Democrats who have called for the ‘Fairness Doctrine’

Coninually pooh poohed by the left, nevertheless there’s a growing crowd advocating for the reinstitution of the Fairness Doctrine.

The list, which will grow, no doubt. The links are followed by the Democrats mentioned in the news item.

Via FOXNews.com

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, whose

husband, Tom Athans, is and has been an executive at several liberal radio talk groups.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who only wants to

ensure that there are a few liberal shows on the air.

I guess he’s can’t get Air America, either.

Former President Bill Clinton wants ‘more balance’ on airwaves.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)

defended the so-called Fairness Doctrine in an interview on Fox News, saying, “I think we should all be fair and balanced, don’t you?”

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), told The Hill in 2007,

“It’s time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine. I have this old-fashioned attitude that when Americans hear both sides of the story, they’re in a better position to make a decision.”

Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Senate Rules Committee Chairwoman

“I believe very strongly that the airwaves are public and people use these airwaves for profit. But there is a responsibility to see that both sides and not just one side of the big public questions of debate of the day are aired and are aired with some modicum of fairness.”

Senator John Kerry

In a radio interview on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show, excerpted on YouTube, Senator Kerry said he thought the doctrine should return. Calling it one of the “most profound changes in the balance of the media,” he said conservatives have been able to “squeeze down and squeeze out opinion of opposing views. I think it has been a very important transition in the imbalance of our public dialog,” he said.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.)

I guess my thought is that talk radio and media generally should have a higher calling than just reflect a particular point of view. I think they should use their authority to try to – their broadcast power to present an informed discussion of public issues.

Are there more?

Filed under: Democrats, First Amendment , Democrats, Fairness Doctrine, First Amendment

“Group threatens to sue schools that use Elmbrook Church for commencements”

UPDATE: Tim points out in the comments:

In addition, at past graduations, the church displayed banners reading “Leading Children to a Transforming Life in Jesus” and “Lord of Lords,” and church personnel distributed religious pamphlets and other materials to graduating [public school] students and their families.

That would seem a bit more of an issue, don’t you think?

Indeed it would. But I found the above quote only in the story at the Americans United web site and at none of the news stories which reported the story.

That’s not to say, the AU version is wrong. And it does show the kinds of problems which can occur and Elmbrook Church should be mindful of.

But it is contradicted by the superintendents, who may also have their own agenda.

Via NewsWatch on JSOnline.com

A national organization that advocates separation of church and state is threatening to sue three Waukesha County school districts and a technical college if they do not stop using Elmbrook Church for their graduation ceremonies.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent letters to the Elmbrook, Mukwonago and New Berlin school district as well as Waukesha County Technical College, asking them to move graduation ceremonies to secular locations this year.

You know, I get the separation of church and state thing. I don’t want Christianity, or any other religion, for that matter, to be the official religion of this country.

I also understand that some people might be offended by different things that people would like to do, Nativity Scenes on City Hall grounds, prayer in class, etc., even though my personal beliefs say that this would be beneficial.

I can’t quite get around this, however. Here’s is a large auditorium, centrally located, ideal for holding commencement services, but unacceptable. Why?

Moving graduation to the church from Mukwonago High School’s gymnasium means more family members have been able to attend the annual event.

But I suppose someone, sometime might see a picture of Jesus, I guess.

You’d think that by the time they graduate, their parents would have sufficiently taught them so that they would be resistent to the temptation to convert just by having a commencement inside a church.

Americans United sued four public high schools in Florida several years to try to get their graduation ceremonies moved from a church. A judge refused to move the ceremony, arguing the lawsuit was filed too close to the ceremonies. The schools later settled the lawsuit with the organization and moved their graduations to non-church locations.

So it will happen here, too.

What am I not seeing here?

Filed under: Christianity, First Amendment, Waukesha, Wisconsin , Americans United for Separation of Church and State, church and state, Elmbrook Church, Waukesha County school districts

“The Wall of Separation”

Daniel L. Dreisbach, professor of justice, law, and society at American University and author of Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation between Church and State, wrote recently at a sub-site of Christianity Today about the history of Jefferson’s famous wall of separation remark. It’s broken up into two parts which you can find here and here.

It was interesting reading.

Filed under: Christianity, First Amendment, History, Religion and government , Christianity in America, separation of church and state, Thomas Jefferson, wall of separation

Quick Hits 11/14/2008

Here’s more stuff I wanted to blog on but didn’t get to this week.

Chris Lufter was an able leader of the Waukesha Taxpayers League. It will be impossible to replace her. Hopefully she gets to enjoy her family now.

Remember how after the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis collapse, many shrilly indicted the infrastructure. I’m not saying everything’s rosy but, Federal investigators say design error, too much weight doomed I-35W bridge.

Holding the first of a two-day hearing before it releases final findings and recommendations, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday the collapse in Minneapolis was caused by a fatal design error. The error allowed an accumulation of weight added to the bridge over its 40-year lifespan — plus the weight associated with a new construction project — to finally topple it, killing 13 and injuring 145. [Emphasis mine.]

H-1B Visa Reform Takes Shape to Address Fraud, Procedural Nightmares

The agency responsible for granting H-1B visa applications plans to tighten up its procedures for vetting and approving the applications in the wake of a report indicating as many as 20 percent of the applications may be fraudulent or technically flawed.

Immigration needs to be fixed. Soon.

This story by Dan Shelley, former news director of WTMJ radio, sounds like the sour grapes we’ve heard from former Bush Adminstration officials (Scott MacClellan, I’m looking at you). Here’s a response from Charlie Sykes that Milwaukee Magazine should have offered before it ran an obvious hit piece.

If the Fairness Doctrine makes a comeback like Chuck Schumer and many on the left wish, although some say it won’t happen, will conservatives get equal time with The Washington Post and MSDNC’s Chris “My Job Is To Make Obama Presidency a Success” Matthews and Keith Olbermann?

Filed under: Drive-by media, First Amendment, Immigration, Radio , Charles Schumer, Charlie Sykes, Chris Lufter, Chris Matthews, Drive-by media, Fairness Doctrine, H-1B, I-35, Immigration, infrastructure, Keith Olbermann, MSNBC, talk radio, Washington Post, Waukesha Taxpayers League

WMC is rethinking its ads

Via Paul Soglin in Sunday’s WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL (Was this printed or just online. I forget),

Stung by criticism over its political activities, the state’s largest business lobby is rethinking the tenor of its election-season advertising and how it sells itself to the public.

The move by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce comes in the wake of recent criticism from former UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley, major Dane County employer Epic Systems and liberal groups over its campaign ads and political activities.

“If we’re going to be perceived as the sleaze carriers in the state, I don’t want that and our members don’t want that,” Jim Haney, WMC president, said in a recent interview. “If we have to reposition ourselves a bit, we’ll do so.”

Wow, and this all happened without government intervention.

Amazing.

Filed under: Elections, First Amendment, Wisconsin, government regulation , negative campaign ad, Politics, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce

More on Grassley’s probe of ‘prosperity’ televangelists

Comments on this update on Sen. Grassley’s investigation of six charismatic ministries by cole Ty and goliathwhite, led me to the following articles:

From the Dallas Morning News

Nearly two-dozen conservative Christian leaders have signed a letter to the Senate Finance Committee questioning an investigation into six large ministries that preach a gospel of prosperity.

The letter argues that the 6-month-old inquiry sets a dangerous precedent. It also suggests that the ministries were targeted for sharing “the same branch of evangelicalism” and promoting “socially conservative public policy positions such as support for the traditional definition of marriage.”

The comment from Grassley’s staff,

Jill Kozeny, a spokeswoman for Grassley, said the investigation is not concerned with church doctrine but with the adequacy of tax-exempt laws that have not been substantially changed since 1968.

So, presumably, the tax-exempt laws may be inadequate? We don’t know. They won’t tell us.

The other was this post from Southern Appeal

Grassley’s letter to the ministries simply states that there are unspecified ”articles and reports” floating around “regarding the possible misuse of donations.” Are you freaking kidding me? This smells like a witch hunt to me, plain and simple.

See that post for many more links and the full text of the letter mentioned by the Dallas Morning News.

Filed under: Christianity, First Amendment, Religion and government , Christianity, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Bishop Eddie Long, Creflo Dollar, Paula White, Kenneth Copeland, prosperity gospel, Sen. Charles Grassley, televange, Without Walls International Church, World Healing Center Church, World Changers Church International, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church

Movie violence

Eugene Kane blames at least part of violence in America on the movies,

I wonder why so many people seem surprised at the random violence in America that regularly bubbles up and explodes in all kinds of horrible ways, everything from school yard shootings to car jackings to serial killers to murder-suicide domestic incidents.

Violence is all around us and apparently we like it. Just check out the movies.

So do movies, as Hollywood contends, merely reflect culture? Or do they influence culture?

And what difference does it make. It’s Free Speech and we can’t do anything about it anyway.

Filed under: First Amendment, Movies, Social issues , Eugene Kane, Movies, violence

Grassley investigates televangelists

Because, apparently the Senate Finance Committee has nothing better to do. The ranking member Sen. Charles Grassley sent

letters to Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church of Grapevine, Texas; David and Joyce Meyer of Joyce Meyer Ministries of Fenton, Mo.; Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Texas; Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church of Lithonia, Ga., and Creflo and Taffi Dollar of World Changers Church International of College Park, Ga.

In a five-page letter to Randy and Paula White, Grassley asked for detailed information on 28 areas of church and personal finances, mainly from the years 2004 to present.

Make no mistake, I do not contribute to any of the ministries under question, nor have I ever contributed. I don’t agree with what they teach nor would I shed tears if their donors found out what they are really doing.

But I find this a bit troubling. The First Amendment guarantees the freedom of religion. If this happens, where does it stop? Will any church be exempt from the government’s probing eyes? Where were our “friends,” the Americans for the Separation of Church and State, so quick to jump in when religion enters the public domain?

The churches probably can’t take refuge in laws governing the separation of church and state. Religious organizations are subject to all sorts of government regulations, said Ayesha N. Khan, legal director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Thanks alot.

Doesn’t government have a responsibility to donors? Perhaps. One wonders what Sen. Grassley hopes to accomplish by this. He has investigated others before,

the American Red Cross, the United Way, The Nature Conservancy and the Smithsonian Institution. Grassley and the committee combed through records documenting excessive salaries and perks, uncovered dysfunctional boards and business practices, exposed sweetheart deals and demanded more transparency.

Did these nonprofits reform as a result of Grassley’s probes? In some ways.

Should these ministries finances be transparent? Sure. Should they spend less on “frivolous” items? Well, one man’s frivolous may be another’s necessity. In my opinion, many of these things are over the line–one reason I don’t support or recommend them. There’s a long line of similar ministries who have done similar things and wound up disgraced.

But Sen. Grassley treads a fine line. Federal tax law versus the Constitution.

How much good will this actually accomplish? In spite of past scandals, some ministries continue on as they have in the past. So we hear that these folks are crooks (which I half believe anyway), what happens? Will Congress change the laws?

That remains to be seen.

Other articles on this subject (all from Christianity Today):

Praise and Dismay for Senate Scrutiny of Ministries’ Finances

In Perspective: Why Grassley Investigates

Televangelists Get Kudos

Filed under: First Amendment , Benny Hinn, Bishop Eddie Long, Charles Grassley, Christianity, Creflo Dollar, First Amendment, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Paula White, Senate Finance Committee, televangelists