o'transparency - Stop Obama From Killing Conservative Talk Radio (He/It could include Internet radio too!)

From: Conservative Alerts  Sent: Friday, August 21, 2009

Stop Obama From Killing Conservative Talk Radio -- Tell Congress to Support Free Speech Rights Against "Diversity Czar."  ALERT: Ever since the Democrats took control of Congress and now the White House, they have sought to kill conservative talk radio.  Why?  Because the listening public loves it.  Even better -- they hate liberal talk radio.  The way they have planned to do this has been a simple tool:  THE "FAIRNESS DOCTRINE". So far -- thanks to a massive outcry from patriotic Americans like YOU -- we've been able to STOP their efforts. However, that means they are trying to "sneak it in the backdoor" instead... which is why Barack Obama has created a new "diversity czar" position at the Federal Communications Commission. You can be sure of one thing: The radical liberals will do everything in their power to SHUT US DOWN, along with every other conservative voice in America. We MUST take action to stop them NOW, before they are able to mobilize support for this insidious attempt to SILENCE CONSERVATIVES!   The "Fairness Doctrine" -- a federal regulation requiring broadcasters to present both sides of any "controversial" issue -- was enforced by the Federal Communications Commission from 1949 to 1987. The FCC adopted it as a regulation, but it was never a law enacted by Congress. When the rule was in place, radio and TV stations could face hefty fines if their stations aired controversial statements on public affairs without providing "equal time" to opposing viewpoints. The result was self-censorship by broadcasters who avoided politics to escape any potential government retaliation. When this rule was dropped in 1987 under Ronald Reagan, it led directly to the rise of conservative talk radio that enabled average citizens to have their voices heard across America. If it weren't for the Reagan administration dropping the "Fairness Doctrine," we would never have heard of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glen Beck, Michael Savage, Michael Reagan, Martha Zoller, Neal Boortz, Janet Folger, or the hundreds of other conservative talk radio hosts that dot the land and expose the lies and misdeeds of the Left. And THAT is why the Left wants to bring back the "Fairness Doctrine" -- which is why Obama has appointed his new "diversity czar," Mark Lloyd, as Associate General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer for the FCC. Mr. Lloyd, you see, is a staunch supporter of the Fairness Doctrine. Up until 1987, the Fairness Doctrine mandated that when a broadcast station presented one viewpoint on a "controversial" public issue, it also had to air the opposing viewpoint. Sounds "fair," right? WRONG. The so-called "Fairness Doctrine" did nothing but stifle any real public debate on the airwaves. What station manager in his right mind would air a (profitable) conservative talk radio show for two or three hours every day, if it meant he had to also air liberal shows as well -- shows that have consistently LOST money whenever they've been tried? Repealed by a vote of 4-0, it was concluded that the "Fairness Doctrine" had begun to inhibit political discourse, rather than enhance it. The Democrat Congress tried to reinstate the doctrine, but President Reagan vetoed their attempt. Again, in 1991, another attempt to revive the doctrine failed when George H. W. Bush threatened a veto. Now, with Barack Obama appointing Mark Lloyd as the FCC's "diversity czar," they're going to try to SHUT US UP AGAIN -- and this time, they might succeed... unless YOU AND I take action to stop them NOW, before they are able to mobilize support for this insidious attempt to SILENCE CONSERVATIVES!   TAKE ACTION: Nothing frightens those who peddle lies more than the cold hard light of TRUTH. They react to exposure of their deceits the way vampires react to a having a crucifix held up in front of them. Ever since the birth of conservative talk radio and the Internet ended the liberals' total monopoly over the news, the left has been simmering with rage -- over the loss of their absolute control over what the Americans are allowed to see and hear, and their inability to do anything about it. Time and again, liberal attempts to sell the nation their shoddy goods have been frustrated when talk-radio hosts have taken to the airwaves and warned their millions of listeners that they were about to be taken to the cleaners. It was not until last year's fatally flawed "immigration reform" AMNESTY bill -- that seemed destined for passage -- was derailed by an army of angry voters recruited by talk radio hosts and conservative Internet websites, that the left understood both the incredible power of the new media, and their utter helplessness in the face of it. Clearly something had do be done, they thought. And that's when they came up with the idea to bring back the "Fairness Doctrine" -- but with another public outcry against it, they've decided on this new "backdoor" approach, with Obama appointing Mark Lloyd as his "diversity czar" at the FCC. What's the problem with that? PLENTY. The biggest concerns relate to Lloyd's participation in scholarly writings on political talk radio, the Fairness Doctrine, and efforts to bring greater "diversity" to talk radio. Prior to joining the FCC, Lloyd served as a Senior Fellow at the far-left "Center for American Progress" (CAP), in addition to positions as a professor at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute. In his capacity as a Senior Fellow at CAP, he coauthored a paper titled, "The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio." This paper argued that radio programming was currently "imbalanced" and that there are "serious questions about whether the companies licensed to broadcast over the public airwaves are serving the listening needs of all Americans." Lloyd's paper suggested three options to remedy the "imbalance" in political talk radio, including (1) restoring caps on commercial radio station ownership, (2) ensure greater "accountability" in licensing, and (3) require owners who fail to enforce "public interest ownership obligations" to pay a fee. That seems reasonable, right? WRONG AGAIN. First, Lloyd's paper suggests that the Fairness Doctrine was "never formally repealed." Instead, Mr. Lloyd argues that the FCC merely announced "it would no longer enforce certain regulations under the umbrella of the Fairness Doctrine." The paper continues by stating that while the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the FCC decision, the Supreme Court has "never overruled the cases that authorized the FCC's enforcement of the Fairness Doctrine...thus it technically would not be considered repealed." Second, the paper suggests that the FCC revise the licensing process for radio broadcasters. Specifically, it suggests that licenses should not be permitted for longer than three years, that they be subject to challenges in the decision to renew their licenses, and that they submit to strict documentation and regulatory requirements. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the paper suggests that commercial radio owners be subjected to new regulatory requirements enforcing "public interest obligations" and if they fail to meet these "standards," subjecting them to fees and taxes in order to compel compliance. The paper suggests that such a fee or fine structure could raise between $100 million to $250 million in new revenue, but would not "overly burden commercial radio broadcasters." And guess who will get these "fees and fines"? Public Radio. You see, liberals can win in the marketplace of ideas... so they have to FORCE others to finance their radio networks. So, this new "diversity czar" has specifically argued that the Fairness Doctrine is "unnecessary" if these other regulatory "reforms" to commercial radio he's proposing are implemented. In other words -- bring back the Fairness Doctrine, which never left anyway -- just don't call it that!   Really, what they're trying to do shows just how desperate the liberals have become. Without the new media to keep an eye on them, their failure to accomplish their stated goals since winning control of the Congress would have been covered up by the subservient mainstream media. Conservative voices on talk radio and the Internet are the left's worst nightmare -� their monitoring of the liberals' activities have been shining the light of truth on their attempts to deceive the nation, so now they're trying to do whatever it takes to kill us off. Like all Marxists, the liberals won't stop trying to LIE their way into more and more power. As a result, they won't stop trying to destroy the new media -- those of us who are more than willing to ACTIVATE the grassroots to help EXPOSE their lies. You can be certain that they'll push HARD for a new "Fairness Doctrine" or some other way to silence the opposition. But you can be just as certain that we will NOT let them succeed! As grassroots conservatives, we MUST take action to stop them NOW, before Obama's new "diversity czar" is able to mobilize support for his insidious attempt to SILENCE CONSERVATIVES! Contact YOUR Congressman and Senators NOW, DEMANDING that they SUPPORT free speech against Obama's "diversity czar" and his attempt to bring back the "Fairness Doctrine" in ANY form! Together, WE CAN DEFEAT THE LEFT! Join in today! Sincerely,William Greene, President, RightMarch.com PAC P.S. President Reagan is the one who killed the "Fairness Doctrine." As a result, this rule change allowed Rush, Hannity, and others to have radio talk shows -- that's why the new proposal to bring it back is being called the "Hush Rush" bill. Now the liberals are dying to shut them up. Don't be fooled into thinking that they aren't serious about trying to reinstate this doctrine. Barack Obama has already tapped former FCC Commissioner Henry Rivera, a longtime proponent of the "Fairness Doctrine," to chair the FCC's "Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age," and with a 3-to-2 advantage on the FCC, you can bet that "advice" will be followed. If the "Fairness Doctrine" is brought back, even through the "diversity" czar's backdoor methods, you can be sure of this: AM Radio will DIE. Such a doctrine would be used just like it was used in the past -- as a political weapon against radio station owners, program directors and managers. That's the reason President Reagan got rid of it. Let's take action NOW! Thank you!   TELL CONGRESS TO SUPPORT FREE SPEECH RIGHTS AGAINST OBAMA'S "DIVERSITY CZAR" AND THE "FAIRNESS" DOCTRINE: As always, you can also send a FREE message directly to your Representative by clicking here, and to your Senators by clicking here. Thank you. The work of RightMarch.com PAC is funded entirely by voluntary contributions. Help us spread the word with a donation to RightMarch.com PAC! https://secure.conservativedonations.com/rightmarchpac_wnd/?a=2880 If you prefer to donate by check, please send to:  RightMarch.com PAC, Dept. Code 2880, PO Box 96503 #33585, Washington, DC 20090-6503 Paid for by RightMarch.com PAC

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