. I'll address any arguments you have against actual net neutrality, otherwise quit pretending I agree with other agenda.
You still need to learn the “law of unintended consequences”.
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