Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on May 5, 2009

By Vicki McClure Davidson * Frugal Café Blog Zone

UPDATE, JUNE 18, 2009: This just in from Brian Jennings, Big Hollywood: Incoming FCC Chairman: No Censorship. To quote Jennings in his article, “Be vigilant for free speech and let’s make sure Julius Genachowski is true to his word. And, watch out for the new wave of political correctness that has swept the world and is now taking stronger hold in America – legislation against hate speech. Who decides what is hateful? The National Hispanic Media Coalition has asked the FCC to investigate alleged hate speech by John and Ken of KFI, Los Angeles, Lou Dobbs of CNN, and Michael Savage of the Talk Radio Network. Beware of further assaults on broadcast speech rights.”

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Original post, dated May 4, 2009, begins here:

Talk about unmitigated hypocrisy and violation of the First Amendment.

Extremist liberals (and even not-so-extreme liberals) are criticizing US radio ownership because white, conservative men own the stations and air only white, conservative males that parrot their views (which isn’t true). They demand balance and diversity by mandate, so have, in the Age of Obama, constructed a review panel that has absolutely no conservative, free market representation. The panel’s “diversity” is based on skin color, or so it seems, and not on the diversity of ideas. What a bloody travesty.

This panel discussion to instigate censorship of free speech on the radio is also a travesty, a dog-and-pony show of discussing “fairness” much like a third-world banana republic dictatorship will do to go through the motions to placate the public and to camouflage the desired end result.

The “Fairness Doctrine” that Ronald Reagan abolished has been retooled and renamed “Media Diversity.” It is an affirmative-action scam, hoping to obscure its real intent. Minorities are not prevented from purchasing radio stations, nor are women, nor is any citizen.

There is no oppression. There is no bigotry. It’s all been contrived by the Obama administration.

If a black, or female, or Hispanic, or Asian wants to purchase or start up his or her own radio station, nothing is preventing that from happening. Yes, it takes money. But to own any business takes money, and usually, lots of it. But if Oprah Winfrey, Alex Rodriguez, Robert L. Johnson, Roberto Gouizeto, Arturo Torres, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Jordan, Donald V. Watkins, Shaquille O’Neal, Will Smith, Whoppi Goldberg, Serena Williams, Marva Smalls, Richard D. Parsons, or any other citizen wants to buy a radio station and has the resources to do so, they CAN.

That is why this “media diversity” is so perverse. By insinuating that minorities are incapable of making a radio station purchase without the help of the “benevolent” Democrat party, they are perpetuating a racist myth. And they are marginalizing minorities in doing so.

This panel is targeting white, conservative male radio station owners as the enemy, and will seek to force many white male owners out of business; after accomplishing this, it will open the door to make taking over other American industries typically owned by white males much easier.

The panel’s intent is to supposedly discuss and study the free market vs. democratic (translation: power-shift it to Obama administration’s statist agenda) goals on the radio airwaves and to give minorities’ a piece of “the pie.”

But that is highly suspect coming from the liberals. Their track record of actually believing and supporting their own words as it applies to race has been proven hypocritical, as this news story cited on Wikipedia and reported on NewsMax shows:

Reports have surfaced that even Black billionaires are not immune to the racism. In 2001, then Black billionaire Robert L. Johnson accused Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y of racism when Schumer attempted to block Johnson’s efforts to start “DC Air,” a regional airline that would include slots in New York City and reach airports in upstate New York.

Johnson sent Schumer a letter reading:

As an African-American businessperson who has a personal net worth significantly greater than the market capitalization of [rival companies] Jet Blue and Air Tran combined, I am offended that you could argue that these two companies deserve an opportunity that should be denied to me.

It cannot be that you believe that they are better businesspersons; perhaps it is because they are white businesspersons.

Schumer’s office released a statement saying the senator’s decision was based on “how it would benefit the people of New York, not on the basis of any political or racial consideration.”

I’m not saying that Sen. Schumer is indeed a racist, but he is a Democrat, is currently in a position of political power, and is part of the mob that is now demanding minorities be given ownership of radio stations. His track record is abysmal and it appears that he is not sincere about seeking the equality of minorities. Schumer is the same senator who has said many times that “talk radio should be regulated like pornography.” All talk radio, Chuck, or just the talk radio you don’t agree with? Schumer’s true motives on media diversity are not clear, but his words ring disingenuous based on his past actions.

So here we are: Censorship of our airwaves, Round 1. This is one of the imperatives of a socialist nation: the government must be in charge of all forms of communication to subdue the people (e.g., Cuba, China, Venezuela, etc.) so that they are more receptive to government propaganda and acceptance of values and principles contrary to their own. Under no circumstances can government criticism be allowed.

In the statists’ zeal to start the process in shutting up popular conservative talk show hosts (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck) and remove or decimate religious radio programming, they have already exposed themselves as to what their real agenda is: silence the dissension, control our national communication. Investigation into how Obama can use this to his advantage in controlling the Internet is currently underway.

This is yet another area of “hope and change” that people unwittingly voted for. This is the genesis of the world of despair that George Orwell described so chillingly in his novels.

A couple of snippets from a post by The Angry White Guy:

Encourage and promote diversity? Hey here is an idea, how about we encourage and promote free speech, you know that pesky First Amendment? Just an idea to roll over and ponder in your mind….

I’m grown and I can choose for myself. I had a mother that told [me] what to do and when to do it and I don’t need one now… This administration is out of control in their efforts to seize as much control as possible and they need to be reeled in ASAP. As Thomas Jefferson once said “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” and that is exactly what they want, for you and others like you to remain silent and where is our voice most loudly heard? Talk Radio and they hate it.

If you’re not familiar with the history of the Fairness Doctrine, there’s a simple description of it at WitSnapper: the Blog. It will help you better understand how “unfair” it actually was.

From NewsBusters:

FCC Announces May 7 ‘Diversity Committee’ Meeting – Behold a New ‘Fairness’ Doctrine
NewsBusters
By Seton Motley | May 1, 2009

Behold one of the new “Fairness” Doctrines – “media diversity” – coming soon to a radio station near you.

President Barack Obama’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released the names of the thirty-one members of their Advisory Committee On Diversity For Communications In The Digital Age. This May 7 gathering is made up of a laundry list of left-wing grievance groups, with a smattering of radio and television companies included to break up the monotony.

Not a single conservative organization is taking part in this Commission – more than a dozen Leftist groups are. A little ironic for a “diversity” panel, is it not?

Chairing the meeting is Henry Rivera, a former FCC Commissioner who was (and presumably still is) a strong proponent of the Censorship Doctrine, also mis-known as the “Fairness” Doctrine.

Many, many liberals in Washington have over the last several years called for a reinstatement of the Doctrine. But push-back from people who have read and actually understand the First Amendment led the Left to realize that the political price to bring it back was too high, so they MovedOn.org.

Of course, their desire to silence the lone voices of their opposition had not lessened in the slightest. They’re still just as dictatorial, just pragmatically so.

We must not let this censorship of the radio airwaves gain ground. Let the free market, with its profits and losses, decide which companies come and go, which radio shows or stations stay or die. Let Americans decide based on their listenership, not Obama’s liberal kangaroo court, what Americans can listen to.

Call, fax, or email your Congressmen. DO IT OFTEN. Voice your concerns, your anger.

Freedom of speech is being power-grabbed away at an alarming rate by this administration. I DO NOT want the government telling me what I am allowed to listen to on the radio. Do you?

Conservative discussions are legal, as are liberal discussions. I am an adult, as are you. Most of us are fully capable of functioning without a babysitter.

If you want to listen to Air America with Al Franken or Janeane Garofalo or Sean Penn or Hugo Chavez spewing anti-American or anti-military or anti-Bush garbage, go for it. If you want to listen to someone on NPR talk about legalizing marijuana or giving 5th graders condoms, great. I don’t have to listen to it. I have the choice to NOT tune in. If I want to listen to Mark Levin talk about patriotism and Ronald Reagan, as an American citizen, I am given the exact same right to listen to what I choose to listen to, and liberals don’t have to tune in unless they so choose. It is a basic right in America to permit political disagreement and discussion without fear of government intervention, as stated in our Constitution. But that right is now in jeopardy.

The hidden agenda of “Media Diversity” has NOTHING to do with fairness or balance or implementing minority entitlements. That’s a blatant deception. It is all about POWER.

It has to do with control and power by the government to maintain and retain its current power in Congress and in the White House. Calling a skunk a kitten doesn’t make it stink any less.

Radio is only the start. Most TV networks are already controlled by wealthy left-wingers, as are the majority of news stations. Most mainstream media reporters and TV news anchors and journalists are controlled by other rich lefties. They are statists and won’t be happy unless they have it all and forever squash conservative voices. Once a freedom is lost, it is next to impossible to get it back.

Excerpt from post on From The Pen:

Liberals already have National Public Radio, Public Broadcasting Service, Hollywood, Main Stream Media television and newspaper outlets, public schools, and universities to broadcast their ideology. Conservatives chose to target the last remaining institution that wasn’t already entrenched and inaccessible to conservative thought and have dominated the airwaves as a result.

So, liberals feel threatened enough by this one tiny chuck of media influence that they feel they must silence it. We must be fair they blather, so anybody with a microphone and a broadcasting dream should get airtime.

The Internet in the United States is currently without an overseer, without a government Big Brother watching Americans’ every move online. It is the most free, most pure environment for communication ever conceived in man’s history. Child porn and other vile, illegal sites that infringe on basic human rights are obviously illegal. For the most part, beyond those despicable sites, we’ve enjoyed the most amazing period of the sharing of information in all of recorded history.

But that is going to change if the Democrat party has anything to say about it.

With Obama’s team in charge of deciding what websites can stay online and which must be removed (anti-liberal must go, anti-conservative can stay), the freedoms of the Internet will be attacked soon. But radio will be first, the testing ground.

National security strangleholds enabling Internet shutdown and censorship are being developed, with little regard as to what will constitute an emergency for shut-down. The freedom of the content of emails will also be on the chopping block with the government. Text messaging may soon follow. Anything will be fair game if talk radio is censored.

Speak out now to your elected officials before it is too late. I beseech conservative lawyers to consider launching investigations into the legality of this, based on the rights guaranteed by our Constitution. We cannot permit these overzealous, power-hungry thugs to accomplish their goal. Silence is acceptance.

I agree with these words from today’s Vets On The Watch post:

The Fairness Doctrine, by any other name, is the Fairness Doctrine. Liberals are so pissed off that talk radio and FOX are kicking their ass across the board that this is their only chance to be heard. We shall fight them tooth and nail.

Get ready to fight the good fight.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

“There is tonic in the things that men do not love to hear. Free speech is to a great people what the winds are to oceans… and where free speech is stopped, miasma is bred, and death comes fast.”
— Rev. Henry Ward Beecher

More valuable reading:
Noel Sheppard, NewsBusters: Schumer: Talk Radio Needs to be Regulated Like Pornography
Brian Jennings, Big Hollywood: Obama’s Latest Assault on Conservative Talk
FOX News: Concerns Raised Over Makeup of ‘Diversity Committee’ at FCC
BitsBlog: Ya Say You Want a Revolution? Well, You Know…. and BO’s Book Deal Reeks
Israpundit: Obama’s Revenge
From the Pen: The Fairness Doctrine: Welfare for Sub-Prime Liberal Broadcasters
John T. Simpson, Big Hollywood: What if President Obama Were a Republican?
Michelle Malkin: Meet the FCC Diversity Czar and Rangel the race-baiter and FCC: Funding Cronyism of Color and Fairness Doctrine Watch: The FCC’s “Diversity Panel” and Crushing of dissent in the Age of Obama and Here it comes: Sen. Bingaman heralds Fairness Doctrine return
Charles Winecoff, Big Hollywood: DENIED: Bigotry of the Obamatrons
Ezra Levant: Jews and censorship
Jim Blazsik: The Obama Road to Serfdom: Good Morning Socialist States of America!
The Angry White Guy: Anti-Fairness Doctrine panel to convene
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Big Brother Watching? Outrageous New Bills Would Give Obama Power, Control of Internet Data
DaTechguy’s Blog: When you can’t win the argument cry ***ism
Vets On The Watch: The Government Knows Best, So Just Shut Up
Warner Todd Huston, NewsBusters: Shocker: Journalists on OUR Side For a Change
Patriot Burr: “The FCC’s Diversity Panel”
QandO: Dissent and Hate Speech
Jeffrey Jena, Big Hollywood: Let’s Ban Some Brits
WitSnapper: the Blog: The Fairness Doctrine, resurrected from the pit
Seton Motley, NewsBusters: Latest in the ‘Fairness’ Doctrine Conga Line: NY Dem Rep Maurice Hinchey
Brian Jennings, Big Hollywood: The Fight for Free Speech is On!
Richard Dawkins.net: Holland: SWAT team arrests cartoonist
The American Dissident, A Literary Journal of Critical Thinking: Myths and Hypocrisies
Star Parker, World Net Daily: Blacks, liberals’ awkward co-dependence
Pink Elephant Pundit: “Fairness” Team: Activated
BlackNews.com: Black Named to Head One of Nation’s Largest Financial Institutions
RightWingRocker: Justice Thomas Weighs In on the co-called “Fairness Doctrine”
Black News Global: Study Shows Wealthy Minorities with $282 Billion in Spending Power
BlackNews.com: African American Buying Power Said to be Approaching $1 Trillion

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