Bloggers narrowly dodge federal crackdown

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Fair Questions

"You've found a source that agrees with what you believe, and so you accept what it says as the truth."

Well not completely true with me, "so you accept what it says as the truth." Not without further investigation and listening to the original sources of concern I.E. McCain and Feingold. I have been following this from day one back when the proposal of campaign finance question first came about. BTW one of the foundations of my beliefs come from Thomas Jefferson. Should I discount him because I believe in his words and they agree with my beliefs?

"Do you agree with the restriction the government places on 'traditional' media?"

From Jefferson I quote
"The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them." --Thomas Jefferson to Edward Carrington, 1787. "

The first 21 words of that quote are paramount to my beliefs. In my view the media should be unemcumbered in their ability to report how they see fit no matter their bias. I have found through my many years that "the truth" always finds its way to light no matter how agaonizing slow that may be or how hard people and entities may try to cover the truth. The government should not place in any restrictions on the press, including the "equal time" claus. I refer back to my belief that the "truth" will always come forth as long as the people have the unencumbered right to speak.

"Should any media be required (as it is now) to provide equal time for candidates, or should a news channel be able to throw its entire weight behind a single candidate?"

Again I quote Jefferson
"It is so difficult to draw a clear line of separation between the abuse and the wholesome use of the press, that as yet we have found it better to trust the public judgment, rather than the magistrate, with the discrimination between truth and falsehood. And hitherto the public judgment has performed that office with wonderful correctness." --Thomas Jefferson to M. Pictet, 1803."

and this

"I deplore... the putrid state into which our newspapers have passed and the malignity, the vulgarity, and mendacious spirit of those who write for them... These ordures are rapidly depraving the public taste and lessening its relish for sound food. As vehicles of information and a curb on our funtionaries, they have rendered themselves useless by forfeiting all title to belief... This has, in a great degree, been produced by the violence and malignity of party spirit." --Thomas Jefferson to Walter Jones, 1814."

and finally

"The firmness with which the people have withstood the... abuses of the press, the discernment they have manifested between truth and falsehood, show that they may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false and to form a correct judgment between them." --Thomas Jefferson to John Tyler, 1804."

I trust the citizens of the United States to make make proper judgement. Mistakes will be made but at least the freedom to make those mistakes exists. All this hinges on the continued ability for the citizens to freely express there beliefs.

Both the governement and the press are ripe with contempt for the American people and I believe that the "established" press is in bed with the McCains and Feingolds so what does it really matter if their is an equal time clause? Bloggers, you, me discussing through email on phone or face to face and yes even forums such as ZDNET Talkback, moveon.org, swiftvets whatever challenge the overall power of the press. The legislation in question seeks to restrict those voices.

I look at this as free market. The more voices the better. Keeps everyone on their toes. The microcosm of ZDNET talkback is a great example of how things should work. I have seen blathering dolts shouted down and totally ignored when they ignored a basic premise or truth about any subject at hand. I believe the debates, such as they are, are healthy. In the larger world this rings true also.

Back to my original comcern. The Constiution says Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech beyond that nothing else matters and the arguments to the contrary seem to me to be rationalization to change and that I cannot agree with.

Posted by: Squawkbox   Posted on: 03/25/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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