Free Republic

Marketing surveys now show that when Americans come home from work, more folks turn on their computers than their television sets. That is a first. The reason is twofold: First, you can create your own world on your PC, and second, TV is awful. Flat-out awful. For years, television has been losing viewers because the product, generally speaking, has collapsed. Reality TV has destroyed the tube. Cheap, mindless shows featuring people who should be deported rule the airwaves. Don't believe me? Well, TV Guide recently listed reality TV's most startling moments. The choices are indeed startling. Among them is...

Learn how Lincoln exerted control through the telegraph and its effect on the Gettysburg Address.

Chris Plante at WMAL Radio in Washington reported on his show Tuesday that President Obama joined a cast of 61 "noted lawmakers, politicians, news anchors and celebrities, including every living President, in reciting the Gettysburg Address" for PBS star Ken Burns, who made "The Civil War" documentary series. Everyone else delivered the address as Lincoln had written it, including the phrase, "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom." But in his version of the address, President Obama omitted the words "under God."

Another day, another rough patch for the Affordable Care Act. House Republicans released documents suggesting that President Barack Obama's White House had early and direct warnings about the anticipated problems with HealthCare.gov, and new poll figures find Mr. Obama at the lowest point in his presidency. A Washington Post-ABC survey indicated that some voters might even be rethinking their 2012 choice in the presidential race. The poll found 49 percent of respondents said they would vote for Republican nominee Mitt Romney if the election were held today, and 45 percent said they would back Mr. Obama. Opposition to the 2010...

The Ku Klux Klan was formed as a social club by a group of Confederate Army veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee in the winter of 1865-66. The group adopted the name Ku Klux Klan from the Greek word "kyklos," meaning circle, and the English word clan. In the summer of 1867, the Klan became the "Invisible Empire of the South" at a convention in Nashville, Tennessee attended by delegates from former Confederate states. The group was presided over General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who is believed to have been the first Grand Wizard -- the title for the head of the organization.

Dan from Squirrel Hill's Blog Obama administration says “Don’t believe what you’ve heard” from the following news sources On October 25, 2013, regarding the various criticisms of Obamacare, Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius said:“Don’t believe what you’ve heard.”In other words, the Obama administration says we shouldn’t believe the Washington Post, the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, NPR, Politico, the Wall St. Journal, the Christian Science Monitor, Investor’s Business Daily, Forbes, the BBC, Huffington Post, the Nation, Mother Jones, or New Republic.

It was billed as the documentary that Roger Goodell and the NFL didn't want you to see. PBS' Frontline aired its long-awaited special—League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis—on Tuesday night to a bevy of support (and buzz) from the football community. In terms of media attention, only ESPN's 30 for 30 draws this kind of anticipation and reaction as a documentary series. For those that were not able to watch it live or forgot to set the DVR, the near two-hour special is available on Frontline's website. As you may remember, this is the documentary that ESPN first assisted...

LOS ANGELES – Funding for clinical cancer trials and other life-saving research under the National Institutes of Health was cut off in response to the government slimdown, but it looks like the cookie monster will still be knee-deep in chocolate chips (or is it carrots now?) According to the Daily Treasury Statement and first reported by CNS News, the administration dished out $445 million to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) on the first day of the slimdown, which means funds for the likes of PBS Newshour, NPR and “Sesame Street” are being spent before cancer research.

A new group bent on unmasking ‘leftists in the media’ has its first target—MSNBC’s ‘racial extortionist,’ the Rev. Al Sharpton. David Freedlander talks with the leader of the right’s answer to Media Matters. A group of conservative activists, tired of what they see as a persistent and little remarked liberal bias in the news media, are set to begin a series of boycotts aimed at advertisers who sponsor what they see as left-wing networks, outlets, and journalists. On Sunday they announced their first target, the Rev. Al Sharpton, the civil-rights leader turned MSNBC talk-show host whose PoliticsNation has grown in...

Public-broadcasting fans love to proclaim that PBS and NPR are bravely “independent” of the government. But sometimes, the facts suggest a close symbiotic relationship. Terence P. Jeffrey of CNSNews.com reports that on the first day of the government shutdown, the Daily Treasury Statement revealed no money for clinical trials for cancer, but the administration awarded $445 million to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Pay the publicist first!

The Obama Administration certainly has its priorities. During the shutdown, Big Bird (aka, PBS) got $445 million in “essential” government spending while cancer research got zilch. As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said about helping kids with cancer, ‘Why would we want to do that?’ Of course, the big issue is really the debt limit debate. Watch for the rhetoric to go into overdrive. But here are some stark facts for your consideration. 1. Entitlements are growing at an unsustainable pace. This will require massive increases in Federal debt. Federal Spending_0 2. Total Credit Market Debt Owed equals $57.56 TRILLION....

(CNSNews.com) - On the first day of the “shutdown” of the federal government, when members of the U.S. Senate were going to the well of their house to point out that the shutdown would prevent the National Institutes of Health from starting clinical trials for cancer patients and others facing possibly terminal illnesses, the administration was giving $445,000,000 to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, according to the Daily Treasury Statement. That means PBS NewsHour, National Public Radio and Sesame Street got a taxpayer subsidy during the shutdown, but not would-be cancer patients at the NIH. The $445 million the Treasury...

Angry environmental activists say they have more than 70,000 signatures and plan to flood a WGBH trustees meeting next week calling for the ouster of conservative lightning-rod billionaire David Koch from the board — but the public TV and radio station for now is standing by the longtime PBS mega-donor. “David Koch has essentially dedicated himself — and tens of millions of dollars — to deliberately mislead the public about climate change,” claimed Emily Southard of environmental group Forecast the Facts. “That’s completely incompatible with an organization like WGBH, which is dedicated to public education.” Koch, a prominent Mitt Romney...

<p>If a Martian were to observe the human condition, he would have to conclude that the left has an agenda to deprive children of their innocence.</p> <p>The Martian would have no other explanation for the premature sexualizing of children that the left has engaged in for decades, and which seems to increases almost weekly.</p>

LOS ANGELES - Kevin Clash, the Elmo puppeteer who resigned amid allegations that he sexually abused underage boys, won three Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on "Sesame Street." Clash won as outstanding performer in a children's series at the creative arts ceremony held Friday night. He shared trophies for outstanding pre-school children's series and directing in a children's series.

It’s brought to you by the letter P — for prison. PBS’s “Sesame Street” is moving from ABCs and counting numbers to offering its young viewers a bigger lesson in life: how to cope when Mommy or Daddy lands behind bars. Called “Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration,” the program is distributing “tool kits’’ to schools, community centers and even jails in 10 states — including New York — starting today to help kids ages 3 to 8, organizers said. According to one “tip’’ for caregivers, “Before you visit your incarcerated loved one, let your child know some of the things...

How many of you viewed this when it aired on PBS? Apparently, not too many. I missed it as well. For some strange reason, it is still up on YouTube. In 52 minutes, it explains that our hundreds of "security" agencies are collections of turf-defending bureaucrats who don't talk to one another and probably can't find their asses with both hands -- but they can find YOUR emails and phone contacts! If this -- especially the PRE-911 section -- doesn't make you furious, you're either not paying attention, don't give a s**t or are a low-information "voter" -- or worse....

The long-running news show formerly helmed by Jim Lehrer will make its first major layoffs in nearly 20 years, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The company will close its offices in San Francisco and Denver, and eliminate some of its production positions at its Washington, D.C. headquarters. "The PBS Newshour's" executive producer said that the program hoped to "build new relationships with a variety of locally based freelance video journalists around the country." "A steady drop in corporate revenue" contributed to the program's decision to cut back.

The makers of Sesame Street decided to design and release an educational kit titled "Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration." The kit is "an educational outreach initiative for families with children (ages 3 – 8) who are coping with a parent’s incarceration." Can you imagine telling a five-year-old about prison? "Our resources," say Sesame Streeters, "provide talking points and tools to help families manage the changes resulting from this situation and to find comfort in one another."

On his Thursday night PBS program, Charlie Rose attempted to fulfill his duties as a liberal media member by defending the State Department’s dishonest talking points following the September 11 terrorist attack in Benghazi. Rose was grilling Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who was involved in the Benghazi hearings, about his views on the matter. When Rose asked Chaffetz if he believed there was a coverup, the congressman was ready. He brought up the fact that for days after the attack, the administration claimed the incident had been sparked by a spontaneous demonstration over an anti-Islam YouTube video. But Chaffetz and...