FCC Formally Erases Fairness Doctrine

[JFootin]

Tuesday, 23 Aug 2011 12:54 PM
By Newsmax Wires

The Fairness Doctrine, which the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) implemented in 1949 to require broadcasters to present both sides of controversial issues, became less relevant as cable TV exploded in the 1980s. So the FCC dropped the rule in 1987, but it never erased the language implementing it — until Monday that is, Politico (http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=AE266EE0-97C9-4FB7-AAC6-4A5FEB36A99F) reports.

The agency formally dumped more than 80 media industry regulations. Other rules the FCC tossed include the “broadcast flag” digital copy protection rule that courts overturned and those pertaining to the cable programming service tier rate.

Monday’s action constituted part of the commission’s response to an executive order from President Barack Obama implementing a “government-wide review of regulations already on the books” to strike unnecessary rules.

© Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Wait a minute! Isn't this what all the conservative pundits said the Progressives, led by the likes of Maxine Waters, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, and of course Barack Obama, were going to use to silence conservative voices on the airwaves? Didn't they say that Obama just appointed a man over the FCC to resurrect the Fairness Doctrine and use it in that evil way? Were they just sh1tt1ng us, or what? You know, the left dismisses them as fear mongers and conspiracy freaks. Are they maybe a little bit right?

I am registered to vote as a Republican, so I get countless phone calls from Fox news talking heads and other groups, ad infinitum, supposedly representing conservative causes, but all they are doing is trying to stir you up so you will give them money! Newmax, from where I quoted this story, is so greedy for profit that they let hucksters, scam artists and medical quacks set their traps using their huge email list. It seems the conservative cause, and its media in particular, have been corrupted by greed! Is there no one out there we can trust anymore?

[TheTman]

I'm contacted daily by all manner of conservative causes wanting me to sign this petition or that petition, sometimes I do and there is ALWAYS a page asking if I won't contribute money to help them accomplish their goal. Then there's Newsmax with all their "Find out the secret the government doesn't want you to know" only you can't until you fork over some money. Just a bunch of malarkey to get into your wallet.

[Longitude Zero]

I will probably get flamed for this but here goes. It also reminds me of the "Disaster of the Month" that the NRA would bombard my mailbox with. I am glad that stupidity has subsided.

[bigmacque]

Newsmax has always been a little suspect to me, though ...

[jmk1138]

It sure detracts from the appearance of validity of the message.

[O'Dell]

I got sucked into NewsMax for a year principally because of some of the contributors like **** Morris, and also, because the other news magazines had moved to the left. I did not renew!

I have been a Libertarian ever since I bolted from the Republican Party over fifteen years ago. I am fiscally very conservative, but socially moderate. I obviously detest Obama's fiscal policies, but didn't care much for Bush's free spending ways either. I don't think the Libertarian Party has much of a future, because they are much too independent to ever organize into a cohesive group, so I generally support Republicans as the lesser of the evils [or the evils of the lesser]. However, I fear that the "Christian conservatives" or "social conservatives" as they like to be called, will turn off the independents, and keep the anti-capitalist Dems in charge as they generally are today.

[Longitude Zero]

I agree Newsmax is for the mentally challenged and ignorant.

[JFootin]

Yeah. I just use Newsmax for a quick news feed, ignore all the sales pitches and take the news with a grain of salt.

[Scoundrel]

I will probably get flamed for this but here goes. It also reminds me of the "Disaster of the Month" that the NRA would bombard my mailbox with. I am glad that stupidity has subsided.

If you get flamed for this, then I will share your pain. When I read the first post, and before I saw yours, I decided to post this:

It reminds me very much of the crap I constantly get from the NRA. They send me cheap coins with manufacturing defects, asking me to sign up for the whole collection. They send me DVDs I did not ask for, with a note that says if I don't take the time/effort to repackage them and send them back, that I will be obligated to pay for the first one - and I really should sign up for the whole DVD series (I threw this in the trash. If they contact me looking for money for it, you will definitely want to be a fly on the wall observing THAT conversation).

I did the early signup for the second year of membership to save a few bucks, and chose the "shotgun shell knife" as my prize for it. The thing is utter junk, and the blade has "China" stamped on it.

The "Freedom" magazine comes with dozens of way to try and part me with my money, including a full two-page advertisement spread from Harbor Freight (junk stuff made in China, designed to look similar to quality products).

Every single contact from the NRA comes with a request for more money, through donations or through cheap products and subscriptions.

I joined the NRA because I want them to fight for my rights - NOT to get inundated with cheap junk and a metric ton of advertising for more overpriced cheap junk.

It infuriates me that helping to back any cause seems only to mark me as a pushover and fuel them to greater heights in their efforts to part me with more of my hard earned money.

Like many others, I am now wondering what Wayne LaPierre's NRA salary is - the REAL one, not the one that their creative bookkeepers have cooked up.

...and the same regarding all of those other folks trying to stir up money for their other political machinations.