Unfairness Doctrine Goes Global

Carefully buried in the middle of the UNHRC's Orwellian Freedom of Opinion and Expression resolution lies an cleverly disguised attack on our right to choose from a free market offering of news and opinion. It is obvious that the Obama administration is overreaching, giving their unfairness doctrine global scope.

The following text appears on page 4 of the UNHRC Freedom of Opinion and Expression resolution as part of a list of actions that all states are called upon to perform. [Emphasis added.]

(h) To promote a pluralistic approach to information and multiple points of view by encouraging a diversity of ownership of media and of sources of information, including mass media, through, inter alia, transparent licensing systems and effective regulations on undue concentration of ownership of the media in the private sector;

A Google search for the first 16 words of that paragraph yields only one result, a sure indication that the text is new, not boilerplate from earlier resolutions. Where did it come from? Recalling an earlier blog post which was sparked by an article at World Net Daily, I found the most likely source.

A Center for American Progress report, "The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio" discusses the "Imbalance" in talk radio programming. Their attitude holds talk radio to be unfairly dominated by Conservative talk show hosts; they seek ways and means of increasing the number and proportion of Socialist talk show hosts and broadcast hours. Mark Lloyd, who was involved in writing the report, is the FCC's new Diversity Czar.
CFAP 06/22/07

The following text appears on page 10 of the pdf file [Pg. 14 of the original.]

We recommend that radio ownership caps be revised as follows:

• National radio ownership by any one entity should not exceed 5 percent of the total number of AM and FM broadcast stations.
• In terms of local ownership, no one entity should control more than 10 percent of the total commercial radio stations in a given market, or specifically, more than:
• Four commercial stations in large markets (a radio market with 45 or more commercial radio stations).
• Three stations in mid-markets (between30 and 44 total commercial radio stations).
• Two stations in smaller markets (between 15 and 29 total commercial radio stations).
• One station in the smallest markets (14 or fewer total commercial radio stations).

It is possible that Egypt suggested item h in that list, but World Information Access, in a report on ownership diversity, serves up this tidbit.

With continual struggle for free private expression in Egyptian media and commonplace restrictions on information deemed damaging or critical of the government Reporters Without Borders rated Egypt 146th out of 169 countries in their media freedom index.

The provision was most likely suggested by the American delegation, and probably came from supporters of the CAP report. The Obama administration is not satisfied with censoring conservative dissent at home, they want to silence conservative dissent throughout the world, giving Socialism a global media monopoly.

If they can shut conservatives out of talk radio, they can close down our blogs as hinted at in page 7 of the resolution and obtain a near total control on the flow of information and opinion. The next step toward tyranny would be precision of the 22^nd Amendment. We need to act now to initiate the process of correcting the fatal error we made last November.Be among the avant guard, get in on the ground floor by joining the movement to Impeach President Obama.

Unfairness Doctrine: Temporary Setback

"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech. " Benjamin Franklin [http://www.newspeakdictionary.com/ot-quotes.html#QFree]

"Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech." Benjamin Franklin [http://www.newspeakdictionary.com/ot-quotes.html#QFree]

From News Max comes word that Senator Jim DeMint's Broadcaster Freedom Act passed the Senate 87-11 as an amendment to an unrelated bill giving a voting representative to Washington D.C. Senator Dick Durbin's Ownership Diversity amendment also passed 57-41.

The Socialists seek to squelch dissent, to silence dissenting voices by imposing economic penalties, denial of licensing, "local advisory" boards or restrictions on broadcast station ownership.

If they can restore "equal time" requirements, forcing broadcast stations to waste air time on left wing radio shows that can not draw and retain audience share, the loss in revenue will force broadcasters to drop the more popular conservative shows.

If they can set limits on how many stations a corporation can own, and issue more licenses to "minority owners" who are presumed to be more Socialistic in their outlook, they hope to reduce the number of stations carrying the more popular conservative shows.

If they can force broadcasters to institute "local advisory" boards, stacked with left wingers, who will whine & caterwaul about airing conservative opinions, they will have another excuse to deny licenses to those broadcasters.

In every case, the objective is to penalize broadcasters who provide what we want to hear. The Socialists want to assure a monopoly for their agenda driven house organs which print and broadcast their propaganda on their schedule without asking critical questions to expose their incompetence & corruption.

In a Representative Republic, an informed electorate is necessary to ensure competence and fiduciary trust. In the long run, an informed electorate is necessary to assure the preservation of liberty and prosperity. The Socialists want a one sided debate; a monologue, not a Dialogue. Competent electors will recognize the fact that "just us" is not justice.

There is nothing fair about the so called Fairness Doctrine; it is the acme of unfairness. When broadcasters operate in a free market, listeners vote with their tuners. They seek out the stations and programs they want and ignore the rest. Broadcasters sink or swim by adjusting their programming according to consumer demand. Pelosi, Schumer, Durbin & Stabenow seek to defeat the market so as to cement their party in power forever.

Far from fairness, theirs is an Unfairness Doctrine; an unconstitutional imposition of censorship. In their Orwellian lexicon, fairness is anything that benefits them and disadvantages their critics and electoral opponents.

In their campaign to squelch dissent, they rely on a shibboleth which, if carefully examined, reveals their dishonesty & corruption. "Public Airwaves" is their favorite. When it comes to radio, there is no such thing. Radio is not dependent on air, it would work just as well in a vacuum. It works by modulating electromagnetic radiation: "radio waves" with with sound. The waves are locally generated, on demand, by oscillators, modulated and amplified, all with privately owned electronic equipment and powered by electricity which the broadcasters pay for. There is no public resource involved.

The FCC allocates frequencies and sets power limits to assure that broadcast stations do not interfere with or jam each other's signals. There is absolutely no rational basis for the unconstitutional censorship which the Socialists seek to impose upon their critics. The Socialists have a near total monopoly in the daily& monthly print media and in broadcast & cable television. A.M. radio is the one market they do not control, and they seek to monopolize it.

This issue is about content: they seek to stop speech which criticizes them, which questions their intentions, methods, policies, connections and effects. They don't want us to hear the truth about their associations and policies. They would muzzle the guard dog and silence the canary in the coal mine.

Make no mistake, freedom of expression is necessary to facilitate full and complete debate of all sides of vital public issues. That is why the first Amendment protects it.

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. [http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html] [Emphasis added.]

Conservative talk radio is simply speech, translated into amplified radio frequency energy, amplified. & broadcast. Nothing in that process should remove it from the umbrella of first amendment protection. The fact that the Socialists seek unconstitutionally to censor it should prove to you that the Socialists are unworthy and unqualified to lead & legislate and should be removed from office at the next election.

The same forces seeking to censor talk radio also seek to censor the Internet. If they made conservative newspaper columns and editorials illegal, their violation of the Constititution would be immediately recognized as such. The only difference between news print and the Internet is the means of transmission and reproduction. Much of the content is transmitted both ways. Make no mistake, they'll outlaw this blog if they can get away with it, just as they seek to outlaw Rush Limbaugh and his colleagues & competitors.

While the Broadcaster Freedom Act has intrinsic merit, it will, in the long run, have little effect because it can be repealed by a simple majority vote. The Constitution is our only real protection; it must be rigorously enforced. Once the Socialists pack the Supreme Court, we will lose our last line of defense.

Now is the time, while we still have our voices; while we can still say, hear, write and read the truth without penalty, to make maximal use of our Constitutional rights. Rise up and raise Hell! This blog post is placed in the public domain; copy it, cross post it, paste it into an email and broadcast it. Go to http://www.congress.org, enter your Zip Code and click the Federal Officials link. Send an email to President Barack Hussein Obama, your Representative & Senators. Tell them you are wise to their corrupt power grab and will not tolerate it. Tell them that you will not, under any circumstances, cast a vote for anyone who supports or implements unconstitutional censorship. Exhort your Rep. to sign the Broadcaster Freedom Act Discharge Petition. Include a link to this blog post by copying and pasting this html code: Unfairness Doctrine.

Sign and support these on line petitions; exhort everyone you can influence to sign them.

• www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=87882
• www.mrcaction.org/512/petition.asp
• www.focuspetitions.com/155/petition.asp

Bear in mind these words of wisdom:

• “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” [http://www.georgewashingtonsociety.org/Mission.html]
• "I have always been among those who believed that the greatest freedom of speech was the greatest safety, because if a man is a fool, the best thing to do is to encourage him to advertise the fact by speaking."
  By: Woodrow Wilson
  Free Speech Quotes
• "There is no more fundamental axiom of American freedom than the familiar statement: In a free country we punish men for crimes they commit but never for the opinions they have."
  By: Harry S. Truman
  Free Speech Quotes
• "Free speech, exercised both individually and through a free press, is a necessity in any country where people are themselves free."
  By: Theodore Roosevelt
  Free Speech Quotes
• "If the fires of freedom and civil liberties burn low in other lands, they must be made brighter in our own. If in other lands the press and books and literature of all kinds are censored, we must redouble our efforts here to keep them free."
  By: Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  Free Speech Quotes
• "Free speech is intended to protect the controversial and even outrageous word; and not just comforting platitudes too mundane to need protection."
  By: Colin Powell
  Free Speech Quotes
• "There is tonic in the things that men do not love to hear; and there is damnation in the things that wicked men love to hear. Free speech is to a great people what winds are to oceans and malarial regions, which waft away the elements of disease, and bring new elements of health. And where free speech is stopped miasma is bred, and death comes fast."
  By: Henry Ward Beecher
  Free Speech Quotes
• Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us. - William Orville Douglas [http://www.giga-usa.com/quotes/topics/free_speech_t001.htm]

Take a Stand against the Unfairness Doctrine

Media Research Center
Free Speech Alliance

Text of the Fairness Doctrine Petition:

I am signing this petition to urge members of Congress and government officials to reject any and all efforts to censor, limit, or restrain the right of conservatives to participate freely in the marketplace of ideas through the so-called “Fairness Doctrine” or other similar efforts.

Additionally, I am joining with other American citizens who want their individual Free Speech Rights defended and protected from government intrusion! Our great nation was built upon free and open discourse, and to remain a great nation this ideal must be protected and preserved at all costs.

Please note that I will be watching closely and taking action when necessary to directly combat the liberal bias of the media.

    The goal is to accumulate half a million signatures to apply pressure to the politicians.  Our role is to sign the petition and urge everyone in our circle of influence to sign and share the petition with others.  With a few more Senate wins, the Democrats will be able to stop a filibuster.  We need to apply maximum pressure now, and maintain it.

    After signing the petition, please go to Congress.org and enter your zip code. Under the heading Write Your Elected Officials,  click the Federal link. Compose and send an email to your Representative & Senators urging them to reject all attempts at censorship. Let them know that your next vote will depend on their votes. Be sure to click the Letters To Leaders check box so that the public can read your letter to Congress.

    Collectively, we have the power to prevent this unconstitutional atrocity. If any of us abandons that power, all of us may lose it forever. If they can censor talk radio, they can censor the Internet too.  Then we will be like the Eastern Europeans, typing multiple carbon copies on manual typewriters to communicate our facts and ideas.

    The unfairness doctrine is a blatant attempt to squelch political speech. Don't let them do it! Act now to preserve our precious, hard won liberty.

Consider the first amendment:

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.

The text includes the technology available to the newly liberated colonists. Is there any reason to doubt that radio and the Internet would have been included if they had existed at that time?   Radio is nothing more than amplified speech, except that it has no nuisance value. Unlike the sound truck and amplified Adhan, radio is not intrusive, it is under the control of the listener. Make sure it stays that way.

Previous posts on the Unfairness Doctrine:

• The Fairness Doctrine

• Shibboleth: ‘Public Air Waves’