The Threat to Freedom of Speech on the Internet and the Airwaves of America.

Just so we are clear here: This site does not accept political advertising for any candidate, or any political party, or any special interest group. The opinions, expressed here, are my own and those of my readers. I have no plans in future to accept paid political advertising. As a former broadcaster, I had my fill of all the required paperwork inherent in handling political ads. I learned quickly, the money, paid for those ads, did not make them worth the trouble.

The broadcasting Industry was, and remains, one of the most heavily government regulated industries in the United States. Political ads only bring state and federal government to your doorstep… always with the threat of heavy fines and, the ultimate punishment for any broadcaster, pulling the company’s broadcasting license.

So far, the blogging industry, and let’s face it, it IS becoming an industry, is on the thresh hold of government regulation. The Blogosphere is far too powerful a force to go unregulated by a government afraid of any thing, any entity, or any person, which may be able to influence the American public, especially voters. So, every day the blogoshere goes without government regulation is a "gift". For when the hammer comes down, it will come down with a resounding echo across the entire globe.

Look, there are bloggers out in the "sphere", with which I am diametrically opposed… and they with me. But, we share a freedom unlike any in the annals of human history… at least since the advent of governments. If we ban together, we stand a chance of extending this freedom for a while longer. But, be aware, we WILL lose in the end.

You see, bloggers have power. We have proved it time and again. Governments fear all power not wielded by them. The blogoshere is a threat to government… and believe you me… they are fully aware of that threat.

Do not delude yourselves, fellow bloggers, we are being scrutinized, and we are being analyzed by the powers that be and they do not like what they see.

One political party has tried to use the power of the blogosphere to spread its influence into yet untapped resources of money and support. That portion of the blogoshere was quickly offset by the other segments of the blogosphere who did not agree either with their philosophy, or the way in which the blogoshere was being used. So far, we have done a fairly good job of policing ourselves. But, again, do not be complacent. The end is neigh.

It is not just the blogosphere which is in danger. The broadcast community is once again in the crosshairs of the government. If the Democrats DO manage to take over the Congress, look for the re-imposition of the “Fairness Doctrine”. Now, the Fairness Doctrine sounds benign enough… until you try to work within it’s dictates… as I have. Simply put, it works this way. If broadcast station, radio, or TV, airs a program concerning a controversial issue, it must make available time for those opposed to that opinion on the controversial issue which espoused by the original program. That, taken to the nth degree, means… a broadcast station could conceivably be tied in knots with all it’s allotted broadcast time being used up by every Tom, Dick, and Harry, with a different opinion on the issue. It was a policy right out of broadcast hell.

Broadcasters found themselves having to weigh whether or not to touch a controversial subject, and be subjected to the demands for “time to answer” of the hordes of individuals, or groups, with differing opinions on the issue, or, ignore the issue entirely. So, most broadcasters simply did not touch ANY controversial issues… period. “Public Affairs” broadcasts were relegated to the wee hours, on Sunday mornings, or to any other hour of the station's broadcast day with the least amount of listenership.

The result was that stations simply entertained and did not attempt to educate or inform, short of the news, sports, and weather.

When the Fairness Doctrine was lifted, stations, both radio and TV, began to wade into the world of controversial subjects. Talk shows soon became the rage! Some liberal, some conservative, and some, well, you’d have to figure out, for yourself, exactly what category they fell into. But, the long and the short of it was and is, that broadcast stations, for the first time since the imposition of the Fairness Doctrine, began to serve their communities as they are required to under the terms of their licenses.

But, what the government did not count on, when they lifted the Fairness Doctrine, was the inherent conservatism of the masses of Americans outside the major metropolitan areas. Soon, it seemed, only the conservative talk shows were left on the air as listeners, in “flyover country”, rejected the liberal philosophy of the left wing talk shows. Very soon the field was narrowed down to a handful of really successful talk shows, mostly conservative. And... therein lies the “rub”.

The American political left has been threatening to re-impose the Fairness Doctrine in order to bring more variety to TV and radio listeners, and viewers, in America. Of course, that is a façade, a sham. The real purpose for the threat is that Conservative thought has taken over the airwaves and that is detrimental to the Left and, as a result, it cannot be allowed to continue.

Believe me, these are not idle threats by the Left. I am convinced they fully intend to re-impose the Fairness Doctrine at their very first opportunity. Conservative broadcasters will be relegated to paid satellite radio, which does not require a broadcast license, or to pirate stations operating surreptitiously, or from broadcast stations aboard ships anchored just outside the territorial waters of the US. It has been done before and Conservatives will certainly move in that direction.

The long and the short of all this is… freedom of thought, no matter how strongly those in political power support it publicly, is a threat to them... and they know it. It stands to reason, they will make every effort to bring it to “heel”, or to stop it altogether.

The most effective weapons the Government has to combat freedom of speech on America’s airwaves, and the Internet, is McCain-Feingold, and the Fairness Doctrine. If McCain-Feingold is considered the heavy artillery, then the Fairness Doctrine is the Atom Bomb.

So, we bloggers had best enjoy it while we can!

Longstreet