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Oerdin
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of Internet Music.
Sep 2001
time: 21:37
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PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY June 14, 2005
The New CPB: Conservative Propaganda for Bush
Elmo and Big Bird might soon be homeless if the right wing's latest base-rousing political ploy goes unchecked.
Last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee voted to slash the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget for next year by $100 million and eliminated another $23 million used to pay for shows such as "Sesame Street." (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/10/a...vision/10pbs... ?) To make matters worse, the subcommittee also voted to entirely eliminate federal funding for the CPB -- the government agency that dispenses public funds for PBS stations across the nation -- within two years.
This is simply the latest attempt by politicians to eliminate public broadcasting as an independent voice; one not controlled by far-right pundits or corporate owners. The American people have defeated such attacks before, but the right wing's grip on power in Washington, D.C. is stronger now -- it will take a powerful outcry from the American public to save the independent voice of public broadcasting.
Send a letter to Rep. Lynch right away:
http://pfaw.kintera.org/pbs
This administration signaled its campaign to undermine PBS's independence in 2003, when President Bush named Kenneth Tomlinson, a close friend of Karl Rove, to the chairmanship of the CPB's Board of Directors. An avowed fan of FoxNews' "The O'Reilly Factor," Tomlinson has recently attacked PBS for an allegedly liberal bias and signaled steps to make the institution more Republican friendly.
Claiming to have concerns about the "objectivity and balance" of the CPB and PBS, Tomlinson has taken a series of steps to ensure that their programming better reflects the Republican mandate. He has
- Created programs to showcase conservative views such as "Tucker Carlson Unfiltered" and "The Journal Editorial Report."
- Hired a White House staffer to draft guidelines for a new PBS ombudsman to monitor programs for bias.
- Filled the ombudsman positions with one conservative and one "liberal" who endorsed Bush's former Office of Management and Budget director Mitch Daniels in his run for governor of Indiana.
- Replaced the CPB's chief executive officer with a top Republican advisor to former chairman of the FCC, Michael Powell.
And now, Tomlinson is pushing for the appointment of Patricia Harrison, a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, to serve as the board's next president. So much for political independence!
Public broadcasting icon Bill Moyers calls Tomlinson's crusade to remake PBS a "contemporary example of the age-old ambition of power and ideology to squelch and punish journalists who tell the stories that make princes and priests uncomfortable."
That's speaking truth to power. Now it's your turn. Please contact your Representative now. Rep {name} will be voting on the proposed abolition of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting soon and you need to get the message across that supporting these draconian cuts will not go unpunished. Click here to send that message now. It's worth the minute it will take.
Having fought for nearly a quarter century against efforts to intimidate and suppress sources of fact and dialogue, "People For" has helped defeat previous attacks on public broadcasting. But the latest threats have more teeth. So must our response.
Contact your U.S. Rep. NOW! Then pass it on, and on, and on...
http://pfaw.kintera.org/pbs
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Oerdin
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of Internet Music.
Sep 2001
time: 21:37
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The partisan attack on public broadcasting continues. First, they targeted PBS and NPR news programs for signs of "liberal bias." Now they're sharpening their knives for Big Bird.
A congressional subcommittee has voted to slash more than $200 million in funding for public broadcasting, including $23.4 million earmarked for "Ready to Learn" children's educational programming -- the money that keeps shows like "Sesame Street," "Arthur," and "Clifford the Big Red Dog" on the air.
Thousands of phone calls are needed today to save public broadcasting. Call your member of Congress now. (Find their contact information at Go to www.freepress.net/act/savepbs .)
The subcommittee slashed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget by $100 million and voted to "zero out" all federal money for CPB within two years. Small television and radio stations that serve rural communities and minority audiences will be devastated by these cuts.
The CPB is already embroiled in controversy over Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson's attempts to withhold funding from PBS programs that don't follow his conservative political line. Apparently dissatisfied with this effort to make public broadcasting more "fair and balanced," the Republican majority is now trying to bankrupt the entire system.
We must stop these cuts from passing in the House of Representatives. Here's what to do:
1. Call your U.S.representative and ask him or her to restore full funding for public broadcasting. Tell your representative: "Like millions and millions of other Americans, I rely on public broadcasting's superb children's programming and trustworthy news and information. Please protect public broadcasting and restore full federal funding for PBS, NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting."
2. Send a letter to Reps. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) and Ralph Regula (R-Ohio), the chairman and vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, letting them know that the American public opposes these cuts and doesn't want partisan interference in public broadcasting. The letter is available at www.freepress.net/act/savepbs .
Congress needs to hear from the tens of millions of Americans who tune in every day -- whether it's for Big Bird or Bill Moyers, "Reading Rainbow" or "Morning Edition." Despite overwhelming popular support for public broadcasting, the Republican leadership and partisan board members at the CPB are attempting to gag and starve public media in America.
Don't let them. Call your representatives right away -- and forward this message to everyone you know.
Onward,
Timothy Karr
Campaign Director
www.freepress.net
P.S. To learn more about Free Press' campaign to put the public back in public broadcasting, visit our new Web site at http://www.freepress.net/publicbroadcasting .
P.P.S. More than 85,000 concerned citizens have signed our petitions calling for CPB Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson to resign. Free Press will deliver the petitions on June 20, when the CPB's board of directors meets in Washington. Sign the petition now at http://www.freepress.net/action/pbs .
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Impaler[WrG]
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Cheif Manufacturing Officer of Morgan Industires
May 2002
time: 22:37
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I know that NPR already gets most of its funding from donations and the sale of its programs to local stations. As a % of overall spending how much dose this cut represent?
As for PBS's political leaning, yes is is LIBERAL and I like that because by definition ONLY a liberal is capable of being impartial.
From Dictionary.com
lib·er·al ( P ) Pronunciation Key (lbr-l, lbrl)
adj.
Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
Of, relating to, or characteristic of liberalism.
Liberal Of, designating, or characteristic of a political party founded on or associated with principles of social and political liberalism, especially in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States.
Tending to give freely; generous: a liberal benefactor.
Generous in amount; ample: a liberal serving of potatoes.
Not strict or literal; loose or approximate: a liberal translation.
Of, relating to, or based on the traditional arts and sciences of a college or university curriculum: a liberal education.
Archaic. Permissible or appropriate for a person of free birth; befitting a lady or gentleman.
Obsolete. Morally unrestrained; licentious.
n.
A person with liberal ideas or opinions.
Liberal A member of a Liberal political party.
Don't confuse Liberal with Socialist or left-wing, many liberals are socialist (any many prefer other goverment policies). The oposite of a Liberal is a conservative who is by definition close-minded, most conservatives in the US are right-wing (aka hawkish dickensien robber-barons) but any close-minded person regardless of belif is a conservative in my book. Thus only a Liberal has any buisness reporting anything.
Last edited by Impaler[WrG] on 15-06-2005 at 00:16
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14-06-2005 23:08
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