Fairness Doctrine

Regretfully, things are seldom the way they should, and much less as we would ideally like them to be. Therefore, if we want to resolve a problem we have no other choice but facing it head on, even if we have to pinch sensitive nerves focusing on the taboo issues that invariably annoy our sacred cows and their interests.

Digging into my elephant's memory I recalled the last few months of George Bush Father's campaign for the Republican nomination. Although he never used this slogan, it was very popular among his not-so-conservative followers: "We've got to stop Governor Reagan because he's too conservative". Remember?

Before Ronald Reagan took office the fairness doctrine was already in place and was used to help control the conservative movement in check.  Remember at this point in time people like Rush Limbaugh did not dominate the nations airwaves as is the case today.  But when Reagan was able to defeat this legislation the door cracked open and we as conservatives have not looked back. 

 Does anyone believe that the current atmosphere in our country would allow such legislation to take wings onece again?  I do not believe so.  With so many people tuned into people like Limbaugh, Fox news and other such entities I truly believe that the Democratic party and Barrack Obama would be faced with so many lawsuits and such an outcry from the public that such a law will not be able to overcome the obstacles that it faces.  Does this not mean we will not face challenges?  I would be a fool to thinks otherwise.  However, I do believe that Obama does not want to come across as a complete liberal because if he does he will end up loosing any hopes of reelection in four years. 

But even if the fairness doctrine should be able to stiffle the conservative movement in one way we must be willing to use the technology that is available to us to help promote our message.  For I truly believe that our message is one that cannot be trumped when it is accurately portrayed.  Thus times may appear dark now, but it is always appears darkest before the dawn breaks forth.  And believe me, the dawn will rise once again in this great nation.

We've all heard about the possibility of the federal government getting involved in controlling the airwaves and dictating exactly what kind of speech can be broadcast and to exactly what degree, by way of the Fairness Doctrine. To the greatest degree, most of the press has been given to this movement's efforts to regulate the airwaves on television and the radio to ensure that 'equal time' is given to 'both sides' of every issue.

But, as is pointed out by Jeff Poor of The Business & Media Institute, those efforts to dictate content could even go so far as controlling the messages embodied within websites of various causes, as well!

There’s a huge concern among conservative talk radio hosts that reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine would all-but destroy the industry due to equal time constraints. But speech limits might not stop at radio. They could even be extended to include the Internet and “government dictating content policy.”

FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell raised that as a possibility after talking with bloggers at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. McDowell spoke about a recent FCC vote to bar Comcast from engaging in certain Internet practices – expanding the federal agency’s oversight of Internet networks.