March 8, 2012

AFN's reply to me about Limbaugh

My email to AFN, urging them to remove Rush...

AFN,

I am <name removed>, and I've been in the Air Force for 10 years now. During my career, serving CONUS, OCONUS, and deployments, I have enjoyed your television and radio programming, though I have at times disagreed with your choices of what to broadcast. In the past I have said nothing, because it was of no real consequence what you choose to show as long as it stayed appropriate and within the bounds of entertainment, news, or civil discourse. However, I am moved to comment on my extreme disapproval of AFN broadcasting Rush Limbaugh in light of recent events.

As you may or may not know, Mr. Limbaugh has recently used his show to attack and belittle women for nothing more than taking an active part in the American democratic process, something we as service members are sworn to protect. This goes beyond disagreeing with the views of others, this is a willful assault on an entire gender, and promotion of discrimination, the likes of which we maintain a ZERO TOLERANCE policy on. I would not tolerate it from my subordinates, peers, or even superiors, and I will not tolerate it on AFN.

A petition is being circulated at the White House website to remove Mr. Limbaugh's show stating: “remarks this week were well beyond the pale of what should be broadcast to our military and their families, supported with our tax dollars,” the petition states. “There is no excuse for the U.S. government, in any capacity, giving this man an audience.”

Yesterday Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee said of AFN: "I would hope the people that run it see just how offensive this is and drop it on their own volition" I couldn't agree more with the senator, and the petitioners. This vile kind of hateful speech is the very kind of behavior that we work tirelessly to extinguish in our young airmen.

Meanwhile, female veterans groups have launched letter campaigns stating: "Rush Limbaugh has a freedom of speech and can say what he wants, but in light of his horribly misogynistic comments, American Forces Radio should no longer give him a platform. Our entire military depends on troops respecting each other – women and men. There simply can be no place on military airwaves for sentiments that would undermine that respect." Once again, it seems that the writing is on the wall, service men and women alike will not be giving Mr. Limbaugh further opportunities to pollute the chow halls, gyms, clinics, and homes, where not only troops, but their families will be exposed to AFN.

Please consider the message you have a chance to send, as there are only two outcomes. AFN can stand by Mr. Limbaugh, as public outcry, the urgings of leadership, and the appeals of servicemen like myself demand the contrary and in doing so effectively send the message that hateful, misogynistic, discriminatory behavior is accepted on AFN programming. Alternatively, AFN can immediately distance itself from this sort of bigotry, and send the message that AFN upholds the very same standards that we are each held to that dawn a uniform.

As for myself, the choice is clear. I will immediately and quite permanently remove myself from any carriers of Mr. Limbaugh's program including AFN. I, and hopefully many like me, will turn AFN off, until they can AT LEAST, measure up to the same standards that every airman must have. Until such time as AFN finds Mr. Limbaugh incompatible with common decency and civil discourse, I shall find AFN incompatible with me.

Thank you,

<name removed>

P.S. This month is women's heritage month, and today is international women's appreciation day. Just something to think about.


The reply I received scant minutes later....


Sir -

As a service of the Department of Defense, AFN does not advertise on Mr Limbaugh's program, offer products for sale, or sponsor any of the programs we relay to our audience.

The American Forces Network does not censor content and we do not seek to protect our overseas Department of Defense audience from hearing views with which they may disagree. Our mission is to offer program choices, which includes various popular political talk shows.

To review our radio services/schedules, please visit www.myafn.net.

Thanks for your service and for your interest in AFN.

V/R

- Gene Frederickson
Affiliate Relations
AFN Broadcast Center
Riverside, CA


So according to this, the official stance of AFN is that since they don't sponsor Rush, they don't care what he says. It's jsut a "view" of his that they don't shield anyone from. If anyone else is interested, I sent the webmail from here: http://myafn.dodmedia.osd.mil/Email.aspx