StrangerThan
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Joined: 4/25/2008
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quote:
ORIGINAL: bipolarber
I just want to make sure I understand the republicans' stance on this.... they are saying that MORE speech on a particular political issue is unfair?
Yeah, right... 
True, since commentators like Limbaugh took over the airwaves, they've had a pretty easy time of it. All they had to do was sue anyone who gave a direct rebuttal to one of their programs into silence, and they could continue on their merry way, lieing to the general public at worst, and presenting only one side of an argumanet at best. Most of the radio conglomerates are owned and operated by conservative corperations, headed by such "fair and balanced" people like Rupert Murdock. Is it any wonder why the opinions and ideas by the left are never presented?
The republicans are shitting their collective pants over this. IF the American public starts getting FACTS in their heads, (not just slanted opinions about "The Way Things Ought To Be," they might actually start making more informed decisions... and that simply won't do! The GOP runs on appealing to pig-ignorant rednecks. That's their base.
The first time I heard Rush, I had fallen asleep on a couch, woke up to what I thought was a bad comedy show. Swear it. You know, that fuzzy, vague, zombie like feeling you get sometimes when you come crawling off a couch at 3am because it's where you fell asleep and here's some... fanatic on the TV.
I've always tried to look at things from all sides. The "right to reply" exists now, and has existed. There's simply no market for it, or at least not enough of a market so that it makes the same kind of splash. Having listened to both sides, I can honestly say the right wingers are far more entertaining. I can't remember what the left wing radio called itself, Free America or something like that, but I listened for a couple of weeks and it reminded me more of going to a day care and watching toddlers than listening to any real commentary.
What I understand about the "Fairness" doctrine is that it will require stations to give equal time to opposing political viewpoints. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but that's the guts of it. What it really does is alleviate the left from having to create and maintain their own market. After listening to what they had to offer, I can understand the need to use someone else's air time to do so because I think they were essentially bankrupt after a few months. I don't pretend to be the brightest star in the heavens, but half the time I couldn't even follow the commentary between the idiotic sound effects and the rambling conversations.
As far as I'm concerned, people like Rush and Hannity are basically 527 groups and should fall under the same laws. Forcing a broadcaster to carry the other side though steps around the fact that if they ran a good show with some real commentary and real points, lawmakers wouldn't feel the pressure to craft more legislation that tells someone what to do with their property.
And that goes to the gist of it for me. In a free market society, there should be no reason for it. In a place where freedom is bandied about as the shining goal of society, there is no reason to create laws that tell women what to do with their bodies, nor to tell broadcasters what they have to broadcast. I despise legislative attempts that limit freedom. To me, issues like abortion aren't about a woman's rights. They are about rights in general, about keeping society and government out of what are personal decisions. There are all kinds of personal decisions swirling around right wing radio, the most basic being, turn the dial if it doesn't appeal to you and get over the fact that it does appeal to other people. Just above that lies the truth that if there's a real need for opposing viewpoints, someone will create a place for it and make money doing it. This doctrine will kill right wing radio and is targeted towards doing specifically that. Shrug. Whether you love it or hate it, that's what the doctrine is intended to do. Wrap it in any guise you want, but that is the intent.
Personally, I wish both sides would just shut the fuck up and mind their own damned business. Unfortunately, minding their own business isn't something either side is good at doing.
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RE: Karl Rove, citizen arrest on vid - 
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