John Nichols at The Nation writes—Donald Trump’s FCC is a Clear and Present Danger to Democracy:
Eighty years ago, the dawn of the modern communications age coincided with the rise of authoritarian leaders who controlled and manipulated communications in Europe. President Franklin Roosevelt recognized the danger, declaring that
If the fires of freedom and civil liberties burn low in other lands, they must be made brighter in our own. If in other lands the press and books and literature of all kinds are censored, we must redouble our efforts here to keep them free. If in other lands the eternal truths of the past are threatened by intolerance, we must provide a safe place for their perpetuation.
Roosevelt and his aides were determined to guard against media-ownership structures that might place control of broadcast media in the United States in the hands of a tiny circle of elite individuals or corporations. To that end, they advocated for a muscular Federal Communications Commission that would guard against consolidation of media ownership and assure that all Americans had access to the information and ideas that sustain democracy.
The FCC was charged in 1934 with the clear mission of protecting the “public interest” from profiteers and propagandists. That mission was enhanced and extended over time. It was threatened, as well—but never so aggressively, nor so dramatically, as it is now threatened.
President Donald Trump’s chair of the FCC, Ajit Pai, and the Trump-aligned majority on a commission is bent on clearing the way for precisely the sort of media monopoly that FDR and the small-“d” democrats of his time feared.
Last week, the FCC voted 3-2 for a radical rewrite of media-ownership rules that will benefit corporate conglomerates, while diminishing the character and quality of the discourse in communities across the United States. In so doing, they strengthened the hand of at least one conglomerate that is closely aligned with Trump. [...]
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QUOTATION
“Most women are all too familiar with men like Calvin Smith. Men whose sense of prerogative renders them deaf when women say, ‘No thanks,’ ‘Not interested,’ or even ‘Fuck off, creep.’”
~Jon Krakauer, Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town, 2015
TWEET OF THE DAY
BLAST FROM THE PAST
On this date at Daily Kos in 2002—Next SEC chief to be a Democrat?
Fleischer says Bush may consider appointing a Democrat to head the SEC. I must admit this has to be one of Rove's craftier moves, especially if he indeed does pick a Democrat.
In one fell swoop, Bush would look "bipartisan" while negating the corporate malfeasance issue ("he's doing all he can, even appointing a Democrat to help clean things up!")
Of course, the SEC would continue to be woefully underfunded, and the agency would be cast adrift by an administration that has no interest in cleaning up the mess caused by its most loyal backers. Kind of like the EPA. But with a Democrat in charge the administration can share the blame.
And remember, with the Republican trifecta regime, the GOP has no one to blame for ANY of the country's ills.
Hopefully any Democrat approached by the Bushies will summarily dismiss any invitation to serve. The GOP won the election. Great. Now let them run things. If they can dig this country out of the mess it's in, great. They'll deserve reelection. But Democrats can't give them a foil for any more of their failures.
On today’s Kagro in the Morning show, Greg Dworkin rounds up the weekend in American embarrassments: Moore, Trump & Mnuchin. Armando calls in to preview/rig tomorrow’s discussion with Ben Spielberg on DNC rules reform. The GOP tax bill is complete $#!+, in case you didn’t know.
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