The Fairness Doctrine Looms on the Horizon Part 2

I was recently asked to look into the Fairness Doctrine by a friend of mine on Digg. The result is the two posts I have written for my blog, this being the second. I will also include links at the end for all the articles I had time to read. Clearly, I have a bias against the Fairness Doctrine. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you stop reading now.
I have no doubt Obama considers The Fairness Doctrine a priority. I know he will pass it if it gets through Congress. All Americans should be concerned about this. As a Conservative* political artist and blogger, I have alot to worry about from the Fairness Doctrine. Some of the same people supporting this are also calling for regulation of the internet. It is looking pretty scary.
It takes alot of work on things like this before I even start a painting. Now that I am trying to get into the habit of blogging, I have even less time. If you're interested in seeing my work, the site is: http://www.machinepolitick.com/. You will understand pretty quickly how the Fairness Doctrine will affect me if it extends to the internet. More importantly, it is yet another attack on the Constitution and our civil liberties.
There are some people out there screaming about the Fairness Doctrine and its repercussions. I fear that there are not enough of us, and no one else is listening. We are just a bunch of bigoted wing nuts after all.
I'm glad some people understand that America was not founded on Socialist principles. I was starting to wonder. Now we have to figure out how to educate the masses before we are silenced. I used to think all this Orwellian Big-Brother talk was a bunch of conspiracy nonsense. Now I am not so sure. Clearly, our government no longer cares what we think. McCain-Feingold was passed under the premise of making politics more transparent. We all know it really keeps the big guys in office and shuts up the rest of us. Then the bailout was passed with an overwhelming outcry against it by the people because government knows best and we’re supposed to think they’re looking out for our best interests.
Sorry, I tend to digress and address multiple subjects in a rant. Please bear with me.
I have a question concerning the Fairness Doctrine: Why is it that people who talk so much about freedom of expression and conservative war mongers always support use of government suppression? Things like the Fairness Doctrine are the first step of a repressive government to control the people. Our government has already betrayed us and the Constitution with McCain Feingold, the Patriot Act, the bailouts, etc. We need to take a stand now, while we still can. Make your voices heard people.
There are plenty of communist and socialist countries in the world. It's time for these people to move there, and let the rest of us restore America to the free country it used to be. But wait, Communism doesn't work. Maybe their true objective is to be in charge so they can enjoy the spoils of our labor. We all know when the wealth gets spread around everyone ends up poor because the government sucks up most of the goodies.

* (Note: by Conservative, I do not mean Republican. If you must label me use Libertarian or Objectivist, they are better fits. I may decide to do a self-description at some point in the future. Clearly, I also need to write an article on the real meaning of the word Conservative.)

That’s it for now. Here are some articles you can read:

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27566&page=4&viewID=668648
http://www.google.com/search?q=democrats+fairness+
http://www.thomas.gov/home/gpoxmlc109/h3302_ih.xml
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=110-h20071018-47&bill=h110-2905 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-2905 http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27566#continueA http://www.google.com/search?q=democrats+fairness+doctrine&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

The 'Fairness Doctrine' Looms on the Horizon

I felt, with the ‘historic’ Obama inauguration looming, it would be fitting to address the issue of the Fairness Doctrine. This fancy little bit of legislation is causing concern for many, regardless of political affiliation. I hope you are among those concerned. If you have no idea what this is about – find out.
A quick definition from our friends at Wikipedia:
According to Steve Rendall of FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting),
The Fairness Doctrine had two basic elements: It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. Stations were given wide latitude as to how to provide contrasting views: It could be done through news segments, public affairs shows or editorials. The doctrine did not require equal time for opposing views but required that contrasting viewpoints be presented.
This is not an appropriate action for the government to take. In conjunction with HR.1955 (Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007),
which enables the government to label innocent people terrorists, as well as McCain-Feingold, it is a nightmare. George Bush and Congress have done enough to demolish the Constitution and our Civil Liberties. The Fairness Doctrine, like so many other schemes with pretty names, is not Fair. Have you noticed that the nicer the name of the bill sounds, the more knives government is shoving in our backs? The larger issue that many are missing is that it is not the government’s job to determine what is fair. Whenever the government endeavors to level the playing field, someone gets screwed. Even if you are naive enough to believe that it’s fair to stick it to the evil rich, you’re cutting your own throat. With the exception of greedy and corrupt individuals, the average rich guy is doing the rest of us a favor. Who do you think is creating jobs? Where do you think the goods and services that make our lives comfortable are coming from? Whose money is going to keep the economy running when corruption in government and dishonest people of power screw up the economy? Who do you think pays the majority of taxes in this country?
Because the Fairness Doctrine affects speech as well as business, you would think more Liberals would be crying foul. One of their universal mantras is, after all, free speech. Most of them, however, are suspiciously silent. As a political artist and blogger, I stand to be adversely affected by this legislation because the same people working to pass it are now making noise about regulating the internet. Yes, I am looking out for myself. I certainly don’t expect anyone else to do so.
If I have an opinion, I should be able to voice it without scrambling around to find someone who opposes it and giving them space on my webpage. I did all the work to put it together. It is for the promotion of my work. There should be no other content. Anyone who has worked hard to make a name for themselves deserves the reward their success has brought them. If you want to be a famous blow-hard, get off your butt and make it happen.
If you don't like a particular station, don't watch or listen to it. Lord knows I can’t stand Hannity and O’Reilly makes me nauseous. I wouldn’t listen to Air America if you ripped out my fingernails, and I have yet to figure out why tax money is used to support Public Radio and PBS. There are plenty of other avenues for news, Digg being a good example. The internet is a limitless source of information from all points of view.
You have a right to your own opinion and freedom of speech. You do not, however, have a right to be protected from things that ‘offend’ you. If there’s something out there that is beyond your ability to bear, find a constructive outlet for your displeasure. Stop worrying what other people think and live your life how you see fit. You might find you feel better.
The last thing any of us needs is Big Brother breathing down our necks.