Posted on 01/21/2007 4:36:07 AM PST by Semper
Is an institution geared to only reporting one side of a debate "our greatest institution"?
I am not saying we should overthrow freedom of the press. I am saying we should make freedom of the press open to more than one point of view.
The problem is not lobbying per se. The problem is that government is into so many interventionist unconstitutional activities that there is an enormous incentive for special interests to fight for influence. If the Federal government were restricted only to those few responsibilities assigned by the Constitution, of which national defense is the primary one, then most of the lobbyists would go away and have to find relatively honest work, like maybe selling used cars. Ditto for our enormous surplus of lawyers.
After Gramsci's "long march through the institutions" we are in a situation where most of our institutions are run by "red fascists." Marxists control education. Young people have been indoctrinated to hate freedom, reason and Western civilization -- they have been conditioned to accept the latest Marxist fad or Islamism. Older people just see government as the giver of money and many don't care what happens as long as the government checks run on time. Art has been deconstructed to the point that it is no longer art. Science plods along but for how much longer? The red fascists want to make it a thought crime to criticize global warming and that is just a start. Half of the churches have been taken onver by Marxists as have most of the media. We have already had a revolution -- a mostly quiet revolution waged by the red fascists and now they control much of the country. Once they finish consolidating their power there won't be any freedom of speech to run a pro-freedom "revolution" of ideas. Too many people would follow an American Hitler or Stalin.
The only problem with that is most conservatives actually have jobs and responsibilities, unlike the rent a mob liberals.
If someone could wake the truly conservative base, it would send shock waves through this country, but the issue has to be pressing enough to break through the responsibilities of daily life (job, kids, church) that occupy all of the conservatives time and more.
Bump
Excellent analysis. I believe that the combination of decades of liberal control of the mass media and education and the election of the Hildebeast(God forbid) would create the perfect storm resulting in a liberal, fascist police state and President Evita for Life.
Lincoln - Douglas Debates of 1858
The debates between Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln were held during the 1858 campaign for a US Senate seat from Illinois. The debates were held at 7 sites throughout Illinois, one in each of the 7 Congressional Districts [ Map of Congresstional Districts]. Douglas, a Democrat, was the incumbent Senator, having been elected in 1847. He had chaired the Senate Committee on Territories. He helped enact the Compromise of 1850. Douglas then was a proponent of Popular Sovereignty, and was responsible for the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. The legislation led to the violence in Kansas, hence the name "Bleeding Kansas". Lincoln was a relative unknown at the beginning of the debates. In contrast to Douglas' Popular Sovereignty stance, Lincoln stated that the US could not survive as half-slave and half-free states. The Lincoln-Douglas debates drew the attention of the entire nation. Although Lincoln would lose the Senate race in 1858, he would beat Douglas out in the 1860 race for the US Presidency. The Lincoln-Douglas debates were re-enacted in the Fall of 1994 with live coverage by CSPAN.
List of Debates
- Washington Square, Ottawa, Illinois Freeport, Illinois. Over 15,000 people attended the original debate in Freeport, then a town of 5,000. Freeport Doctrine, which was the result of the debate, states people had the right to choose whether or not to exclude slavery from their limits.
- Union County Fairgrounds, Jonesboro, Illinois Union County Fairgrounds is today part of Shawnee National Forest's Lincoln Park) Union County is south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The debate subject split families into Confederate & Union factions. Over 50 cemeteries throughout Union County tell of many who lost their lives in the War Between the States
- Coles County Fairgrounds, Charleston, Illinois This was area was very familiar to Lincoln. Lincoln's father had lived and died here. Lincoln's stepmother & many relatives & friends lived here too. Lincoln had a thriving law practice in the community. A majority of the townspeople had come from Kentucky and Tennessee, moving north to avoid competition with slave labor. Most were poor and believed they had no chance to win out in the competition with slave labor.
- Old Main, Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois The east side on East South St. between Cedar and South Cherry Streets was the site of the original debate. This location has the only currently remain structure from the original debates. [Photo of Old Main]
- Washington Park, Quincy, Illinois
- Broadway & Market Streets, Alton, Illinois
I live in Maryland and helplessly watched a very good Governor be destroyed by the press and replaced by the village idiot
The problem isn't lobbying at all. You correctly identify the problem as the government itself. Unfortunately, the only way to get rid of the government is with some sort of revolution. But anyone who believes a revolution here would wind up with some sort of FReeper group running things is smoking strong stuff. We would all be dead and the lettuce pickers would be trying to run things until they starved to death, or ran out of bullets.
ML/NJ
Remember the Terri Shiavo wars here on FR? Many here were at polar opposites, with those who understood the concept of federalism countering those of the RR who believed that death threats, flag desecration and getting children arrested were valid tools to use to get their points across.
Have you been on a 2d Amendment thread? There are those here who believe the militia movement is the only thing that can save this Nation, and believe firmly that every type of weapon including nuclear arms is the God-given right of every American.
Have you seen the homosexual threads? There are those here who would completely outlaw homosexuality in the Country if they had their way, while most Freepers take a more balanced approach even though they don't personally like homosexuality.
I'm sure you've seen the tax protester threads here over the past years. No one likes paying taxes, nor do many Freepers care for some of the programs using our tax dollars, but they pay their taxes.
It goes on and on. Some here would outlaw the teaching of evolution. Others would rescind all smoking bans and laws. Still others would place the Ten Commandments at every intersection and building in the Country. Mitt Romney will have a tough time because of quite a few here on FR. It goes on with prayer in schools, stem-cell research, even abortion policy is not agreed on here. Anyone who is not a card carrying member of the RR is a Rino.
There is no agenda, or platform that could get Free Republic members to agree on...any more than the rest of the Republican Party. Free Republic does reflect the vast differences that exist today even among those who believe they represent conservatism.
No third party will ever accomplish any more than putting the wrong candidate in office, because no third party effort has the patience to begin at the grass roots and work upward. There is too much money involved in the two party system, and it would literally take several hundred million dollars to compete effectively.
Lobbying ILLEGAL??? You are nuts! YOU are willing to give your own right away to have redress with your govt???
bttt
There have been opportunities for conservatives to purchase TV Networks. No one has been willing to come up with the money
It seems the only remaining option is to try to take their FCC licenses away for the obvious reason that they are using the free public airways to engage in egregious partisan politics. One, and perhaps the only, way to accomplish this is to show up en masse at the periodic FCC license renewal hearings of ABC, CBS and NBC.
Where is Brent Bozell of The Media Research Center,"the largest media watchdog organization in America. ..."? He and other so called media activists should be suggesting and organizing these protest activities.
Perhaps it's not in their best interests to solve the problem.
there are not enough people left who give a shit......
It only takes 1
Count me in.
Why don't you just run on the Republican ticket?
Anyone can.
Change the party , give the people a real choice.
There never is a "right time" to take action to change things that you deem wrong. There is also never a "wrong time" to act, even if you deem it too late. The point is, that people must take action to make changes that affect other impassioned ideals.
There are a lot of people who post on this website and many more who read it daily and do agree with the content. There would be more people willing to spread the word if some folks decide to move forward.
Excellent idea. The best place to start would be right here in Free Republic. We can get the word out w/ the help of Sean and Mark, let them know what we want to do. I'm sure they would be happy to pass the word along during their shows. It is about time we stand up and do something, especially w/ them trying to get that law passes, the freedom radio crap, where we are forced to listen to "them".
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