As you may have heard, a number of politicians have expressed interest in reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. This policy required that TV and radio stations provide airtime to opposing veiwpoints. It was allowed to expire in 1987 by President Regan. AM radio at the time was limited to a handful of stations. Since the end of the Fairness Doctrine, it has expanded considerably. There are now over 3,000 AM stations nationwide. Most of these stations are of the talk radio format. Talk radio is mostly conservative, with personalities such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck and Laura Ingrahm who are carried on hundreds of stations. For conservatives, talk radio is a major source of news and commentary on current events. They listen to it, not to get their marching orders, or because they're "mind-numbed robots" but beacuse many of them are ALREADY conservative and they agree with what the host is saying.
Conservative talk radio shows and stations vastly outnumber their liberal counterparts because conservative programming tends to bring in more listeners. Businesses realize this and are more willing to pay good money to advertise on those stations because more listeners means more potential customers for those businesses. If the Fairness Doctrine is ever reinstated, these stations would have to drop some of their conservative programming in favor of more liberal programming. They would most likely lose some (if not all) their advertising revenue and more than a few would have to close down as a consequence. The net result would be a drastic reduction in conservatives ability to make their voices heard. This is censorship, pure and simple. Liberalism already has TV and print media to make its veiws known. Conservative talk radio acts as a counterbalance to that; it is "equal time"!
The Fairness Doctrine is anything but fair. It is a violation of our 1st amendment right to free speech. It is unamerican. Those that would attempt to reinstate will try to do so by disguising it, repackaging it to make it seem more appealing to the public. They will say it's for the sake of "fairness" or "diversity". It is not. It will be an attempt by those in power to stifle dissent, to keep us in the dark. If a bill comes before congress to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine in whatever form they choose, it will our duty as Americans to be ready to make our voices heard. For "the price of liberty is eternal vigilance".

As some of you may be aware today is December 7; the 67th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. I know many of you are busy with your Christmas shopping, but I would ask you to take a moment to remember those who died that fateful day, as well as those who would fight in the years that followed.
With the holday season in full swing, it is easy to forget that there are brave men and women fighting tyrrany and terrorism overseas. Like those who fought in WWII, they became soldiers, sailors and pilots in the aftermath of a great tragedy. I would ask you to remember them this holiday season. Remember all who fought and died to protect and defend all we hold dear. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all who serve in the armed forces.

And Thank You.

On November 5th, 2008, the science fiction community lost one of its great authors. Michael Crichton, author of such works as "The Andromeda Strain", "Jurassic Park" and "State of Fear", lost his secret fight with cancer. He was 66. A number of his works have been adapted for the silver screen, the most sucessful of which was Steven Speilberg's adaptation of "Jurassic Park". He also worked on such films as "Westworld" and "Twister". Michael Crichton was also the creator of the long-running medical drama "ER".
What made his works so enjoyable (in my opinion) was that the science in his was always rooted in actual science. It wasn't some far-off thing like warp drive or ray guns. He took real-world science and advanced it just a step or two to make it beleiveable. That made him a great author and the world seems a little poorer now that he's gone.

Rest In Peace, Michael Crichton.

SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ IF YOU PLAN TO SEE THIS FILM!
I went to see "An American Carol" today and I must say it was one of the funniest movies I've seen in a while. It's like "A Christmas Carol", subsituting the american spirit for christmas. The "Scrooge" of this tale is movie ("documentary") maker Michael Malone (Kevin Farley), (a knock-off of Michael Moore) who makes so-called documentaries that attack america. He heads up an organization that is trying to get rid of the 4th of July. Also, there is a trio of terrorists who use Malone as cover for an attack on the US. Then he receives a warning from President Kennedy that three spirits will vist him. The first is General George S. Patton (Kelsey Grammer) who tries to explain to Malone the importance and necessity of the military and national security. Next is George Washington (Jon Voigt sp?) who tries to give Malone a lesson on faith. Last but not least is Trace Adkins (a country music star) who shows Malone the potential consequences of his actions. Malone comes to his senses and helps thwart the terrorists' attack at a concert in Madison Square Garden. Other stars include James Woods (as Malone's agent), Dennis Hopper (as a Judge who is trying to fight off ACLU zombies with a little help from Patton and his troops) and Gary Coleman (you'll just have to see it for yourself). Directed by David Zucker (the guy who gave us the "Airplane" and "Naked Gun" movies). Go see this film; you won't regret it (unless you're of the Michael Moore persuasion)!

The facts:
1. Back in the late 70's, president Jimmy Carter signed into law the Community Reinvestment Act that required banks to give loans to those the banks had deemed "high risk", i.e. those they beleived wouldn't be able to pay back the loan. It was this act that paved the way for our current crisis.
2. During the Clinton administration this law was given some muscle. The Justice Department (particularly Janet Reno and Jamie Garelick) threatened banks with legal action if they failed to comply with this law. The banks, rather than get into a legal fight, did so.
3. During the Bush administration there were attempts to reign in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (both owned in part by the Gov't). These efforts were defeated in, or ignored by congress. Senator Chris Dodd of the Senate Finance committee and Rep. Barney Frank (who headed the house's version of the Senate Finance Committee) would describe such efforts as "Scare-mongering". They claimed there was nothing wrong with either institution. The Bush administration, however, made numerous warnings about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (as far back as 2001).

Did greed on the part of bankers and Wall Street play a part in this mess. Yes, absolutely. However, it was the federal goverment's social experiment that made it happen. Go after the bankers and wall street guys, but go after the guys in the goverment as well. Go after everyone who is responsible for this mess. As for the bailout itself, I say kill it. No bailout whatsoever. Goverment meddling helped bring this about; more meddling will only make it worse. The Gov't should stay out of this and let those whose greed helped bring this mess about pay for it.

I think Labor day is a joke. You wanna know why? It's a holiday set up to honor the working man (and woman) of america and yet I see stores, restaurants, ect, open on this day. How is this honoring working men and women?! You don't honor them by having them do the same damn thing they do every other day of the year! You honor them by giving them a day to enjoy the fruits of their labor. The only ones who should be working are the ones who work in vital services (law enforcement, EMT's, firemen, military, communications, ect), the ones we actually NEED working. Labor Day, like so many holidays, has become an excuse to make a buck (not that making money is bad, but COME ON!). The true meaning of our holidays has been forgotten by most folks. People and politicians alike need to remember why we have holidays and not see them as merely a day off or a reason to make some extra money. In other words, they need to stay true to the spirit of those days.

I just saw a teaser trailer for the long-awaited sequel to TRON. OK, a bootleg version somebody recorded with their cell phone camera at the San Deigo Comicon. But what I could see was pretty cool: basicly an updated light-cycle battle (the new design paid homage to the original Syd Mead design), shots of Jeff Bridges overlooking a battlefield and the new version of the disc (which looked more like a ring, from what I could see. If the finished product is as good as this trailer, TR2N could be a huge hit. I believe it is tenatively set to be released in 2011.

So far, I am loving this place. I've found some great music and a couple of downright hilarious flash videos. Coming back for more!