Not Fair(ness)

Behold, my liberal-leaning brethren, for you may not like this one bit:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi believes that the government should revive the Fairness Doctrine, a McCarthy-era legislation that required broadcast facilities that presented one side of a controversial public issue to give equal time to the other side. Its demise came during the Reagan administration, shortly before the rise of Rush Limbaugh to national prominence.

Many progressives, in light of the current state of talk radio in particular, agree that this reinstatement would be good for America.

They are wrong.

The revival of the Fairness Doctrine would be a disaster.

First, realize that the death of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 is NOT responsible for the monochromatic state of American talk radio. If anything, the blame for that lies with the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which allowed for the hyperconsolidation ("Clear Channelization," we can fairly call it) of the broadcast industry.

Restoring the Fairness Doctrine would be a gross abuse of the First Amendment, and would gut an industry that's scrambling to survive as it is.

That industry should survive. Its ownership should be diversified (although I'm not necessarily for re-regulation of that, either), and it should be allowed to broadcast whatever it sees fit. Anything less is a travesty and, frankly, censorship.

If you support the Fairness Doctrine, knock it off.

Fenty Get Your Gun

Today it became official: the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the District of Columbia's ban on handguns as unconstitutional.

Surprise, nobody in the world!

Hello Out There

Does anyone even check in anymore? God knows I haven't posted in far too long...

Low and High Culture

princepurple: i've never heard that supposedly pretty-good song by that other american idol star. since u been gone or whatever. i've actually had a hankering to hear it, as it got pretty good reviews... but i've still never heard it.

princepurple: and it's a good 2 or 3 years old now

Me: that's a really great song, and I'm not sure I believe you.

princepurple: i've NEVER heard it, i swear.

princepurple: or at least i didn't know.

Me: it's so ubiquitous that you'd have to go out of your way to avoid it.

princepurple: this coming from I, the man who downloaded "steal my sunshine" the other night.

princepurple: i would admit if i had heard it, but i haven't.

Me: well I say you should remedy that right this very minute.

princepurple: ok--listening to it

princepurple: nope--never heard it

princepurple: meh

Me: well, now you have.

princepurple: unless the ending is some sort of revelation...

Me: I think you're insane. That's a great song.

princepurple: it's better than most of chart hits...

princepurple: it's ok

Me: It's great, damn it!

princepurple: it's meh!

Me: great!!!

princepurple: ok, fine. let's call it meh-great.

My Questt: Magritte?

princepurple: ha, just a happy coincidence.

Me: there are no coincidences, friend.

princepurple: yes, we have now linked Clarkson to Magritte. the world will suck itself into itself and spit itself back out the other end of the beginning... now.

Get to Know Your Stones

You love The Onion. I love The Onion. They're the funniest sons of bitches on planet Earth, aren't they? What you may not know, unless you've heard me rave about it, is that they're also among the best arts journalism (music, film, lit) out there, by virtue of their excellent AV Club.

Today you can find an outstanding, perhaps even extraordinary, beginner's guide to the music of The Rolling Stones. You should read it and listen to the sound samples. Particularly if you're not much of a Stones fan, so you can see how wrong you are.