Watch Out - The Fairness Doctrine May Again Rear Its Ugly Head

This past week, Americans have spoken and successfully put the new immigration (amnesty) bill on the shelf. Guided by conservative talk radio hosts and conservative internet sites, patriots around the country called and wrote their Congressmen to let be known their disgust for this unfair bill. But this could be a somewhat bittersweet victory.

Liberals understand that had it not been for talk radio and the internet, they may very well have slipped this through. They don’t like that. So how can they keep conservative citizens away from these mediums of commentary? You bet…bring back the Fairness Doctrine. The Fairness Doctrine was repealed in the 1980s, cited by the FCC as restricting the First Amendment.

The Fairness Doctrine can be used to attempt to eliminate conservative talk radio. It would allow a liberal to demand equal time on radio stations. But, you may ask, why are there no or very few liberal talk radio programs out there now? They have tried, but they never succeed. No one wants to listen to their programs. Who wants to listen to anger and vitriol? I’d certainly rather listen to hope and the promotion of rugged individualism.

So…what is the Fairness Doctrine? It was originally enacted to give politicians equal advertising time and space (print media) during political campaigns. In the early 1970s, it began to take on a new meaning. Actor George Takei, who played Mr. Zulu on Star Trek, ran for a seat in the Los Angeles City Council. His opponent demanded equal time on TV stations that were airing Star Trek. Star Trek became a big political campaign spot! He demanded that the stations either give him free equal time or take Star Trek off the air. The courts quickly dismissed his demand.

So what better way to silence conservative talk radio than exhume the Fairness Doctrine and either rewrite it or try again to misuse it? The result would probably be station owners totally backing off from talk radio, as they’d lose half their revenue (no one would listen during the liberal shows) and the ridiculous litigation (define “fair”) would put a strain on their bottom line.

So watch for the Fairness Doctrine. Don’t let these politicians slip this one by us! Stay alert!

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