Canadian Born Patriot dominates senate in 4th longest filibuster ever!

[The Mad Monk]

No matter how you wish to phrase it, it still boils down to government approved news.

[kentonio]

No matter how you wish to phrase it, it still boils down to government approved news.

Except it doesn't, because the government have no role in judging the content.

[regexcellent]

You mean apart from the bit where it gets to decide whether or not the news can be aired?

Do you seriously not see how banning lying on TV, then letting the government decide who is lying, gives the government authority over who gets to say what?

That is precisely how state press works in many places in many places where it exists.

[kentonio]

You mean apart from the bit where it gets to decide whether or not the news can be aired?

Do you seriously not see how banning lying on TV, then letting the government decide who is lying, gives the government authority over who gets to say what?

I'm not sure what part of 'independent commission' you seem to be struggling with. Perhaps you need to go back to school.

That is precisely how state press works in many places in many places where it exists.

Except it isn't.

[Uncle Sparky]

So... what are the odds of the current batch of Teabaggers retaining their Repub. nomination? Are there really enough Americans to support this absurd political drama?

[Elok]

The harm caused by newscasters spewing nonsense does not seem worth the potential chilling effect on discussion a regulator might have--nor the potential for such a system to be abused. Everybody's got his/her own bizarre version of the truth, all of us are wrong about something; the main problem, as I see it, is that we are not content to let each other be ignorant in our own particular ways.

[regexcellent]

I'm not sure what part of 'independent commission' you seem to be struggling with. Perhaps you need to go back to school.

Oh it's "independent." That makes it so much better, because I want anyone at all having the power to decide what is kosher in the public forum. Holy **** you're dumb.

[Dinner]

So... what are the odds of the current batch of Teabaggers retaining their Repub. nomination? Are there really enough Americans to support this absurd political drama?

You have to remember that the congressional districts have been gerrymandered to hell and back sometimes to the point of being 90-10 districts where 90% of the people in a district are all in one party (because they have oddly shaped lines which zig zag all around the map to pick up only the districts which the party wants and they know exactly who votes in each location which way). That means the general election is pointless and instead the only way those people can lose their seats is by losing a primary. Sadly, primaries have extremely low voter turn out and so are dominated by the worst of the worst extremists. That means the politician always wants to be the most extreme in all situations because that means they'll keep their seats forever. This goes doublely true for Republicans because they really did lose just about every ungerrymandered district in recent elections; this is why Democrats actually got 55% of the votes in the house last election but Republicans still got the majority of the seats.

[Uncle Sparky]

Yes, I know that. But do the mainstream Repubs. recognize that being 'lemmings with suicide vests', will keep them out of power indefinitely?

[MrFun]

I love watching this slow-motion suicide of the Republican party.

[giblets]

IIRC ours isn't taxpayer funded, its funded via the news publishers who contribute so they can be regulated by the body, which provides them with the reputation for trustworthiness.



It's not about reminding anyone of anything, it's about providing a neutral body that acts as a safeguard against the excesses of the (supposedly reputable) media.



Why would you want to police that? I don't think you're getting my point, it's not about regulating ALL news and information, it's about providing some guarantee that news organizations who want to be considered as trustworthy are actually trustworthy (or else are at least held to account when they aren't). If someone wants to start an internet site or newspaper or whatever and make up anything they want, that is their business.

I find your views objectionable and would like for an independent body to ban them.

[DinoDoc]

So... what are the odds of the current batch of Teabaggers retaining their Repub. nomination? Are there really enough Americans to support this absurd political drama?

You'd think so but in 1996 after a shutdown the GOP gained 2 seats in the Senate and only lost 3 seats in the House (easily keeping the majority). So maybe Americans like political drama. I dunno.

[notyoueither]

I never said quite that, but can see where you might have seen that. I said

And let's be realistic. Even if a NEWs Agency is "BRANDED" as a lying SOS. There will be people that will want to suck at that teet if the view conforms to their view and will actively search for it.
Ben searches those sites that propagate the lies the Catholic church dishes out labeled as "Beliefs from the bible" despite mass condemnation from less religious people. Other idiots will do the same.
How much should big Government protect people from their own stupidity. While I'm willing to concede some on public safety areas, I don't think news qualifies.

News informs the people, the rest flows from that.

Public safety is not assured when news is for hire, by any means. That's sort of how we ended up with this retarded war on drugs. Hearst was able to mold the issue to his own ends (lie) and we ended up with this monstrosity that imprisons more Americans than anyone else, and leads to more death and destruction to everyone else than it is worth.

[MrFun]

News informs the people, the rest flows from that.

Public safety is not assured when news is for hire, by any means. That's sort of how we ended up with this retarded war on drugs. Hearst was able to mold the issue to his own ends (lie) and we ended up with this monstrosity that imprisons more Americans than anyone else, and leads to more death and destruction to everyone else than it is worth.

It's called prison profiteering.

[kentonio]

Oh it's "independent." That makes it so much better, because I want anyone at all having the power to decide what is kosher in the public forum. Holy **** you're dumb.

Jesus christ you Americans are a bunch of paranoid ****s. You know how it works here? People say and do what they like, and then if a load of people complain about something, they look into it and if they agree with the complaints they do they equivalent of saying 'That was very bad of you telling a lie, naughty press'. Yeah, it's just like jackboots marching in the streets.