Public broadcasting is the latest front in the Republican majority’s assault on the “liberal” media. After years of trying to destroy public broadcasting from without, right-wing Republicans are now trying to do so from within, by planting aggressive conservatives on the board and staff. These people have no qualms about destroying the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s (CPB) function as a… return to article
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Reader Comments (32)Page 1 of 1 pages“Meet Republican Singles” is an ad you run on the side of the website? What the heck is this magazine about?
Posted by Bob on Jun 7, 2005 at 7:52 AM I guess Tomlinson’s report is hidden in the same drawer as Terri Schiavo’s autopsy report.
Posted by Margaret on Jun 7, 2005 at 12:33 PM Is it legal to fund public broadcasting by a 1% tax on all broadcasting advertising revenue? Can a state or local entity do it?
Posted by John on Jun 7, 2005 at 4:51 PM I saw a cartoon recently that summed it up: PBS becomes GOP BS.
Posted by Matt H. on Jun 7, 2005 at 8:00 PM Thanks goodness we have someone like Tomlinson who is working hard to GET the public back in public television. He is doing an excellent job of brining it back from the far left crap and making it more moderate which serves the majority of the public!
Posted by John on Jun 7, 2005 at 8:07 PM “I guess Tomlinson’s report is hidden in the same drawer as Terri Schiavo’s autopsy report.”
Hahahahahahaha!
Posted by Lefty on Jun 8, 2005 at 12:08 AM So John, how much is Tom Delay paying you to troll liberal internet forums and post lies?
Posted by Lefty on Jun 8, 2005 at 12:11 AM What dolts like John can’t understand is that “news” is a liberal activity by its very nature. Reporting raw, unprocessed events allows the reader to actually think for him/herself, another liberal function.
Conservatives hate and fear independent thinking. To conservatives, news is dangerous and must be censored, twisted and distorted into lies that - ultimately - serve the interest of corporate profits at the expense of public health, safety and welfare.
Being informed with actual, unadulterated news, the public, being truly informed, can take steps to protect itself from corporate fascism. That’s what conservatives are so desperate to prevent, an informed public.
Posted by Lefty on Jun 8, 2005 at 12:19 AM I’m young and trying to understand just what this conservative beast is like. Lefty has been very helpful in pointing out that a conservative is: greedy, idiotic and fearful of independant thinking. Knowing these attributes, the wretched conservative shouldn’t be too hard to spot. Still it would be easier if they had some identifying physical trait, say a spraying lisp for example. Wait, I know, couldn’t we make them wear yellow stars!
Posted by Tiffany Amber Rose on Jun 8, 2005 at 7:29 AM Tiffany,
I like your humor, but you have the wrong party being the ones who would be made to wear stars. Look up the definition of fascism, Tiffany. It is what the Republicans are doing, not the Democrats.
Posted by Margaret on Jun 8, 2005 at 9:38 AM Margaret,
Thank you for the compliment. I do get it, Republicans are bad and Democrats are good. It’s just as easy as what I learn in church, except, I can tell the devil by his horns. Reading Lefty I got the impression that conservatives...oops, I mean republicans have horns too, they’re just not so obvious. My idea was to make it obvious. At first, I thought of making them wear gold stars, but then I thought people would think they were good, or smart, or something, so I changed it to yellow, but if yellow is bad, lets make it something else. Just not orange cuz that’s my favorite color and I don’t want the bad people wearing my favorite color. Bye
Posted by Tiff on Jun 8, 2005 at 10:47 AM Tiff,
You seem like a real clueless individual. Sorry reality conflicts with your worldview.
Posted by Margaret on Jun 8, 2005 at 11:02 AM Margaret, why am I clueless, because I don’t see things the way you do? You seem pretty autocratic, or fascistic to me.
Posted by Tiffany Amber Rose on Jun 8, 2005 at 11:39 AM Tiff,
As Mussolini said, “fascism should more rightly be called Corporatism, because that’s what it actually is”.
If you look at the undermining of the Middle Class by the Bush Admin, the destruction of our safety nets in an effort to give total power over to Corporate America (which, when melded with a one-party government who has no separation of powers, as is being currently crafted by our chimp of a prez), voila- fascism.
If you support Bush, if you can in good conscience call yourself a Republican Conservative, then you are part of the fascist problem.
Posted by Margaret on Jun 8, 2005 at 12:03 PM p.s. Go to <oldamericancentury.org> and look at the “14 Points of Fascism” on the left side of the archive column. We’re doing it ALL, thanks to the Bush Administration.
Posted by Margaret on Jun 8, 2005 at 12:05 PM I don’t support Mr. Bush and I’m not a republican conservative. Margaret, fascists are bullies with no tolerance for opionions different from their own. Are you part of the fascist problem?
Posted by Tiffany Amber Rose on Jun 8, 2005 at 12:10 PM Tiffany,
Margaret is a hardcore racist and fascist,
her views fit in with her beloved Democratic
Party because Frankie D’s New Deal was modeled
on Mussolini’s Corporate State. The National
Recovery Act was specifically modeled on the
fascist business codes as Tugwell admitted
at time and he was Frankie Crip’s top adviser.
Here in South Bend they are opening a Democratic
Losers Club with Mondale, Carter, McGovern,Stevenson, Truman, Humphrey, Gore, Lieberman and Kerry on the wall photo blowups.
The waiters will be hairy men with butts exposed
as symbolic of the Party’s commitment to anti-hetero policies.
Dean is rallying the troops for the coming 06
defeats.
Go Dean ! Go Hillary ! Go BillyBalls !
Posted by Jack Barnes on Jun 8, 2005 at 3:33 PM Oh Jack, you’re so sexy when you talk stupid. You remind me of George W, well George HW too for that matter. Do you like to jerk off horses too?
Posted by Laura Bush on Jun 8, 2005 at 5:24 PM smells like a set up for flaming. Yeah, tiffy’s not a ‘conservative republican’… right!
Tomlinson’s a Harley riding Bully set out to pollute a free exchange of ideas on PBS. William F. Buckley started the whole Conservative jugernaut (sp?) on track with his Firing Line program on PBS which he ruled like a verbal bully and PBS gave the Conservatives a huge shot in the arm. Now with Conservatives in power they want to close down all viewpoints not in lockstep with their own. A mild liberal like Moyers should be allowed a little time on PBS after conservatives are allowed control of most media outlets for sometime now.
“Liberals” like PBS as it’s intellectually stimulating and fair minded unlike the crap on commerical tv such as FOX’s network.
Look at it this way, Republicans might even pay more in taxes than Democrats… but Republican’s get all the spoils… a highly profitable war in Iraq where Republicans own the arms companies and defense and mercenary contractors, lots of churchs now get money too from the federal govt. In contrast, Liberals get nearly nothing from their taxes except a few dollars going to PBS which without it, our media would be a waste land of Reader’s Digest type’s (Tomlinson is from Reader’s Digest) of articles placating the rest of us encourageing sentimentally worshipping the ultra Rich who get most of their taxes back in investments in arms and oil companies which are sucking at the govt. tit.
Maybe tiffy needs a disability to see how tender hearted the Republicans are.. live on food stamps, and maybe realize that a few scraps going your way while being hungry all the time.. ...maybe then she’ll know what it’s all about.
Posted by datadave on Jun 9, 2005 at 2:04 AM “Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.”—Benito Mussolini
Posted by T. Williger on Jun 9, 2005 at 8:07 AM Tiffany,
Perhaps I misunderstood your joke. I thought you were alluding to the point that you believe conservatives are being persecuted. I would vehemently disagree with that. I was trying to make the point that it really is the other way around.
No, I am as far from fascist as one can get. I live the “big tent” ideal. Despite what some whack-jobs online say, I am as all-inclusive as one can get.
Posted by Margaret on Jun 9, 2005 at 10:21 AM “Fascism is the logical expression of capitalism in its epoch of decline.” --- Leon Trotsky
Posted by Maximillian Al-Dakari on Jun 9, 2005 at 10:28 AM Thank you for your consise and correct assessment, Max.
Posted by Margaret on Jun 9, 2005 at 10:32 AM Margaret, how typical of you to accept Communist
sources without further thought !
The 1920 Nazi Party (National SOCIALIST) platform
reads like any Democratic Party platform since
Comrade Roosevelt.
Hardly any persecution of liberals, there should
be, but there isn’t.
You are about as inclusive as the KKK and your
religious views echo theirs.
Posted by Jack Barnes on Jun 9, 2005 at 2:19 PM Oh Jack, ya know how I love it when you say KKK and Nazi in the same post. I just go crazy when Dub Dub does it too. Surprise me and dress up like one of the above tonight, or like a Guantanamo prison guard. Oops, gotta go get a towel.
Posted by Laura Bush on Jun 9, 2005 at 5:01 PM Oh Jack, Jack, Jack....
are you really trying to say that Nazi’s were actually socialist? That name was nothing more than a ruse to con people into thinking they spoke for all germans…
And just what is your obsession with Roosevelt? it’s a little disconcerting…
maybe one day I’ll read a comment thread where you actually stay on topic, oh to dream....sigh.
Posted by the great went on Jun 12, 2005 at 12:47 PM For anyone interested in the fascinating work of the Nazi Party, read Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer, who lived in and reported on Nazi Germany from the 20’s to the early 30’s. I don’t think it too much of a stretch to compare the work of Goebbles to this administration’s, taking into consideration the greater obstacles and larger array of media outlets here in America.
For those of us who blindly lash out at the Germans of that era because they “should have known what was going on,” perhaps living in our era will allow us to be more sympathetic. It is all too easy to manipulate the sentiments of large groups of poorly informed people. Not everyone has our time or inclination to inform themselves like we dwindling middle-classers. And even when the information given is more even-handed, the fascists always have the greater advantage of appealing to immediate self-interest instead of more complex long-term and mutually beneficial goals that take time and consideration. We are just big monkeys after all (and they REALLY don’t want you thinking that - the more special you think you are, the more you deserve...and who’s more special than God’s Own Chosen?).
However, short-term goals lead to short-term stints of power. Look how the 16th Century Spaniards squandered all that gold and conquest to a lowly little island in the North Sea! Or that curious little band o’ Nazis. No, we don’t have too much longer at the top. I suggest we bide our time productively, and start learning some Chinese. Hurry up, they’ve got thousands of those friggin’ characters - it’s maddening.
Posted by rocco on Jun 13, 2005 at 7:04 AM The Nazis were socialists. See The Ominous Parallels by Leonard Peikoff.
On FDR, see The Roosevelt Myth And As We Go Marching by John T. flynn.
Posted by Jack Barnes on Jun 14, 2005 at 1:42 PM Enough! No more arguing with incoherent wackjobs who conflate FDR with Stalin and Hitler. Wasn’t this discussion supposed to be about how the right wing in this country is (mostly successfully) attempting to co-opt public T.V? The truth is that the kind of investigative, muckraking journalism that Now specializes in is by nature at least a bit anti-establishment and this is deeply terrifying to conervatives who make up the most entrenched wing of the establishment. As for addressing the equal time for differing viewpoints argument, I have no problem with open, challenging, debate. The problem with the situation at P.B.S. is that the powers that be have somehow come to the conclusion that the proper reaction to a potentially left-wing news magazine is an unadulterated half hour of conservative talking-heads (The Journal Editorial Report). At least Now featured dissenting opinions which it usually made at least an effort to treat with respect. Also, there is the matter of Tucker Carlson Unfiltered which has to be one of the worst “news” programs I have ever seen. Carlson’s air of casual condescention is almost enough to make me vomit. At least Bill Moyers had some respect for his guests, AND his audience. P.B.S. is one of the last bastions of serious, nuanced debate left in a world of giant news corporations that are falling all over themselves to reach the lowest common denominator. It would be a real shame if a right-wing crusade made it into just another version of Fox.
Posted by Kelly Boyd on Jun 14, 2005 at 4:05 PM Barnes is right about the fascist
ideological origins of the New Deal,
see The Roosevelt Myth by John T. Flynn.
Kelly, are you as stupid in person as
you appear to be on this board ?
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