senator@stabenow.senate.gov
February 6, 2009
Senator Stabenow:
I read that you are prepared to
have Senate hearings to consider whether actions should be taken to "rein in" the conservative viewpoint expressed on
talk radio. May I remind you that the First Amendment to the Constitution gives everyone the right to free speech? It is not
a suggestion, it is a right. Americans freely choose what they want to listen to on the radio. If they would
rather listen to conservatives than liberals, that is their business... and their right. The federal government has no
business forcing "equal time" for opposing viewpoints, or using (clearly unconstitutional) FCC "local rules" to promote
liberal, leftist, socialist views (or conservative views, for that matter). If Americans want to hear contrary opinions,
all they have to do is turn on ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, or NPR, or read the New York Times, the Chicago Sun-Times,
or the Los Angeles Times.
You seem eager to "promote
fairness" on the radio. Are you also planning to do the same with television and newspapers? Are you going to force MSNBC
to give equal time to conservative commentators to offset the pandering remarks of Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann? After
Katie Couric and Andrea Mitchell get done swooning over Barack Obama's latest suggestion to spend tens of billions of
dollars we don't have or impose additional strangulating regulations on American businesses, will NBC be required to then
provide a few minutes of objectivity and economic sanity?
If radio stations must offer equal
time to liberals to offset conservative commentary, do they not also have to offer equal time to fascists? Or radical Islamists?
Or anarchists? Where do you draw the line? Must 15 minutes of global warming discussion be offset by 15 minutes about global
cooling? After a liberal brags that FDR "saved us from the Depression," will you require that the radio station allow
a conservative to explain how FDR worsened and prolonged the Depression? After a report on the space shuttle returning
safely to earth, must we allow time for the people who believe that Americans never actually went to the moon and the Apollo
moon landings were performed on a Hollywood soundstage? If there is a discussion of the evils of child pornography on my local
radio station, does that have to be followed by a representative of the "North American Man/Boy Love Association" who advocates
men having sex with little boys?
The words "fair" and "equal" are
not the same, although liberals have certainly spent the last 40 years trying to convince people that they are equivalent. What
is fair is that Americans have the freedom to read, write, say, and listen to whatever they want. There is no requirement
in the Constitution for "equal time" for opposing viewpoints, only that Americans be free to express their views without
interference from the government. I am free to stand on my soapbox and say whatever I choose to say. I should not be required
to pay for the soapboxes of those with whom I disagree. If few Americans care to listen to those with liberal viewpoints,
that is not an argument for the federal government to force the taxpayers to pay for more soapboxes for liberals. The First
Amendment recognizes the citizens' right to free speech. The Second Amendment recognizes their right to bear arms - and
to protect themselves from those who would attempt to abrogate the First Amendment. If you don't understand that, you don't
belong in the United States Senate. Regrettably, you are probably not alone.
Do not use the "limited airwaves"
argument as an excuse for your attempt at censorship. There are more than enough radio frequencies to accommodate stations
that wish to view varying political viewpoints, and with satellite radio Americans now have considerably more options
and choices than they did when the prior shamefully named "fairness doctrine" was properly disposed of by the Reagan Administration.
That people choose not to listen to liberal talk radio is no justification for the United States Senate attempting to ram
it down their throats.
And do not use the FCC's "local
rule" to force your opinions on others. We understand how that rule can be abused. Obama's controversial pastor, Jeremiah
Wright, once successfully lobbied the FCC to take away the broadcast license of a station because he felt it was not
covering civil rights issues the way he preferred. If some people don't like the way Charlie Gibson interviewed Sarah Palin,
can they ask the FCC to take away ABC's license? (At the very least, you should refuse to take part in any hearings or votes
on legislation relating to radio licensing because your husband is vice-president of the liberal “Air America”
network.)
We understand the game you
are playing. By forcing "equal time" or "local rule" provisions, you are hoping that radio stations will respond by canceling
conservative talk shows. You understand that the stations will lose enormous amounts of advertising revenue if forced to air
liberal "equal time" talk shows that no one will listen to. You are hoping that, to avoid going out of business, stations
will simply convert to all-music or all-sports formats. Realizing that you cannot simply "outlaw conservatives" (although
you no doubt would if you could), you will simply make it so expensive for stations to broadcast their conservative-themed
programs that they will throw up their hands in frustration and give in. How cynical of you... and how insulting to the
American people.
Is it not enough for leftists
to control most of the newspapers and virtually all of the television news networks? The mainstream media was clearly "in
the tank" for Obama and got him elected. Had there been objective reporting over the last 18 months Obama would
not even have won the Democrat nomination, let alone the presidency. Is that not enough for you? Leftists control Hollywood, television, newspapers, the universities, and the federal
government. Is that not enough for you? Are those of us who believe in the Constitution of the United States, which you are so eager to trash, not allowed even a few hours of
common sense on talk radio?
You are in very dangerous waters
if you consider censoring talk radio. Granted, you will not call it censorship - but that is what you hope to accomplish. For
years I have been worried that America
was leaning toward socialism. Today, I am worried that it is leaning toward fascism.
But be aware that there are millions
of Americans (not all of them conservative) who will work feverishly to see that any Senator or Congressman who attempts
to re-impose any type of "fairness doctrine" is soundly defeated in the next election. Democrats will suffer incredible
losses in 2010 if they are successful in censoring conservative talk radio.
Face reality, Senator Stabenow.
Obama and the Democrats have over-reached. Americans were foolish enough to vote you into office, but it will not take
much for them to learn from their mistakes. Campaign rhetoric can fool millions of people and hide your motives, but once
you implement your plans the American public cannot avoid seeing them. When "hope and change" turn into pork and censorship,
people will notice.
I urge you to avoid the issue
of "reining in" conservative talk radio. Do it for the sake of your political career if you have no respect for the United
States Constitution.
Don Fredrick
www.colony14.net
Stabenow’s remarks can be
found at:
(http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0209/Sen_Stabenow_wants_hearings_on_radio_accountability_talks_fairness_doctrine.html?showall)
