After a recent "incident" with an old classmate who loves to post "Impeach Obama" and other really over-the-line anti-Obama cartoons on Facebook - I decided to speak up.Always a risk on the homongenous societal "look at my grandkids" version of the Facebook friends of an old fart like me tend to post - neutral and unassuming. But, my old classmate trends to the Beckian radicalism and even gets luke-warm support from time to time but never a challenge.
I was reamed with every winger epithet and derisive term Limbaugh knows along with "I want to put Muslims at Ground Zero" and just a littany of projection worthy of Michelle Malkin on a bad day. The terms were right off the front page of the Fox News playbook - get loud, intimidate and facts don't matter.
Well - here is a little reminder of why facts don't matter to Fox News or the people who follow them. From a February, 2003 court ruling:
Appellate Court Rules Media Can Legally Lie. By Mike Gaddy.
Published Feb. 28, 2003
On February 14, a Florida Appeals court ruled there is absolutely nothing illegal about lying, concealing or distorting information by a major press organization. The court reversed the $425,000 jury verdict in favor of journalist Jane Akre who charged she was pressured by Fox Television management and lawyers to air what she knew and documented to be false information. The ruling basically declares it is technically not against any law, rule, or regulation to deliberately lie or distort the news on a television broadcast. On August 18, 2000, a six-person jury was unanimous in its conclusion that Akre was indeed fired for threatening to report the station's pressure to broadcast what jurors decided was "a false, distorted, or slanted" story about the widespread use of growth hormone in dairy cows. The court did not dispute the heart of Akre's claim, that Fox pressured her to broadcast a false story to protect the broadcaster from having to defend the truth in court, as well as suffer the ire of irate advertisers. Fox argued from the first, and failed on three separate occasions, in front of three different judges, to have the case tossed out on the grounds there is no hard, fast, and written rule against deliberate distortion of the news. The attorneys for Fox, owned by media baron Rupert Murdoch, argued the First Amendment gives broadcasters the right to lie or deliberately distort news reports on the public airwaves. In its six-page written decision, the Court of Appeals held that the Federal Communications Commission position against news distortion is only a "policy," not a promulgated law, rule, or regulation. Fox aired a report after the ruling saying it was "totally vindicated" by the verdict.
FACT - friends don't let friends watch Fox News.
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Update: More from my projecting friend: "Ha, Ha I always knew you'd end up sucking a dick. It say's your single on your profile. Because the law hasn't passed?? Fuck'n loser, haven't changed. Remember suck don't blow LOOOOOOOL !! "
He seemed to have left out the liberal gay epithet in the last rant so he tried to squeeze it in here. Unfortunatley, I don't have a gay bone in my body. Why is it that 'baggers think all libs are gay?
Thanks for introducing me to your blog. Have enjoyed your postings. Will stay tuned. Like the idea about going directly to the media and I believe I will try that. I know what you mean about not writing to the paper because of how it might effect your business customers.
ReplyDeleteHi Margaret, thanks for stopping by. The deck seems to be stacked against the middle class these days but here in the blogosphere (see links under like minded individuals) there are many tireless people who care very much about our country. You'll find a lot of good reporting and ideas on how we all can help in the links.
ReplyDeleteTake care and see you around!
I try to update regularly but don't always make it.
G
ReplyDeleteAs Margaret has found, your one of the good guys.
Good choice Margaret.
This appellate court ruling you wrote about is sickening. Your right in saying most media is spineless. I so hope we can bring back the fairness Doctrine. It absolutely would drive the righties up a tree.
G
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll post the info you sent me. Astonishing. People need to know about this.
"Why is it that 'baggers think all libs are gay"
ReplyDeleteBecause libs seem to have lost their gonads. Your "side" has been hijacked by the socialists and the statists. Myself, I am a "classic liberal", because I believe in Freedom for ALL, and limited government, though that seems to get me labelled as a "racist" and "domestic terrorist" these days. Which leads me to believe that the left and the right are the real "racists", and most certainly the purveyors of tyranny. The "left/right paradigm" is a ruse, designed to Balkanize and separate this country so that those in power can maintain their stranglehold over us. The sooner we realize that fact, the better off we'll be, and the sooner Freedom will return to this country. Barring that, civil war will come. You can take that to the bank...
Mayberry, thanks for stopping by. I haven't been posting much lately, I had to help my former wife, mother of my teenage children, into hospice for end of life care after a 7 year struggle with cancer. Her time is measured in days. This week has been very tough, and I have been off the web... until tonight.
ReplyDeleteFreedom, Liberty - whenever I hear those terms, I know I am in for a fucking.
There is such a thing as good government. Without it we would be Somalia.
Come back after I heal a little and we can have a sensible discussion.
Will do. My prayers go out to you and your former wife.
ReplyDelete