Dem Congressman attempts to ban spending on FOX

[James48]

Source: Fedsmith.com

A Democratic Congressman introduced a bill to ban federal spending on the FOX network. The committee defeated the bill along party lines- 7-4.

Congressman Jim McGovern said he thought we should be "fair and balanced", and if we were going to cut off NPR, that is was only fair to cut off all federal spending on FOX.

"Over the past several years, it has become clear that the Fox News channel is wildly biased. They continue to employ a talk show host who called President Obama a racist. They continue to employ several prospective Republican Presidential candidates as “analysts,” giving them hours and hours of free air time. And their parent company has donated millions to GOP-linked groups.

My amendment would prohibit federal funds – taxpayer dollars – from being used for advertising on the partisan, political platform of Fox News. " McGovern said.


Read more: http://www.fedsmith.com/article/2795/rep-mcgovern-dma-introduces-amendment-ban.html

---

Seems fair to me.

The Federal Government spends a lot of money advertising on FOX- particularly the Department of Defense spends a lot on those military recruiting ads. I"d say it's only fair that none of that money be spent on a reicht-wing channel.

[secondwind]

1. Wonderful idea. Too bad the House is biased at this moment in time.

[blackbart99]

34. Just wait for us to take back the house...

Then we can do it...oh yeah our congressmen are for the most part spineless. Never mind...it will
never happen, we don't have the killer instinct.

[disndat]

36. It will happen.

The independent voters who pressed the snooze alarm last Nov. '10 will come back in droves. They got the wake-up call from Wisconsin.

[here_is_to_hope]

56. Dream on.

No, really.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

88. All we need

is 25 seats. It can be done.

[ldf]

94. no, we need enough seats

to make the blue dog democrats irrelevant.

then kick their asses out of the party.

[liberalmike27]

37. They should offer to give up funding on NPR

if Republicans are willing to create a new, better, and highly monitored fairness directive. Won't happen, but it'd be a great way to shut them up. Imagine FOX having to hire half democrats, liberals. They's shut it down before they did that.

Clearly if you look at the rabid-right's inception, it was in the late eighties, just after it was repealed. Rush was spawned from the jaws of hell, FOX started, the nineties were lost to ridiculous rhetoric before any real claw-back from we liberals took effect. And the ONLY reason that happened was that an uncontrollable Internet surfaced, where liberals who'd become disenfranchised from the regular, ridiculously right-wing media, left it to surf, post, and inhabit cyber-land.

[jmowreader]

70. Which is the real reason they're trying to kill Net Neutrality

Liberals, y'know, must be suppressed. So saith Rush, Beck, Hannity, Coulter...

[Proletariatprincess]

2. no sense of justice or fairness in these Repubs...

I guess some people are born with such a sense of privilege and entitlement that what is fair doesn't even enter their minds. Cut PBS/NPR but support Fox with tax dollars? Ok by them. And these people are lawmakers in the USA....no wonder we are so fekked up.

[Cal33]

64. You seem to forget that one of the main purposes of the Neocon Party

is to make this nation into a one-party system -- theirs. They are out
to destroy democracy in this country of ours. If and when that should
happen, they might even drop their present party name "Republican" and
call themselves by their real name, "Neocon." Right now they still
need the votes of all those old-timer Republicans who still think
that they are voting "Republican."

[vicarofrevelwood]

3. Wow another Great savings to be had. What's wrong with this one G.O.P?

[SemperEadem]

4. time to catch recall fever

[The Wizard]

5. Sending in the military

to "dismantle" Pox would be money better spent. And stop the Limbaugh brainwashing/propaganda on Armed Forces Radio.

[RoccoR5955]

6. Touche! What's good for the goose, should be good for the gander

But ONLY if you're not a RepubliCON!

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Love it!

[Hubert Flottz]

8. And how about the taxpayers funding Rush on Armed Forces Radio?

That Really Sucks!

[Lasher]

14. That would have been a better move.

Just go ahead and cut funding for the whole Armed Forces Network.

[Hubert Flottz]

44. Rush preaches rabid hatred and hard right wing propaganda 24/7...

somewhere in the world, on my dime.

I never saw Mister Rodgers do that shit, or never heard of him getting busted twice for dope!

[SnakeEyes]

24. I believe AFR doesn't pay for shows

and those that are on, offer their shows for free as a courtesy to the military.

[Hubert Flottz]

43. You can believe whatever you want to believe.

Do you think the gear and the people it takes to make AFR work around the world, just materialized out of thin air and that Joe Taxpayer had nothing to do with any tax dollars being spent to make AFR happen?

Maybe Rush feels guilt for going on living and loving the top shelf of the USA, because of someone else who wasn't a coward took Rush's trip ticket to Vietnam?

But I guess Rush isn't any worse off in the patriot department than the smirking dip-shit who was a year or two AWOL and then became the Commander In Chief.

[PavePusher]

25. For the record, AFR gets NPR as well.

Don't you want our deployed/over-seas-stationed military to be informed?

[maxsolomon]

30. In times of austerity, sacrifices must be made by everyone

except the plutocracy. :sarcasm:

[Hubert Flottz]

40. "to be informed?"

To be informed by a lying, pill popping, draft dodging, hate merchant? NO! Not really.

[PavePusher]

42. I was kinda refering to NPR. n/t

[Hubert Flottz]

46. I'll try again...

"Don't you want our deployed/over-seas-stationed military to be informed?"

Not if the trade-off is indoctrinating a bunch of homesick, scared, pliable young military minds in the field abroad, with a daily barrage of Rush's hatred based, corporate funded, hard right, propaganda and divisiveness. How can constantly undermining the CiC on the radio like Rush does be good for anything about our country?

[PavePusher]

61. I meant that I would like to keep NPR on AFRN.

And, in all fairness, that means other opinions get their fair airtime too.

The off-switch is always quite handy.

[U4ikLefty]

84. So they have Al Jazeera English as well?

This call for "fairness" with regard to FOX calls for a REAL balance to their propaganda. NPR is middle-of-the-road stuff. Hell, many of my Orange County Republican co-workers hail NPR as their favorite radio-station when they want to hear about the "other stuff"...once they're done with their K-K-KFI fetish of course.

Al Jazeera English is not propaganda, but at least they have a world-view that is not cheeseburgers & tits, and thus provide a counter weight to FOX's load of...

[PavePusher]

85. They have limited broadcast time/space, and stick to American stuff...

as they should. That's their raison d'etre. Speaking of "scared and homesick"...

If you want Al Jazeera, there are several methods to obtain it from other sources. And, for the record, I do so occasionally.

Edit:

http://afrts.dodmedia.osd.mil /

http://myafn.dodmedia.osd.mil /

[U4ikLefty]

95. So Pacifica is in their schedule?

Can they get "Democracy Now"?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

49. +10

[Initech]

54. Seriously, get that POS off AFR!!!

[Hubert Flottz]

57. Why should Rush have a free ride from the DoD to broadcast his

toxic bullshit abroad to the troops, when he was too good to send has chubby afflicted ass over there, when his country asked him to do his part?

If Jack the Ripper would volunteer to tell his story on AFR for free, I guess we'd pay for that too. I guess the Cookie Monster would give a little guy like Dave Vitter nightmares and cause him to soil his disposable uber undies.

[Initech]

63. I agree.

It's bullshit that we allow Rush to spread his toxic rhetoric to our troops. Complete, utter bullshit.

[PavePusher]

86. Yeah, we should apply censorship to the troops....

That's the American Way, amIright?

Seriously, WTF? I don't pretend to agree with that fat monkey-fuck in the least, but they do have quite a variety of shows on, if you should care to look them up.

Edit:

http://afrts.dodmedia.osd.mil/

http://myafn.dodmedia.osd.mil/

[gimme5]

90. Well, so does NPR

They have a variety of programs too. And they had/have guests from all corners of the political field. Does Rush give a progressive/liberal/Democrat even the chance to complete a sentence?

[wordpix]

9. +1, and let's have an emergency session on this one, too

[loudsue]

10. Sorry. This was an "AH HA!" moment for me. I didn't realize even ONE of my tax dollars was going

to Fox.

That enrages me more than I can begin to say. In fact, that's WAY BEYOND acceptable. It would be really appropriate for this to be a major push from the good people of this country to get our taxes back from anything having to do with that piece of shit Murdock.

Goddamnit!! :argh:

[bhikkhu]

21. Talk radio is worse, and it gets plenty

You don't have to listen for long (about what a rotten government we have, usually) before there's a break where some government-funded advert runs.

[L. Coyote]

11. Send them a big bill for their bandwidth!!

[JJW]

12. Reinstate the draft (with no exemptions)

then they wouldn't need to spend billions recruiting.

[AlbertCat]

17. Reinstate the draft (with no exemptions)

then they wouldn't need to spend billions recruiting.

*****

AND!


all oil wars would stop
Protesters would be out like 'Nam.

[old mark]

13. K&R- Agree absolutely! NO TAX MONEY FOR FOX!!!...nt

[Maineman]

15. NPR tries to speak the truth. That makes them liberal.

FOX spreads lies like crazy. That makes them what? Main stream?

[Duval]

73. NPR used to be a liberal voice, but not

for the past few years. When they began voting conservatives to be on their board, they began leaning further to the right. I stopped listening during the Bush years.

[gimme5]

91. The lying FOX

A Fox former insider said it. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=7&ved=0CEAQFjAG&url=http%3A%2F%2Figgydonnelly.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F10%2Ffox-news-we-just-make-stuff-up%2F&rct=j&q=just%20make%20this%20stuff%20up&ei=THGETYu1DYX0swOP37nwAQ&usg=AFQjCNFMUAYaeUltyj7KWMpdLHOlQTEwXw&sig2=2e9zfkC65-z1D9CRpgQzLg&cad=rja
"We just make stuff up."

And this is represented to be the truth. And people believe it. And votes are cast (yeah, IF that makes a difference... :mad:) But NOBODY on Fox is honest!

Did you read that Ann Coulter said radiation could be a GOOD thing??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Pge9F5SpE&feature=player_embedded

[Zorra]

16. "If You Are Hearing Crazy Voices, Turn Off Fox News"

Fox News 2011 = Pravda 1965

[meow2u3]

33. Great slogan for a bumper sticker

"If You Are Hearing Crazy Voices, Turn Off Fox News"

:evilgrin: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :spray: :spray: :spray:

[eowyn_of_rohan]

18. APPEAL!

lol - i know they can't, but I would like to see them continue to harp on this. Aside: I recall a dramatic shift in the content of NPR during the 2nd half of shrub's illegal reign. I wish I could remember the exact issue that started the RW railing on NPR back then, and the time it occurred because it seemed the RW got their hooks into the content after that...

[valerief]

19. FAIR is just another four-letter word in this govt. nt

[bhikkhu]

20. And ban spending on Talk Radio

The few times that I do listen to it (I'm a mechanic and spend some time test-driving customer's vehicles) it seems like there are always public information bulletins going out, which I'm sure are paid for at regular advertising rates.

[Uncle Joe]

22. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, James.:thumbsup:

[The Nexus]

23. What the hell would Fox want with our tax money? nt

[JHB]

31. Because it's money, of course

Tax money is just as good as any other, and it doesn't come with any strings attached as far as FOX is concerned.

[The Nexus]

59. It's a commercial channel. Paid by advertisers.

Our tax money shouldn't have been going to that.

[Scurrilous]

26. K & R

:thumbsup:

[colsohlibgal]

27. Oh Yeah!

Fox does for wingnut nation exactly what Goebbels did for the 3rd Reich. Not one iota of difference, pure and unadulterated, filled with outright lies, propoganda.

[felix_numinous]

28. Ban all propaganda in America

-that should be the gist of this bill, to include all recruitment films, spokespersons from the Pentagon and all of the cheerleaders for the MIC/ international corporations. That would clear the airwaves. Hey, we should aim as high as possible with our demands.

[NorthCarolina]

29. Kick & Rec #100

[Kerrytravelers]

32. Raise your hand if Congressman McGovern is your new favorite Congress Critter!

[Vurz]

45. He's the best!

He always gets my vote.

[McCamy Taylor]

35. A well funded public news organization is crucial for a democracy

so the right is defunding our poorly funded public news organizations. Go figure.

[katty]

38. great idea - do it!!

[Politicalboi]

39. Somebody needs to make a movie

Of all the shit that has been going on in our government, and elections. Make it mostly humor featuring "The Teabaggers" Show video of their misspelled signs and have possible future Teabaggers see what nuts they really are. All we have to do is show You-Tube videos. A lot of people need to know what is going on, and from our media no one is pointing these things out. Let's ridicule the Teabaggers with their own shit, and the Repukes.

[Plucketeer]

41. At least it's part of

the federal record now - the FOX/GOP embrace, that is.

[Blue Owl]

47. FOX = federally funded fakery

Get this false hokum off my public airwaves!

[mybuddy]

65. The Simpsons

Where will you watch new episodes of The Simpsons?

[Blue Owl]

69. Fox NEWS, silly

As much as I like the Simpsons, I equally dislike FOX's news channel (I think Matt Groenig feels the same way)

[NICO9000]

77. Bart addressed that a few years ago

He was in therapy with a female counselor and tells her he had a dream where he and his family were cartoon characters and their success enabled a "crazy propaganda network called Fox News.'

Later in the show, Marge tells him that they don't have anymore money to pay for the therapy. She says, "Maybe when you grow up, you can pay a lady to talk with you for an hour." Bart: "Y'know Mom, I'm pretty sure I will!"

:evilgrin:

[Vinca]

48. Why do our tax dollars go to armed forces radio programs that include Limbaugh?

No NPR, no Limpballs.

[totodeinhere]

50. If they take off Limbaugh they would probably have to take off Ed Schultz as well.

I say leave them both on and let our armed forced decide for themselves whom to believe.

[PavePusher]

87. Thank you.

Some of the paternalism around here is getting a bit thick....

[Kingofalldems]

51. K and R for Fox little pallies

[Quantess]

52. How is it that I have never heard of this before?

All the discussion has been around government funding of NPR.
(Which, by the way, I support. NPR is informative and objective, even though they recently have had to skew right in order to mollify the crazy right wingers.)

[idrahaje]

53. Didn't know Fox got Federal Funds of any sort

X_X fair and balanced. ha..

[Keith Bee]

55. Don't SCARE me like that!

Jesus! For a moment there, I thought the government was subsidizing FOX!

[w4rma]

76. We are. (nt)

[RufusTFirefly]

58. The Fallacy of False Equivalency

McGovern's well-intentioned gambit succeeds in suggesting that Fox and NPR are right and left equivalents, which is patently absurd.

Fox is a shameless, lying propaganda outfit. NPR is an actual news network that occasionally demonstrates some journalistic standards but that typically reports the news from a mild corporatist perspective, in keeping with the ideology of its principal underwriters.

[No Elephants]

60. FOX isn't willing to run military recruiting ads for free?

[PavePusher]

62. Does anyone? n/t

[Tumbulu]

66. Good Jon Jim McGovern! (nt)

[JohnWxy]

67. RECOFUCKINGMENDED!!!!!!!

But the federal government subsidizes media companies all the time. According to a Rand Study, the Department of Defense alone spent over $600 million in advertising in 2007.


NO MORE FUCKING TAX DOLLARS GOING TO A GOP PARTISAN PROPAGANDA MILL.

[Kingofalldems]

68. Kick again

[Towlie]

71. Fox often refers to "the other side of the aisle" without realizing what that implies about Fox.

When you're "fair and balanced" there is no "other side", yet Fox News regularly uses the phrase to mean the Democratic Party or the Democratic members of Congress, apparently without realizing (or caring) what that implies. Perhaps they're confident that their viewers are too dumb to even notice. If so, they seem to be correct.

[BrklynLiberal]

72. Good for the goose...good for the gander!!!!!!

[AsahinaKimi]

74. I was not aware Fox News was getting money from

my US Government. Cut them off!! Infact, please have the IRS do an investigation, so they can find some way to fine them! They really are the "enemy of the state".

[SpiralHawk]

75. Fair & Balanced

I hope some others will come forward on this -- now is not a time for whimpery.

[defendandprotect]

78. Agree --

[ms liberty]

79. Holy Shite...THIS is it...THIS IS THE MEME.Can I KnR enough? NO! n/t

[DemocraticPilgrim]

80. I think that will slow them down as this could take wings down the line.

[Name removed]

81. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tigereye]

82. touche!

:D

[Initech]

83. What goes around comes around, assholes!

[freshwest]

89. Great, and take Rush off armed services radio or provide or DN for balance..

[Scuba]

92. And ban Rush from Armed Forces Radio too. n/t

[fittosurvive]

93. Initially, I took this to mean that FOX was receiving government subsidies.

Thankfully, that is not the case and this is merely a joke.