So there's a bill coming up in Congress to ditch the 'Fairness Doctrine'.
H.R. 2905 The Fairness Doctrine is the law giving the FCC the authority and responsibility to force broadcasters to air both sides of political issues.
Now, I'm not sure how I feel about the law itself - on the one hand, I am uncomfortable with the Fairness Doctrine as it conflicts with the freedom of a broadcast outlet to do as he likes. On the other hand, the Fairness Doctrine was squashed in 1985 (link here), & the results have been bad for the country.
BUT, that's not the point of this post.
A couple of Congress-critters, Mike Pence & Greg Walden, have proposed the 'Broadcaster Freedom Act', a bill to specifically prohibit the FCC from reinstating The Fairness Doctrine. In their bill, Pence and Walden write:
Over 200 of our colleagues have joined us as co-sponsors of this important measure...
Considering the significance associated with protecting free speech, we respectfully request that you schedule floor action on H.R. 2905 by Friday, October 12, 2007. While we may not always agree with those who are on the airwaves, as members of Congress and freedom-loving Americans, we should never back down from an opportunity to defend their rights or speak their piece.
OK, so they are big-time supporters of free speech, even speech they disagree with. That's admirable, and a trait too few others in our country share. The shame is that they actually couldn't care less about free speech, as evidenced here:
Vote on Resolution to condemn MoveOn ad questioning the veracity of General Petraeus' testimony before Congress Both Walden and Pence voted for the resolution.
I guess Walden and Pence only care about the 'right' free speech.
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