Obama-Mania and news about ‘Censorship Doctrine

I have been struggling what to write about President Obama’s Address to Congress this week. It has been a long time since I’ve lost sleep over a speech I heard on television, but this week I actually lost sleep. Not because I don’t think God is in control, but because I’m beginning to mourn for our culture and America as we knew her.

Why am I responding this way?  Because we elected a President who has no experience, has no vision, he doesn’t believe in the American people, he thinks government is the answer to all our problems and has surrounded him by a ‘Chicago Styles’ political system that isn’t interested America, but is more interested in power and doing away with their enemies.

I’m also mourning the death of journalism today. In the minds-eye of our founding fathers, the press was supposed to be the ‘Truth Tellers.’ They were supposed to be the tool used to keep our elected officials accountable to the people who elected them. They we supposed to provide unbiased news and information about issues that were/are being discussed on all levels. Today, journalists are providing news and information that HELP their candidate. Look no further than MSNBC who had nothing but negative comments about Governor Bobby Jindal’s remarks to Obama’s speech, while being nothing but glowing about the Obama performance.

I also mourn the Republic the we once knew in the U-S. Why? This leads me to why I mourn for our nation.

The United States is quickly turning into a Socialistic nation. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating public or state ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and a society characterized by equal opportunities for all individuals, with a fair or egalitarian method of compensation. Did you hear that in President Obama’s speech this week?  I certainly did. That’s what kept me awake this week. He’s not looking to tax everyone (yet), he just wants to penalize the wealthy (those making $250,000 annually). He wants to take money from them, and give it to more bank bailouts, people who don’t have health insurance and those who fail to pay the credit card and mortgage payments.  While I’m not in the $250,000 salary range, I think this is totally unfair and un-American.

Where has our nation gone? Because of the negative ‘talk-down’ of the economy, the American people are scared. They’re following like sleep to slaughter to the ideals of socialism. President Obama has pushed through a bill that encompassed 1,000 plus pages and didn’t even allow the Republicans to have any input. That borders theocracy. How is THAT a representation of a Republic? How is that caring for your country. Less government is what’s needed in this situation, not MORE. I may be a spoonful of sugar now, but it will quickly turn into a stomach ache. Why? Because we’re spending money we don’t have.

On another note, Republicans are trying to do something. (I certainly wish they would have done something when they were in power other than spend money and act like democrats). They’re trying to save our free speech rights.

I received the following from the National Religious Broadcasters today:

• House and Senate Make Attempt at Broadcast Freedoms. Two stellar men in Congress have taken serious action this week to protect Broadcast Freedoms. They are sponsors of the House and Senate Broadcaster Freedom Act, the bill aimed at forever killing the Fairness Doctrine. United States House of Representative Mike Pence (R-IN) initiated a move to file an amendment in an Omnibus bill which would prevent the Fairness Doctrine from being restored through the end of this fiscal year. Pence through a similar move last year, won bi-partisan support preventing any FCC funds from being spent on a Fairness Doctrine thru March 6 of this year. Pence’s attempt to continue a block of funds for the next year failed in effort to be considered late Tuesday evening. House Republicans are looking at other options, presently.
  

• In the Senate, late this evening Sen. Jim DeMint (NC-R) plans to add the Broadcaster Freedom Act as an amendment to the DC Voting Rights Bill. DeMint said he added the amendment to prevent the Fairness Doctrine. The Senators office said it is also an attempt to get Congress to act in agreement with President Obama that they too oppose the Fairness Doctrine and stand in unison to oppose censorship on our nation’s airwaves. It is unclear at the time of this publication, how the amendment will be voted on. NRB’s Vice President of Government Relations, Bob Powers, is watching the item closely, in contact with Senate staff on the matter. To help weigh in on NRB’s most significant legislative items please log on to www.freedomtobroadcast.com.

What doe this mean? It means the Republicans have NO power and have NO voice in any of today’s politic. The national press is discounting everything they say. They have no platform and it won’t be long until Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and many Christian radio stations are off the air because of the liberal grab for power and their desire to silence their perceived enemy.

Obama opposes fairness doctrine – in public

I have been critical of Democrats in recent posts about what’s called the ‘Fairness Doctrine.’  I call it the ‘Censorship Doctrine.’  This week we heard this from Fox News.

“President Obama opposes any move to bring back the so-called fairness doctrine,” FOXNews.com reports. It adds that:

“The statement is the first definitive stance the administration has taken since an aide told an industry publication last summer that Obama opposes the doctrine — a long-abolished policy that would require broadcasters to provide opposing viewpoints on controversial issues.

“As the president stated during the campaign, he does not believe the fairness doctrine should be reinstated,” White House spokesman Ben LaBolt told FOXNews.com.

However, what’s not said in the release is that many of the House and Senate Deomoctrats FAVOR the measure. According to insiders, it’s believe the Democrats may make it a part of budget legistlation that President Obama WILL sign, because he won’t want to close down the government.

Chad Bresson at CDR Radio reports, “The problem, as it was described to us in Nashville, is that when Copps says, “put public interest considerations and guidelines back into licensing for full power stations”, he means granting local boards licensing power. The license will be at the mercy of a local board… which is fine if the community has no problem with religious programming (as some would say); however, if the community wants politically correct radio, the Christian broadcaster would be toast.

In other words, the NRB sees the localism standard as a means of bringing the fairness doctrine in the back door. The NRB believes it has successfully stigmatized the fairness doctrine… if it becomes reality again, the NRB believes it will be by another name in another form. And they’ve identified the localism boards as one of those forms.”

So, while the Obama administration isn’t seeking to reinstate the Censorship Doctrine, many others may be trying to.

Censorship Doctrine, here we come!

It is quite disturbing how far our country has deteriorated from the country ‘of the people, by the people and for the people.”  Now our montra is socialism, ‘The good of the many outweighs the good of the one.”  What ever happened to capitalism.

According to Wikipedia, “Capitalism is an economic system in which wealth, and the means of producing wealth, are privately owned and controlled rather than commonly, publicly, or state-owned and controlled.^[1][2] In capitalism, the land, labor, and capital are owned, operated, and traded by private individuals or corporations,^[3][4] and investments, distribution, income, production, pricing and supply of goods, commodities and services are primarily determined by voluntary private decision in a market economy largely free of government intervention.”

That’s exactly the opposite of what happened today in the U-S Senate as Liberal socialist politicians took a huge step into the hole of socialism, rather than allowing the spirit of the American workforce pull up our boot straps and tackle the economic conditions head on.

The Obama administration claims we needed to act on what they called the “Economic Stimulus” bill quickly, or things were going to spiral out of control. It’s amazing how President Obama wanted to have an open government, but he wouldn’t even allow law makers to read the 1,000 plus pages in the bill. How would Republicans have been treated if THEY had done that when they were in control of both chambers and the executive branch?  They would have been crucified by the press, yet the press has said virtually NOTHING about this.

Now, my grand children and great-grand children will be responsible for an incredible amount of debt. In just one week we’ve surrendered even more of our nation’s economy to other nations, who will give us even MORE credit — which is what got us into this mess in the first place. Investing in infrastructure may provide jobs short-term, but what’s going to happen when these infrastructure programs are completed? We’ll just have more unemployment and be back where we are now. How is this an ‘Economic Stimulus” bill? It’s just a socialist ‘hand-out’ similar to those of the former Soviet Union.

President Ronald Reagan was a great cheerleader for the American people. He believed in the American spirit. He knew our roots would help us rebound. He knew that tax cuts and empowering the PEOPLE to help us out of the tough economic conditions would be the only way out.

How does this affect Christian Radio?

Well, the next step in this leap to socialism is silencing the opposition. The democrats are now openly talking about the Fairness Doctrine, or as I’m calling it the Censorship Doctrine (as are many others). It will end talk radio as we know it. It could also end Christian radio as we know it. It may not come in form of a new FCC mandate, it may come in the form of hate speech legislation. The first step in ending free speech. We soon won’t be able to talk negatively about God’s hatred for homosexuality. We may be prevented from saying Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation. A,d, we may be restricted from talking about the truth of Islam. Why? If we do, we could be charged under hate speech crimes.

Do you doubt this?  We need only look to Australia and Canada as examples of what hate speech legislation can do to ‘help’ society. In Australia, two pastors were charged under hate speech legislation for simply reading a passage in the Koran that supported their notion that Islam is a violent religion. In Canada the Bible may be viewed as hate literature because it denounces homosexuality and other sexual sin.

It’s time for Americans who believe in preserving our nation, to speak up and do something to make sure we don’t continue sliding down this slippery slope to socialism. Or, the United States of America will be known as the United Socialistic States of America.  Sound vaguely familiar?

Mission Network News at NRB

I’m on my way to Nashville for the National Religious Broadcasters Convention!!

For those of you who know me, this is NOT my favorite place to visit. Albeit a necessity, especially this year. Actually, because of the downturn in the economy, I wasn’t planning to attend this year. I figure since donations were down and our budgeted expenditures are more aggressive this year because of some planned programming changes, I would stay home and save some money.  But, things changed.

To my surprised, our broadcasting peers named Mission Network News National Religious Broadcasters best short feature program of the year. Then, Open Doors USA is honoring MNN with the Passion of the Persecuted award. Both of these awards are being presented at this conference. So, I decided (with the help of my staff) to go to NRB to receive the awards in person.

Actually, it isn’t costing that much, either. Cornerstone University had some “Biz Perks” award points saved, so I got to fly for $50. I don’t need a car. So, I’m only paying my conference fees and hotel room for two nights (even though THAT’S expensive).

I also hope to meet with a number of radio stations, talk with many of our partner ministries and potential partners, and renew friendships.

However, this conference is not on the forefront of my attention. Have you ever had someone in your life that God used to spiritually change your whole life?  Pastor Dan Cummings was that person in my life (see gregorysyoder.wordpress.com).  He was diagnosed with stage four cancer last March. On Thursday, February 5, 2009 — (the man I called Oh captain, my captain) was called to Heaven. His funeral in Monday. My heart aches because I can’t be there. I true wish I could honor him in a way fitting for someone I hold in such high esteem. One of the award ceremonies is 30 minutes after the funeral. For me to cancel would create an incredible headache for the ministry that’s giving it to us. While we’re receiving an award from man, I can’t help but think about the reward Dan’s experiencing right now of being in the presence of Jehovah.

Be praying for the Cummings family (his wife, daughter and two sons) as they’re missing their husband and father right now. Also for his church, Five Points Community Church as they’ve lost their Shepherd.