Congress just passed another pork-stuffed omnibus spending package this week. Buried in the bill, however, is a provision that paves the way for Democrats to revive the misnamed ‘Fairness Doctrine’. Currently there is protection of free speech over the airwaves by prohibiting federal funds from being used to control and censor media content. Yesterday, the Majority elected to remove that protection.
There is no place for government control of political discussion over the air. The guarantee to free speech is one of the most vital pillars of the American political system – and a constitutional right. Yesterday’s action to restrict this freedom should raise red flags as to the intent of the majority party. President Obama has stated his opposition to airwave censorship, but his party’s leadership in Congress is determined to flex their political muscle at the expense of the First Amendment. Remember Lord Acton’s admonition: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
It’s time to do away with the outdated ‘Fairness Doctrine’ once and for all. But instead, Democrats have used the smokescreen of a $410 billion spending bill to cynically take a huge step toward censorship and free speech restrictions. As a result, the voice of free people everywhere got a little bit quieter. This does not bode well.
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
Dan McLaughlin
Neil Stevens
Daniel Horowitz
Thank you for posting, Congressman.
Steve Maley (Diary) Thursday, February 26th at 8:48AM EST (link)If you would give us bloggers a little more detail, we can take this ball and run with it. Can you quote chapter & verse on the proposal?
It may be hard to believe, but some of us have yet to get around to reading the bill.
My regards to Speaker Pelosi.
The blogger formerly known as ‘Vladimir’.
Last Week I was deceived
jackbenimble (Diary) Thursday, February 26th at 11:40AM EST (link)I agree with the request for more information.
“I repudiate the idea of voting for a Democrat
Burned again by the lack of preview
jackbenimble (Diary) Thursday, February 26th at 11:50AM EST (link)My last post was incomplete.
What I meant to add was that in the Porkulous Bill last week there was a mini-hulabalu from the Right about nationalized healthcare provisions taken directly from Tom Daschal that had suppossedly been included in the Stimulus. Some of the articles even referenced page numbers where these provisions could be found. I got badly burned in a discussion forum when I was dissing these provisions and when I was challenged to actually look at those page numbers the claimed Daschal mischief was not there. I felt like an idiot.
I have no intention of accusing you of dishonesty but I am now leary of accepting similar representations without some more specific information that I can actually verify for myself.
“I repudiate the idea of voting for a Democrat
FW:FW:FW:FW:Please Forward To Everyone On Planet Earth!!!!!!!
Steve Maley (Diary) Thursday, February 26th at 12:20PM EST (link)Reminds me of the spam email I got on two occasions, six months apart, from the same habitual email forwarder.
The one with the cute 11 year old red haired girl who was kidnapped from a WalMart in South Carolina. Of course it happened “just this past Thursday”.
Once bitten, twice shy.
The blogger formerly known as ‘Vladimir’.
"nationalized healthcare provision"
olsmithie (Diary) Thursday, February 26th at 2:11PM EST (link)I looked at he page and verse in the House bill on the house site, just before the conference version . The page numbers in the Bloomberg article checked out.
Apparently it didn’t make the transition to the final bill.We always have to look first hand or unfortunately what was correct yesterday, (or fictitious yesterday) have changed. It’s tough when bills are so large, and so rushed through the process.
Don’t feel bad, the “Daschle crap” was there earlier in the process.
Personally, I am surprised it got removed.
Regards
Congressman we need more information on where this is in the bill..
JadedByPolitics (Diary) Thursday, February 26th at 9:20AM EST (link)and the language as well….we can take this viral and FORCE the Senate to stand firm against it unless its removed BUT we need more information!
Thanks for the update.
Unified Patriots – How-To:
Activists Taking Action
Here's the Bill Text
ddws (Diary) Thursday, February 26th at 11:59AM EST (link)http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h1105/text
Rep. Price (or anyone else), if you could locate the provision relating to the fairness doctrine, you can hit the “permalink” button and share the offending section with us easily. It would be very much appreciated.
Whenever I see a diary like this...I chuckle..
speciallist (Diary) Thursday, February 26th at 12:08PM EST (link)is this a joke?….I’m not buying it….
Are we suppose to ‘call our senators’ again?…sorry they won’t answer…
Why do we get these announcements after the damage is done?
Why don’t we see these dudes on TV fighting this?
Why doesn’t ‘Mr. Price’ call a press conference?
Why doesn’t ‘Mr Price’ reply?……lol
THIS DIARY IS USELESS!
What was the Vote tally?..What was your Vote??
‘Mr Price’ are you fighting for us or are you just filling us in that were doomed?
Writing a couple paragraphs of Doom and gloom at Redstate is weak….
And…how about your weak homemade youtube vid??
Is that suppose to inspire us?……We need MAINSTREAM battles
WE WANT LEADERSHIP NOT UPDATES!!!!!!!
Here's the roll call vote
Scope (Diary) Thursday, February 26th at 12:21PM EST (link)http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll086.xml
In the House, 16 Republicans voted for it, while 20 Democrats voted against it. Didn’t we hear that 40% of the Pork was put in by Republicans?
The House has already passed this bill, it is on to the Senate now. With people like Specter Snowe and Collins there isn’t much chance of it not being passed.
Make you a gazillion dollar bet that those 16 Republicans that voted for it didn’t read the dam# thing.
Is This For Real
Swamp_Yankee (Diary) Thursday, February 26th at 12:25PM EST (link)This should be a five alarm blaze.
It may or may not be real...
From ME to You (Diary) Thursday, February 26th at 1:35PM EST (link)but if something like this is in it I wouldn’t be surprised if we weren’t funding a new Noah’s Ark!
Quoted from the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 H.R. 1105, Div. B, Title I, General Provisions–Dept. of Commerce:
LINK: “Section 105 link”
Sec. 105. Hereafter, notwithstanding any other provision of law, no funds appropriated under this Act or any other Act shall be used to register, issue, transfer, or enforce any trademark of the phrase ‘Last Best Place’.
Now, if anyone can explain to me the necessity of putting this in the bill, I will be forever indebted to them!
(I may just register that as a web address and park it!) How about “The Last Best Place,com” and “Next to The Last Best Place.com ????
Rush just said Durbin has broadcast related issue up for vote today
katesmith (Diary) Thursday, February 26th at 1:44PM EST (link)As predicted is not called the Fairness Doctrine, but as Rush said it’s a bill that broadcasters must increase local content, diversity, etc. He said a later vote today is sked to be Jim DeMint’s bill to prevent FD. Says conventional wisdom is Durbin’s will pass and DeMint’s won’t.
Nothing is obvious...
cump Thursday, February 26th at 1:47PM EST (link)I converted the document to adobe and did word searches on the thing…I don’t get any hits on the following:
fairness
doctrine
airwave
terminate returned no obvious ‘hits’
media returned no obvious ‘hits’
radio has a few hits, but I didn’t see any associated phrases to give alarm.
Interestingly, PBS does make out though, in one section to the tune of $61,233,000 (Page 147, or there abouts) under the header Transfer of Funds….Corporation for Public Broadcasting.