Monday, October 19, 2009

White House Urges Other Networks to Disregard Fox News - Political News - FOXNews.com

White House Urges Other Networks to Disregard Fox News - Political News - FOXNews.com

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Dear friends and family,

I know this is a family blog, and I probably put too much politically oriented stuff on here as it is. When I do, I try to present the facts as I know them and believe them to be true, and maybe provide you with tools to act accordingly if you so choose. I don't try to push an opinion on you, compel you to action, or anything of the sort. After all, this is a blog - what power do I really have?

Well, today it's different. I'm wishing I had more power than this simple blog gives me, because something evil is happening as I write, and I need your help. It's probably been going on for a long time, but where it used to be moving along at the pace of a fat guy on a tricycle, it's now accelerated to that of a fat guy on a tricycle with a rocket strapped to his back. It's fast, it's wild, it's uncontrollable, it's unpredictable, and it's wrong on so many levels. (Will somebody PLEASE think of the poor fat guy?!?) Hopefully it's not unstoppable, because we need to stop it immediately.

Here's the problem, which you can read about in the article I posted above. Over the weekend, the White House began singling out FOX News, claiming they are an organ of the Republican party. They then began encouraging other news outlets (who, in my humble opinion and in that of the Pew Research Center, could be accused of the same thing for the Democrats) to isolate and alienate FOX News. Sounds like no big deal, right?

Well, it's not. It is a huge deal. The freedom of the press to report what it wants, however it wants to, is fundamental to the maintenance of our freedoms and our republic. It is preserved as the First Amendment to the Constitution. Without a free press that does its job, the citizenry has no mechanism to find out what their representatives are doing and hold them accountable for it. Past administrations and legislatures have been annoyed with the scrutiny they receive from the press, but have never stooped to this level. President George W. Bush had some of the worst press coverage I have ever seen or read about, and rarely even attempted to defend himself from their allegations, let alone go on the offensive. That's because George W. Bush respected the office of the Presidency and the dignity that comes with it, as well as the importance of the free press and the role they play in a free society. Say what you will about Bush, but the man was dedicated to freedom, both here and abroad.

In contrast, the Obama administration seems to be attacking a news organization on the sole basis that he doesn't like what their editorial staff is producing, and is not only trying to claim they are not a news organization, but is also trying to get their peers to turn on them. (This will no doubt please Keith Olbermann, who claims that he has the highest rated cable news show - as long as you exclude every single program on FOX News.) It would be funny, if it weren't so frightening and downright dangerous, and this is why - when the government can give orders to the press, and the press follows them, your freedom is already dead.

Let me repeat that.

When the government can give orders to the press, and the press follows them, your freedom is already dead.

I understand this is just the very beginning (well, I hope it is, anyway, though I fear it isn't), and none of the news outlets have indicated a willingness to participate yet, and I hold out hope that they don't. But the consequences of something like this being allowed by the American people are extremely grave. I recommend George Orwell's 1984 as an excellent illustration of the extremes that a government that owns the media can go to, and pretty much without opposition. However, we don't even have to go into the realm of fiction to see the results of state-run media. The Soviet Union and their party-run newspaper, Pravda, worked in tandem. Indeed, Pravda was central in Stalin's creation of a cult of personality, which, among other things, enabled him to execute millions of people without a challenge to his power. China's state-run media and internet censorship perform a similar role for the communist party there. Iran also enjoys the benefits of state-controlled media. How else do you get an entire population to hate the United States - the most charitable nation on the face of the planet - besides propaganda? Hitler's rise to power was achieved using his speeches and the media to gin up anti-Semitic fervor, and utilized his Brown Shirts to intimidate and repress political parties, dissenting views, and "inferior" races. Hugo Chavez has used his power to destroy media outlets that he doesn't like, in his own pursuit of a socialist utopia. Totalitarian regimes are never established without either the complete support of the military or the press, and usually require both.

That's the very danger we are in right now if we don't do something. "Are you saying that Obama wants to set himself up as a dictator?! That's crazy!" You know what? I hope it is crazy. I hope it's the most ridiculous claim in the history of the world, because I love this country and the freedom it grants to its citizens and the force for good it is throughout the entire world. I want there to be another explanation for this series of moves, but I can't think of one, and that's what's scary. Here's some more pieces of the puzzle, incase you think I'm being an alarmist on this one:

1) Why does Obama need a civilian defense force, as well funded as the military? What are they going to protect us from? FOX News?

2) Mark Lloyd, Obama's appointee to the FCC, which regulates the airwaves, approves of Chavez' repression of the media in Venezuela. Why? And why did the Senate confirm him? If he believes these things, why is he in charge of the FCC?

3) If FOX News' reporting is not accurate, why does the White House need help from other news organizations to silence them? Why can they not simply refute whatever untruths are being spread via their website, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, The New York Times, or The Washington Post? Especially when Anita Dunn, part of the White House, claims that they control the media?

Now, here's what I ask. Please read the article, and watch the two videos. You can mute Glenn Beck's analysis on the second one if you don't like him, just read the words Mark Lloyd says in the beginning. Now, if you enjoy freedom, I'm guessing that, with those things combined, you're either scared or angry - or possibly both. I know I am. I have been for a while, but for me, this was just the icing on the cake. I love my country and my freedom, and I have to do what little I can do to help preserve them both, and I hope you will, too. Once you know the information, and are aware of the imminent danger, please:

1) Come back here and prove me wrong if you can. I want to be wrong. I really do.

2) Pass this on to everyone you know. You don't need to use my words or link to my blog or give me credit in any way. But get this information on your blog, your Facebook, your Twitter, and your Myspace. Email it to everyone you know. Text it to everyone you know. Knock doors in your neighborhood. Everyone needs to know what's going on.

3) Act! The time has come for us all to be a lot more involved in politics. I know you don't want to be - I sure don't. It's nasty stuff. But our government has assumed powers it was never meant to have, and as we can see that has become dangerous. It nearly brought down our economy, and it could yet bring down our economy, our individual freedom, and even our national sovereignty. (You didn't hear about that? Seems like something a state-run press would be reluctant to tell you...) We need to elect people at all levels of government who will be willing to nothing other than trim this beast back to the limits the Constitution set forth. And to do that, you need to be involved at the primary election and caucus level. By the time it gets to the general election, and you have to choose between two equally bad candidates, it's too late.

4) Organize! This needs to be a united effort, and there are several organizations out there that are starting to come together to help make our voices known. Get involved with your local tea party group. Join a group like the 9/12 Project or Resistnet.com, and be involved locally.

5) Stay informed! This is hard with a state-controlled media, but there are ways. I encourage everyone to listen to, watch, or read Glenn Beck. He is leading the charge, and I believe him to be the most honest source of information out there. He never asks you to trust him, and provides sources for everything - if he can't, he won't report it. He admits when he is wrong. He is trustworthy, and it shows in his ratings, because I know America is sick of being lied to.

Thanks for your help and understanding,

David

P.S. Stay tuned for your regularly scheduled program, complete with cute puppy pictures and funny stories.

P.P.S. If this blog disappears, or you don't hear from me for awhile, then we have all the more reason to worry. Google, which runs Blogger, is a very left-leaning organization, and if my worst fears are true, will be doing as much as they can to further a left-leaning agenda as they can without being noticed.

3 comments:

Suzy said...

Danny has often thought of going into politics. He's got a talent for being diplomatic. Wanna run for the Presidency with him and fix the budget? :) I wonder if it'd even work w/ as young as you two are. :)

Unknown said...

2 things:

1. Have you seen this talk by an apostle of the Lord about Religious Freedom being threatened: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/religious-freedom ?

2. Why use Google if they may use the power you give them unwisely? ;)

David Merriman said...

Suzy: I've thought about it too, but I always feel dirty after I do. As far as the budget is concerned, I don't think diplomacy is going to work; if a President wants to fix the budget, he is going to have to beat Congress into submission.

Danny: I have read the talk. I also saw the video of Keith Olbermann (MSNBC) naming Elder Oaks one of the worst people in the world as a result. That's what we're up against.

As far as Google is concerned, right now I can use their tools for good, and more good than I could otherwise, I believe. As it says in D&C 82:22, "And now, verily I say unto you, and this is wisdom, make unto yourselves friends with the mammon of unrighteousness, and they will not destroy you." I'll fire all the ammo I get at the bad guys, even and especially if it was given to me by said bad guys.