Citizenlink.org posted a story about President Bush defending free speech rights by opposing the “Fairness Doctrine.” I found the article interesting for two reasons.
First, so many have tried to paint President Bush as “anti civil liberties.” Here is a great example of him defending a very important one.
Second, I am so glad Al Gore or John Kerry are not our president right now! Would you believe that some people actually think that having the government regulate who says what when via a “fairness” doctrine would be a good idea? I think it is crazy that anyone would even propose such a thing.
What will it take to see that the government, especially the federal government should be influenced and guided by the people and not the other way around?
Here is a quote from the article:
Congressional Democrats have threatened to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, which was put in place by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1949 and later repealed. It required the nation’s TV and radio broadcasters to make time for voices on both sides of controversial issues. For example, pro-life stories would need to include comments from Planned Parenthood or another pro-abortion group, if the Fairness Doctrine is reinstated.
Bush told the NRB conference it won’t happen on his watch.
“The very First Amendment to our Constitution includes the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion,” he said. “The Founders believed these inalienable rights were endowed to us by our Creator. They are vital to a healthy democracy, and we must never let anyone take those freedoms away.