Consequences of Republicanism

Neal Boortz Calls New Orleans "City of Parasites"

2008-02-02T10:23:00.000-06:00

According to Media Matters, conservative talk radio host Neal Boortz referred to New Orleans as "a city of parasites, a city of people who could not and had no desire to fend for themselves" during his January 30th show. Boortz also made inexcusable remarks about victims of Hurricane Katrina, saying, "When these Katrina so-called refugees were scattered about the country, it was just a glorified episode of putting out the garbage."

Expressing what has become fairly typical Republican outrage over the tendency of many Americans to blame Bush for the inadequate federal response to Hurricane Katrina, Boortz said,

But I am fed up with this conventional wisdom that Katrina and the disaster that followed was George Bush's fault. It was not. The primary blame goes on the worthless parasites who lived in New Orleans who you -- couldn't even wipe themselves, let alone get out of the way of the water when that levee broke.

In the midst of what I certainly hope will be swift and prolonged outrage resulting in Boortz's termination, I hope that we remember one important thing. His statements, while quite venomous, reflect the manner in which many Republicans view persons less fortunate than themselves.

Tags: Neal Boortz, New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina, media, politics, Republican, radio

Media Excluding Edwards From Race

2008-01-28T08:17:00.000-06:00

First America's corporate-owned media killed the Presidential campaign of Dennis Kucinich by excluding him from debates, denying him the coverage of the so-called frontrunners, and even removing polls that showed him leading the race. We saw the result quite clearly. Now it appears they are doing the same to John Edwards. The American people are supposed to have a voice in who represents us, but we are being denied such a voice to a degree I never thought possible in a democracy.

Dear reader, I am thoroughly confused about why this is being allowed to happen. I understand that the corporations which own the major media networks are playing to their self-interest by opposing meaningful change and supporting the status quo which clearly favors them. This is no mystery, and I think many of my fellow citizens understand this too, at least on some level. What baffles me is how a people who value freedom can stand idly by and allow this to happen.

This is not about which candidate I support. Those of you hoping for a Clinton or Obama victory should be equally outraged. Even if the situation appears to favor your candidate now, there is no guarantee it will do so in the general election or in the next Presidential election. Besides, has it ever occurred to you that the media may be propelling Clinton and Obama ahead of all challengers precisely because they suspect that this will make for an easier Republican win in November?

This is about choice - the American people should be able to vote for the individual they support for President and not simply the limited options the media pushes on them. This is about freedom - the freedom we all learned was the cornerstone of American democracy and a freedom which has been eroding during the current administration. The people are supposed to decide the election, not the media.

So what can we do? Honestly, I'm not sure, but I will tell you one thing I am going to do. I am going to contact each of the major media networks and express my outrage over what they are doing, first to Kucinich and now to Edwards. Regardless of whether you support Edwards, I hope you will agree that he deserves equal coverage and that you will join me in protecting our democracy.

Tags: politics, America, media, Dennis Kucinich, John Edwards, election, 2008 election, election 2008, democracy, vote, choice, freedom, Clinton, Obama, Republican

Will The Media Decide Your Vote?

2008-01-03T06:09:00.000-06:00

Who decides who the so-called front runners are in the presidential race? Are national polls meaningful when the media focuses on certain candidates while ignoring others? Does it bother you to see unconventional candidates such as Dennis Kucinich or Ron Paul largely ignored while the media pushes "safe" candidates who are likely to change very little about the status quo?

I certainly haven't forgotten about this, and I recommend you remember it too.

H/T to Freethought Weekly

Tags: politics, election 2008, 2008 election, Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul, media, ABC News

Action Alert: Stop Big Media

2007-12-19T19:11:00.000-06:00

It is time to let Congress hear from us about the recent FCC vote. Once before they were willing to stand up to the FCC after thousands of Americans made it clear that they valued independent media. Now we need signatures asking them to stop the FCC and stand up for the public interest. Sign the open letter to Congress here.

Big Media Wins, America Loses

2007-12-18T18:52:00.000-06:00

According to StopBigMedia.com, the Federal Communications Commission voted today to remove barriers to additional media consolidation. Despite public pressure and the protests of several members of Congress, they gave in to big media.

Today’s vote was a confirmation that the FCC has turned its back on its own mission and mandate to foster localism, diversity, and competition. The Commission, which is supposed to be dedicated to protecting the public interest on the public’s airwaves, has shown today that it is held hostage by Big Media’s campaign contributions and high-powered lobbyists. Their corrupt process and biased research ensured that they reached a preordained conclusion today to gut the few remaining protections for local media.

This is a serious blow to independent and alternative media and should be a source of concern for anyone concerned about the effect of corporate ownership of the news media. I don't know about you, but I am sickened by much of the fluff being passed off as news these days. We're at war, and we're being fed Paris Hilton nonsense!