Orwellian Media
You may have heard that House Republicans’ effort to defund NPR has failed. A cynic might wonder why Republicans would push the issue during a Democrat-dominated lame-duck session, but the it came up because it won a new “online contest that allows Americans to vote for the items they want slashed from the federal budget.”
Rob Long has given the best summary of the popular backlash against NPR that I’ve seen (unfortunately under subscription; emphasize added):
From the smug, deluded bunker of NPR, Fox News is a big, greasy, angry, hate-filled state fair, where right-wing nuttery is passed along like deep-fried Twinkies to an obese and ignorant public. Juan Williams was a crossover artist — everybody loved him on the Brit Hume show on Fox — and that’s usually a good thing. But from the tasteful offices of NPR, it was as if he were conferring, by the power invested in the chyron “Juan Williams, NPR,” a little class to that awful, tacky network. Juan Williams gave Fox News legitimacy. Juan Williams, by his very presence with Bill O’Reilly, made it impossible to paint Fox News as the monotonal mouthpiece of the American Right. So, Juan Williams had to be fired from a network that claims to value diversity of opinion but doesn’t, for bringing diversity of opinion to a network that isn’t supposed to have it but does.
Yes, if there’s one thing the corporate media can’t stand, it’s an alternative viewpoint (especially one not entirely under their control). What’s truly Orwellian is that dittoheads are motivated to defund NPR in the name of defending free speech. Pretty hilarious that one. Only in America.
Out of curiousity, I didn’t notice much outcry from the right about Helen Thomas. I say folks who defend one but not the other are partisan hacks who couldn’t care less about freedom of speech when compared with winning elections.
I don’t care if NPR goes 24/7-just not on my dime.
Fox doesn’t get public funds.
Helen Thomas-Russ’s heroine-get those nasty joooos out of “Palestine”.
Not on my dime. Thats a good one Joe. Arent you a retired federal worker collecting a pension on the backs of the hard working productive few that populate this blog? And you think you are also entitled to an opinion on how federal money is spent? Oh the nerve of you.
David S-I didn’t dawdle in some office fella.
I worked on the street enforcing immigration laws drug laws and wheteher you like that or not I could care less,but I’d like to have shoved you through the door first on the 900+ search warrants,mostly for drugs which participated in,or the literally thousand of random stops I had to make.
I also worked enough quarters in the private sector to get a decent amount of Social security,but had it reduced to almost nothing.
I also receive VA disability payments as a result of Vietnam related AO ilnesses.
So go f**k yourself where the sun don’t shine.
BTW I don’t dodge taxes,so I certainly am concerned where they are spent.
joe,
You are a retired federal worker, collecting a federal pension from the federal government and receiving disability payments from the federally created and run VA.
The rest is just a bunch of words.
OldTimeLefty
Then skip what I wrote.It’s not like I have to make things up for you or that cretin who figures people on federal pensions aren’t REAL taxpayers.
My “words” are true though-who are you or David that I need to embellish anything?
It’s not like I’m one of those people who just HAVE to write a book about everything they did.Or run for office.
I guess I don’t understand why Joe’s career means he’s not entitled to an opinion on something.
Lots of people don’t want their taxes to fund certain things. Russ/David, are you thrilled that your tax dollars paid for the war in Iraq? I’m guessing not. I don’t see much difference, as what we do for a career or retirement shouldn’t matter so much in those opinions.
Patrick. I think you missed my point. As did an angry Joe (nothing new there). It is the attitude on this blog I was going after. Joe did his service and as far as I am concerned can say anything he wants to about anything. But that does not seem to be the prevailing attitude on this blog. Patrick. I think you missed my point. As did an angry Joe (nothing new there). It is the attitude on this blog I was going after. Joe did his service and as far as I am concerned can say anything he wants to about anything. But that does not seem to be the prevailing attitude on this blog. I was having some fun with Joe’s comment. This blog creates a great divide between people based on where they work. Work for anything but the private sector – you are some kind of leech. This is the attitude I want to attack. It is so simplistic and completely lacking in any intellectual thought. It drives the Tea Party but it is going to drive us off a cliff.
“Work for anything but the private sector – you are some kind of leech”
I think the problem is the old “one rotten apple spoils the whole bunch” and with our public sector unions, there’s more than one rotten apple. The whole bunch isn’t rotten, but enough of them are to give a bad name to the whole group. There are a lot of great police, fire, teachers, however you get the union negotiators in there and the elected politicians who bend over backwards for them, it leaves a bad impression of the whole system.
David S-I am damn angry.If you ever find a post where I denigrated public employees please cut and paste it here.
You won’t be needing your “scissors”.
I have criticized some public employee union leadership,particularly nEA for actions and attitudes harmful to the public they serve.
I don’t consider politicians public employees in the classic sense so I let loose on them all the time.
” I think the problem is the old “one rotten apple spoils the whole bunch” and with our public sector unions, there’s more than one rotten apple.”
Patrick
You wrote this. Name them. Name the “rotten apples” as you call them.
“Fox doesn’t get public funds.”
They don’t? I was under the impression that they enjoyed free use of the public airwaves for their radio programs. I have no objection to them spouting nonsense on their Web sites, so long as it’s not with MY MONEY!
Not to mention that Fox of course does recieve tax subsidies.
Free use of PUBLIC AIRWAVES?
Fox,MSNBC and the rest are on cable,not broadcast,And you call other people numbnuts?
You’re a real beaut,Russ.
Phil-I can name some rotten apples in the leadership-Frank Montanaro,Bob walsh,Pat Crowley,and Peter Asen(not technically a union leader,but a manipulator of union members)for starters.
Feel free to disagree-it’s subjective after all.
The standard Statist response to NPR/PBS vs. the commercial media is to accuse the commercial media of obtaining “subsidies” because the government allocates frequencies among the users.
Let’s put this lie to rest. Electromagnetic spectrum is NOT an asset owned by the government, and use of spectrum without paying rent to the government is not a “subsidy”. The only role that has been delegated to government by law is to allocate frequencies so that stations do not step on each other.
Only in the mind of a Leftist does every thing belong to the government, which allocates it to citizens/subjects according to its political priorities. But not in fact.
Find an honest argument, if you can, to defend the indefensible.