More Back-Door Fairness Doctrine, NPR Drops ALL Religious Programming, 'Fast-Tracking' Healthcare, Gov Steals from Banks, Hate Crimes Bill in Senate

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” - Winston Churchill 1) FCC Announces May 7 'Diversity Committee' Meeting - Behold a New 'Fairness' Doctrine Behold one of the new "Fairness" Doctrines - "media diversity" - coming soon to a radio station near you.   President Barack Obama's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released the names of the thirty-one members of their Advisory Committee On Diversity For Communications In The Digital Age. This May 7 gathering is made up of a laundry list of left-wing grievance groups, with a smattering of radio and television companies included to break up the monotony.  Not a single conservative organization is taking part in this Commission - more than a dozen Leftist groups are. A little ironic for a "diversity" panel, is it not? Chairing the meeting is Henry Rivera, a former FCC Commissioner who was (and presumably still is) a strong proponent of the Censorship Doctrine, also mis-known as the "Fairness" Doctrine. …On February 26, Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin - one of the myriad past "Fairness" Doctrine champions - sponsored an amendment, passed via a 57-41 Party-line vote, which forces the FCC to "take actions to encourage and promote diversity in communication media ownership and to ensure that broadcast station licenses are used in the public interest."   …They truly believe the former is the only possible explanation for the latter. The existence of Laura Ingraham, Monica Crowley, Tammy Bruce and other un-white males in the talk radio universe fails to persuade them. Neither does the ratings argument - thems that get the ratings get the airwaves. Conservatives have listeners; liberals do not. …According to the Left, these white male station owners don't put conservatives on the air because they make them money, they put them on the air because they are conservatives. The anti-free speech/anti-free marketeers remain as always steadfastly impervious to facts. See: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/seton-motley/2009/04/23/fcc-anounces-diversity-committee-meeting-chaired-pro-fairness-doctrine And: http://www.benton.org/node/24636 1a) NPR axes Christian radio programs In 1985, National Public Radio (NPR) adopted a policy stating that member stations had to provide "nonsectarian, non-political, noncommercial" educational programming. But in February 2009, the wording was changed to say: "NPR Member Stations shall provide ONLY [emphasis added] nonsectarian, non-political, noncommercial educational content on all broadcast channel(s) and related media distribution platforms such as member partners that use the NPR member brands."   The rule, which takes effect May 1, means that any NPR stations carrying religious programming must cease and desist that programming as of that date. In explaining its decision in a similar matter, PBS -- another federally funded media outlet -- says it "places a high value on presenting diverse perspectives, as opposed to rigidly adhering to any single political or religious point of view." Allowing such programming, it continues, "would cause the public's trust in PBS to erode, along with the value of the brand." See: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=510936 2) Dems reluctant (yeah, right) to use reconciliation for healthcare Despite their decision to arm themselves with a partisan weapon to move health reform through the Senate with a simple majority, senior Democrats continue to insist they will pull the trigger only if their hands are forced. This week, the House and Senate will debate — and probably pass — a $3.5 trillion budget that will include reconciliation provisions that will enable Democrats to pass their health reform legislation with just 51 votes, not the 60 usually needed to pass major bills in the upper chamber.   House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democrats insist that reconciliation be made available as a means to advance health reform, one of President Obama’s biggest domestic priorities, to prevent GOP senators from obstructing the effort. See: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dems-reluctant-to-use-reconciliation-for-healthcare-2009-04-27.html And, they did pass that $3.4 TRILLION budget with the ‘reconciliation’ provision built in… See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/29/house-passes-trillion-budget-boosting-obamas-agenda/ 3) FACT CHECK: Obama disowns deficit he helped shape WASHINGTON – "That wasn't me," President Barack Obama said on his 100th day in office, disclaiming responsibility for the huge budget deficit waiting for him on Day One. It actually was him — and the other Democrats controlling Congress the previous two years — who shaped a budget so out of balance. And as a presidential candidate and president-elect, he backed the twilight Bush-era stimulus plan that made the deficit deeper, all before he took over and promoted spending plans that have made it much deeper still. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090429/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_fact_check_obama 4) Obama Says Chrysler Holdout Lenders Speculated on U.S. Bailout April 30 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said Chrysler LLC lenders who turned down his buyout offers are a “small group of speculators” who forced the automaker into bankruptcy. Today, an anonymous group of 20 Chrysler lenders calling itself the “Committee of Chrysler Non-Tarp Lenders” said in a statement they’d been treated worse than junior creditors during negotiations in violation of “long-recognized legal and business principles.” They said they were owed $1 billion. Legalizing theft does not make it moral. Welcome to government shakedown.  …Chrysler’s dissident lenders have on their side the “absolute priority” bankruptcy rule, which holds that value must be distributed according to the legal priorities of the stakeholders. What riled the group that put out the statement today was the fact that junior creditors, consisting of a workers healthcare trust, would get equity in a new Chrysler entity while they would not. See: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=anOtOhu3yDyU&refer=news And: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/30/AR2009043004141.html 5) Hints That Gitmo Detainees May Be Held on U.S. Soil WASHINGTON — As many as 100 detainees at the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, could end up held without trial on American soil, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates suggested Thursday, a situation that he acknowledged would create widespread if not unanimous opposition in Congress. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/us/politics/01gitmo.html?ref=todayspaper 6) Former Federal Prosecutor Andrew McCarthy's Letter to Attorney General Holder The invitation email (of April 14) indicates that the meeting is part of an ongoing effort to identify lawful policies on the detention and disposition of alien enemy combatants -- or what the Department now calls “individuals captured or apprehended in connection with armed conflicts and counterterrorism operations.” I admire the lawyers of the Counterterrorism Division, and I do not question their good faith. Nevertheless, it is quite clear -- most recently, from your provocative remarks on Wednesday in Germany -- that the Obama administration has already settled on a policy of releasing trained jihadists (including releasing some of them into the United States). Whatever the good intentions of the organizers, the meeting will obviously be used by the administration to claim that its policy was arrived at in consultation with current and former government officials experienced in terrorism cases and national security issues. I deeply disagree with this policy, which I believe is a violation of federal law and a betrayal of the president’s first obligation to protect the American people. Under the circumstances, I think the better course is to register my dissent, rather than be used as a prop. ...Moreover, in light of public statements by both you and the President, it is dismayingly clear that, under your leadership, the Justice Department takes the position that a lawyer who in good faith offers legal advice to government policy makers—like the government lawyers who offered good faith advice on interrogation policy—may be subject to investigation and prosecution for the content of that advice, in addition to empty but professionally damaging accusations of ethical misconduct. Given that stance, any prudent lawyer would have to hesitate before offering advice to the government.  ...The Obama campaign smeared Guantanamo Bay as a human rights blight. Consistent with that hyperbolic rhetoric, the President began his administration by promising to close the detention camp within a year. The President did this even though he and you (a) agree Gitmo is a top-flight prison facility, (b) acknowledge that our nation is still at war, and (c) concede that many Gitmo detainees are extremely dangerous terrorists who cannot be tried under civilian court rules. Patently, the commitment to close Guantanamo Bay within a year was made without a plan for what to do with these detainees who cannot be tried. Consequently, the Detention Policy Task Force is not an effort to arrive at the best policy. It is an effort to justify a bad policy that has already been adopted: to wit, the Obama administration policy to release trained terrorists outright if that’s what it takes to close Gitmo by January. See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_050109/content/01125109.guest.html 7) Obama Repeats Leftist Blogger Myth on Churchill and "Torture" RUSH: President Obama, in his press conference last night -- all of a sudden, and for the first time -- cited a world leader with respect. And that would be Winston Churchill. After showing disrespect to Winston Churchill for most of his term so far, President Obama cited the great Winston Churchill as a beacon for a nation like ours to show that we should not torture. Even, Obama said, when Britain was being bombed to smithereens, Churchill refused to compromise the moral values of Great Britain. He didn't torture captured Nazi prisoners. Obama doesn't know this. He's getting this from a left-wing blogger, as so much of the Drive-By Media gets their information from left-wing bloggers. It is pretty well known that in British-occupied Germany after World War II, the Brits treated captured German soldiers pretty harshly. They starved them, big psychological mistreatment. It's just an absolute myth that the Brits and Churchill never, quote, unquote, "tortured."   See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_043009/content/01125107.guest.html 8) Justice Souter Announces Retirement WASHINGTON – Justice David Souter is planning to retire after more than 19 years on the Supreme Court, giving President Barack Obama his first chance to fill a vacancy on the high court. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090501/ap_on_go_su_co/us_scotus_souter_retiring And: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/01/AR2009050101200.html?hpid=topnews 9) Guns bought this year could outfit 2 armies Report cites surge that coincided with last year's election Guns purchased legally in the United States this year could outfit two armies – and not just any armies, the armies of China and India, according to new government reports cited by a website for sport-shooting enthusiasts. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96677 10) Kennedy brings 'hate crimes' into Senate Matches House-approved plan to crack down on biblical teachings A bill that would provide federal money to train law enforcement officers to identify and criminally prosecute speech and thought offensive to homosexuals has been introduced into the U.S. Senate, matching a House-approved bill that critics fear will be used to crack down on biblical teachings.  The proposal, from Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy and Patrick Leahy, aligns with H.R. 1913, which was approved in the U.S. House yesterday.  It denies protections to classes of citizens such as pastors, Christians, missionaries, veterans and the elderly that would be granted to homosexuals and those with gender issues. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96730 11) Another high profile suicide…Clinton-era appointee dead in apparent DC suicide WASHINGTON -- An attorney who served in the Clinton administration was found dead Thursday in an apparent suicide at his Washington law office. Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, an Atlanta-based firm, confirmed in a statement that attorney Mark Levy had died. See: http://www.miamiherald.com/772/story/1026115.html