I recently watched Hotel Rwanda again. And I got the uneasiest feeling.

[phantom power]

Did you know that when the White House and members of the media mention "code words like 'diversity' and 'equality'" what they are really proposing is "communist revolution?"

Did you know that Osama bin Laden's remarks about global warming are almost identical to "those of the average, run-of-the-mill leftist, like Obama or Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi or the entire Democrat Party?" Or that the "global warming scam" is "an effort by the left to destroy capitalist economies?"

Here's one I'll bet you didn't know: President Barack Obama was "advised by Ft. Hood Shooter."

If you didn't know the "facts" above, it means you probably haven't been spending your time listening to talk radio hosts such as Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, Neil Boortz, and G. Gordon Liddy. It's hard work listening to these shows, but progressives should be paying attention to the impact they're having: 48 million people get their news from these guys, according to the Pew Project For Excellence In Journalism, and the numbers of radio stations that carry at least some talk shows grew to 2,056 from 1,370 the year before, according to Inside Radio magazine.

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/03/ta031110.html

I was at an event last night with veteran broadcaster Joan Hamburg and she talked about this as well. Some of her stories were enough to chill your blood.

There is a huge audience for this crap and they are engaged, active and freaked out. And their toxic ideas seep out even beyond their numbers in large and small ways, infecting the entire body politic.

I recently watched Hotel Rwanda again. And I got the uneasiest feeling.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/it-matters.html

[panader0]

1. I watched oliver Stone's "W" for the first time today

It gave me an uneasy feeling too.. Brolin did a great job as bush. I had heard that the movie was sympathetic to bush, but I disagree. He's protrayed as the insecure, frat boy, drunken fool that he was(is).

[whathehell]

2. 48 million?...Those numbers scare me...We need to move towards

re-instatement of the Fairness Doctrine or something like it...There should be accountability in the media, and these people are just LYING and trying to provoke violence, imo.

This scares the hell out of me.

[paulsby]

12. free speech is scary

it's supposed to be scary

it was a radical idea at the time, and it still is.

and there are still those who want to squelch it

[Tsiyu]

15. " and there are still those who want to squelch it"

Ya'think?

Jesus. You're on a board with people who remember being "squelched" protesting Bush's Installation in 2000, people who were "squelched" protesting the impending Iraq War, people who remember the RNC mass arrests and "Free Speech Zones" and yada yada yada.

I don't mean to call you Captain Obvious, but dayum.

The problem with all the right wing goons on the radio is that they in no way represent the public who own - ostensibly - those airwaves.

The right wing hacks - and I worked with a few of them back when we had a Fairness Doctrine and I was a liberal host (haha - that really was a great time when both sides got to say something and one side wasn't drowning the other out) so I can say with all clarity and truth that they are hacks - bellow and moan for a specific advertising demographic. They no more represent "free speech" in America than Al Jazeera does.

I will only assume you are speaking of Rightwingers and teabaggers who get more than their fair share of free speeching when you comment about those who want to "squelch" free speech.

The liberal voice is drowned out by all of today's PUBLIC hate.

[paulsby]

16. no. i am talking about voices all over the political spectrum

who want to squelch speech. there are plenty on the right and plenty on the left (heck, just spend some time here)

most partisans always want to blame stuff on the other side. that's rubbish. there are statists on both sides who would squelch it in a heartbeat if they could.

it comes down to this. hate is still protected under our 1st amendment. that's how our constitution was designed. it makes us different, and imo better. (here come all the america sux folks to say they are better for squelching speech)

i love our constitution and our 1st amendment and i am thankful i live in the country that i do

[Tsiyu]

20. You are? that is so cute

From obvious to obtuse in one thread!

So seriously, you are claiming that Rightwingers do not repeatedly drown out every liberal uttering that's (rarely) allowed to be spoken on our TVs and radios?

What dreamland do you live in? I so want to move there.

Where I live, in the United States, only one side - the rightwing, hate-filled, anti-tax, pro-war and pro-torture side is being heard on our PUBLIC waves. I don't even own a TV anymore, it got so bad.

The research into media is clear: Rightie tighties get far more airtime on PUBLIC airwaves - news shows, talk shows, etc. - than left-leaning folk.

It was not always this way and it should not be this way now, but truth does have a liberal bias so one can see why truth might be frightening to conservatives, as steeped in lies as they have become. They do everything in their power to "squelch" Democrats and liberals. I have not seen the same from the other side in 50 years of watching.

Anyone who claims otherwise is - in my opinion - speaking with the most forked of forked tongues.

[paulsby]

23. nothing u said was remotely relevant to what i was saying

again, what i said was that there are plenty on the left and the right who want to squelch speech

i didn't claim there was equal representation amongst the left and right on the public airwaves.

show me where i said that.

hint: i didn't

hth

[whathehell]

17. There are limits as to how "scary" it can lawfully be and there always have been

Restrictions:

Calling for the immediate injury or death of someone. "Crying fire in a crowded theatre"...Some examples of unprotected speech.

Hint: Hold the snark until you know what the hell you're talking about.

[paulsby]

18. why don't you hold the snark, since you use a false meme

for the umpteenth time

crying fire in a crowded theatre aint it.

it's FALSELY crying fire.

and it was the schenck case, and that analogy was used to prosecute a WAR PROTESTER

and it is NO LONGER VALID CASE LAW. it was superseded by brandenberg (a la the brandenberg standard)

i know more about speech law than you will ever know. heck, i am a TRAINER in hate crimes investigations

and my point is valid. we have far more free speech than these other nations, because we do NOT criminalize hate speech

and that's largely because of our constitution

and there have ALWAYS been those, like the previous poster, who wish to squelch speech because it's dangerous

duh

it's supposed to be dangerous. freedom IS dangerous

[whathehell]

19. Literal minded much?

Yes, I think we all know crying "fire" in a BURNING building won't land you in jail, duh.

Using that semantic oversight on my part, is a poor excuse to push YOUR "false meme" that free speech exists without restriction. It doesn't and you know it.

The "danger" aspect of freedom, which you cite repeatedly (excitedly?) is, of course, true. Saying it's "supposed to be" dangerous -- as if this were it's purpose, or even it's most attractive feature -- is something else.

The sane among us cherish our freedoms, but would like to minimize real danger, which is WHY we have restrictions...It's called "balance".

"Criminalize" hate speech"?..Give me a break...The Fairness Doctrine, which existed for decades, had nothing to do with "crime". It was about licensing, monopolies, and access to Public Airwaves.

Just coincidentally, it was pushed out in the Reagan Administration. When Dems tried to put it back, Reagan vetoed it...and it's demise "just happened" to coincide with the rise of Right Wing Radio.

As for "freedom", dear, there's little of it, when money is "speech" and buys Right Wing Hate Speech, which is exactly what's happened....Then again, First Amendment Absolutist that you are, you may agree with the recent SCOTUS decision, in which case we have nothing to say to each other.

[uppityperson]

3. Fearful people are very easy to manipulate. It's also pretty easy to manipulate people to be fearful

[Echo In Light]

4. " The more you can increase fear of drugs and crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens ...

... the more you control all the people." ~ Chomsky

[canetoad]

9. Thank you for providing an opportunity

to trot out, once again, the Tony Benn quote from Sicko;


“I think there are two ways in which people are controlled. First of all frighten people and secondly, demoralize them.”

“An educated, healthy and confident nation is harder to govern.”

(I can't see this in print often enough :))

[DBoon]

5. Look up Julius Streicher for some more historical perspective

[conscious evolution]

7. A lot of people looked up at him

when he was hanging from the gallows pole.

[conscious evolution]

6. I hope the ICC does not wait to indict

and prosecute the reichwing 'media' for crimes against the peace and humanity before they stir up a bloodbath instead of waiting till after the fact like they did with the members of the Rwanda media.
In case anyone does not know it,using the press to poison peoples minds with racial and ethnic hatred and to incite violence are considered criminal acts by international law.These laws were written by US attorneys and judges in the aftermath of WW2.

[kestrel91316]

8. I have been comparing American hate radio to Rwandan hate radio for YEARS.

They want us DEAD. Seriously. And they make no bones about it, calling for it explicitly. Remember when Coulter said "kill all the liberals" or some such?

And people right here on DU have jumped all over me for daring to suggest such a thing. Well pay attention, people. If the Unitarian church murders and the Tiller murder and all the other killings by RWers don't wake you the hell up, WHAT WILL???

[femrap]

11. I actually think that hate radio

is just using 'divide and conquer' on Americans.

The death part...they want a big chunk of both sides dead. Too many people, too little resources. I thought they were going to do a big plague w/ this swine/bird/people flu. Or maybe they'll just do a false flag with a biochemical attack. Who knows how these sick elite turds think????

I still think Mother Nature will have the final say.

[paulsby]

13. free speech has always been dangerous and always will be

and there will always be fear mongers like you ready to throw away the greatest freedoms all to chase some security.

and you deserve neither, if that's your goal.

[Tsiyu]

21. You are so cute with your fear

there.

How on earth does a discussion of the Fairness Doctrine translate in your mind to a discussion about ditching the First Amendment? What the hell, Captain?

We had a Fairness Doctrine once, and more freedom back then than we do today without one. Talk about trying to spread fear...

If you can't stand the thought of a Fairness Doctrine once again allowing both sides of our two-party system to have their say, then you are one of the squelchers, so afraid of what the other side might say you want to deny them the opportunity to ever say it.

Rightwingers are so happy the PUBLIC airwaves are controlled by Rightwing corporations. It absolutely sends them into fits to think the left might once again have a little PUBLIC airtime.

So they start crowing about free speech and scaring people into thinking a Fairness Doctrine will take away their First Amendment rights. What a load of horse shit.

i take that back. At least horse shit is good for something...

[paulsby]

22. i wasn't talking about the fairness doctrine

i'm not sure where you got that impression

[NuttyFluffers]

14. yes, this is the correct correlation. but do not be afraid, be at peace -- and be prepared.

:hug:

[likesmountains 52]

10. Years before the Tea Party I read "We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed

With All Our Families" about the Rwandan massacres. The build up to the Rwanda genocide was stirred up by just that kind of hate talk and lies repeated over and over in the media.

[Hekate]

24. Kick

:kick: