Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : American Presidential Politics and foreign affairs -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sandintoes who wrote (34840)	4/22/2009 11:47:28 PM
From: Peter Dierks	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 71588

Top Dem claimes to be 'dumbfounded' by 'extremism' report By Audrey Hudson (Contact) \| Wednesday, April 15, 2009 The top House Democrat overseeing the Department of Homeland Security is demanding that officials there explain how and why they wrote and released a controversial report identifying veterans as potential terrorist threats. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano that he was "dumbfounded" such a report would be issued. "This report appears to raise significant issues involving the privacy and civil liberties of many Americans -- including war veterans," Mr. Thompson said in the letter sent Tuesday. "As I am certain you agree, freedom of association and freedom of speech are guaranteed to all Americans -- whether a person's beliefs, whatever their political orientation, are 'extremist' or not," Mr. Thompson said. The report "blurred the line," and Mr. Thompson said he is "disappointed and surprised that the department would allow this report to be disseminated" to law enforcement officials nationwide. Also Wednesday, Ms. Napolitano issued a statement standing by the report, which she personally had reviewed before it was issued. She insisted that DHS never would investigate based on political ideology and agreed to meet the head of the American Legion, who already had expressed anger over the report. The Washington Times reported Tuesday that the department's Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) released a report titled Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment on April 7. It identified as potential terrorist threats people who collect guns, veterans, supporters of border control, and pro-life advocates. "I am particularly struck by the report's conclusion which states that I&A 'will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months to ascertain with greater regional specificity the rise in rightwing extremist activity in the United States with a particular emphasis on the political, economic, and social factors that drive rightwing extremist radicalization,'" Mr. Thompson said, demanding to know what types of activities DHS had planned for "the next several months." washingtontimes.com

To: sandintoes who wrote (34840)	4/26/2009 12:24:37 PM
From: Peter Dierks	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 71588

The Obama attack on Talk Radio is Real -- Call to Action by Roger Hedgecock 04/24/2009 There are more strong signals coming from the Obama Administration reflecting an intent to put Talk Radio out of business -- or at least reshape it to censor critical voices and points of view. When I launched UnFairAir (www.unfairair.org) some weeks ago, we knew that several U.S. Senators had publicly called for a re-instatement of the "Fairness Doctrine"; we knew that draft FCC regulations mandating "localism" and "diversity of ownership" had been circulating since early 2008; we also knew that the Obama transition team had vetted pro-Fairness Doctrine appointees to the FCC. What we now also know is that the Obama Administration is circulating a proposal for a new "spectrum use" tax and another proposal for "diversity" of station ownership -- mandating racial and gender quotas as to who should be "allowed" to own radio stations. What's at stake here ? Simply put--Free Speech on the Radio. Here's the history in a nutshell that you need to know. There are 4,789 AM broadcast radio stations licensed in the U.S. Over 2,000 of these program some kind of "talk show" on every conceivable topic in every imaginable language. The "Fairness Doctrine", conceived in the 1920's when a few dozen stations dominated the airwaves is silly in light of today's reality of thousands of listening choices. Nonetheless, Senator Dick Durbin (D--Ill) in March submitted an amendment to the D.C. Voting Bill which would require the FCC to affirmatively "encourage and promote diversity in...media ownership" and reaffirming FCC authority to mandate the presentation "of opposing points of view on issues of public importance". Senator Durbin's language faithfully echoed the language written by Senator Barack Obama on 9/20/07 in a letter to the FCC using the "localism" argument on behalf of Jesse Jackson in a dispute with a Chicago radio station. In June, 2007, the Center for American Progress (led by Clinton aide John Podesta) published "The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio" which made the argument that Big Corporate ownership favored right wing talk radio and excluded left wing talk radio. The answer to the problem ? Government mandated diversity of station ownership. If left wing talk radio can't compete in the marketplace (a fact that is beyond dispute), then Big Government must mandate it. In November 2008, John Podesta was co-chair of the Obama Transition. Podesta appointed pro-Fairness Doctrine former FCC Commissioner Henry Rivera to the FCC Transition Team. Rivera's law firm includes former FCC Chairman Kevin Martin who authored the draft regulations dated 1/24/08 which, if enacted by the full FCC, would require "localism". Specifically, the Martin draft regs. would require "permanent advisory boards comprised of local officials and other community leaders to advise (station managers) of local needs and issues", in effect, a permanent complaint department. Advertisers were specifically excluded from serving on these "advisory boards". Community activist groups are already organizing to enforce these regulations. For example, the National Asian-Pacific Legal Consortium has a "fill-in the blanks" FCC complaint form on their website today. The model here is the 1978 Community Redevelopment Act (CRA) which set up a similar complaint process in mortgage lending which allowed ACORN to intimidate lenders to give mortgages to the "undeserved". Funding for "community groups" was included in the Stimulus Bill, presumably including groups such as NAPLC in order to subsidize members to serve on the radio station "permanent advisory boards". These draft FCC regs, in some version, will be back before the (Obama majority) FCC as early as this summer for enactment and enforcement. While the wider aim is to assert tighter government control over all radio programming, the immediate target here is conservative talk radio. The "progressive" tilt at publicly funded NPR, or the Big Business ownership of liberal leaning network news does not bother Obama. He knows that the executives at GE and NBC Universal will self censor to avoid criticism. In a recent meeting, GE CEO Jeff Immelt and NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker met to discuss how to limit criticism of Obama on MSNBC. But free speech advocates not affiliated with conservative talk radio are beginning to speak up. The Society for Professional Journalism opposes the "Fairness Doctrine" and any government mandate on "fairness" as just another form of censorship by the government. The time for YOU to act is now--the need is urgent." A coalition is forming to fight for freedom of the airwaves and real diversity of opinion. Find out how to get involved at www.unfairair.org. Do it now. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roger Hedgecock is the longtime top-rated radio talk host in San Diego, Calif., on KOGO and, more recently, a nationally syndicated daily radio host heard already in 100 markets and on XM Satellite. Listeners may tune in to his show at Radio America. He is the author of "The 2008 Conservative Voters Field Guide," a series of books on 2008 issues. Guide No. 1-Immigration and No. 2-The War. Learn more about Roger at www.rogerhedgecock.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- humanevents.com