Posts Tagged ‘Fairness Doctrine’
Targeting Free Speech: Here Come the Regulations
UNION LEADER: With perfect predictability, a top Democratic member of Congress responded to the tragic shootings in Tucson, Ariz., by proposing dramatic restrictions on free speech.
Speaking on National Public Radio on Monday, U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., the third-ranking Democrat in the House, blamed the shooting on irresponsible political discourse.
“I think that those of us who are armed with the gift of gab are responsible for what we say and how we say it. And when people hear things and feel that they can make a martyr out of themselves because of the discourse around the political arena, they sometimes react with ways that are socially unacceptable. But that does not absolve us.”
His solution? Why, silencing the opposition, of course. He explained that violent rhetoric wasn’t to blame for the violence in the 1960s because of federal regulations. Noting that the state has the authority to impose some limits on speech, Clyburn said we need more regulations now to prevent people from saying inflammatory things.
“We had restraint on speech back then. I came up in a time that the Fairness Doctrine did not allow media outlets to say things about a candidate or a person in public office without giving that person equal time to respond.”
