I Still Don't Sleep At Night

FCC - "First You Roll Back, Then I Want You To Sit Up and Beg."

I do believe. My dreams are happening quicker than I can read about them. This one occurred the 19th of this month. Okay, reasons to be cheerful: MoveOn (Action) is really getting it together to give grassroots support to a Dem candidate that we, the people, really want. Yeah. Next, the very fact that a man like Dennis Kucinich with all his values, integrity and work for the "little" people (like me) would run for the office of president. Unbelievable. I feel like it's the Sixties again. And now this. What's next in my world of good news? Bush is impeached? (See note at 9:25 above for more good news.)

Not quite, but the power of the people has had an effect. The little people have stormed into George Bailey's bank and kept them from closing it. They had the power but we had the people. That's how we are going to win in 2004 too. We're mad and we're not going to take it anymore. Right? Right!

The big news is that the Senate Commerce Commission (the Senate, yes, those whooses) approved bipartisan legislation that will roll back the FCC's June 2 vote that pretty much called for media monopolies run by right-wing Republicans.

If passed by Congress as now amended, S1046, the "Preservation of Localism, Program Diversity Broadcast Act of 2003" will preserve the rule that restricts one company to owning TV stations that reach no more than 35% of US TV households. (That still sounds like a lot to me.)

"A bipartisan amendment sponsored by Senators Dorgan, Snowe and Hutchinson will also prevent one company from owning a broadcast station and a newspaper in the same market or a radio station and TV station in the same market. An amendment added by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) also passed, responding to the closed process conducted by the FCC before the June 2 vote. The amendment will require the FCC to hold at least five geographically diverse formal public hearings the next time an ownership rule change comes up for consideration. "

Please forgive all the quotes. I will be doing lots of research for my other blog which is only about this issue The Kind of Blog Clear Channel Warns You About I'll be able to put something together there that's more intelligent when I'm awake and have had more coffee. But this news couldn't wait. I just came across it last night. Where have I been?

"Our founding fathers would be prouder still of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who communicated first with the FCC and then with Congress to say that we will no longer accept decisions made behind closed doors without our knowledge and informed consent," said McChesney.

Now I love that. Oh let it be so. I find it so extraordinary that some group stood up against the neocon good old boys and may deprive them of something they want. They used the term "rebuked" I believe as in the FCC was rebuked by the Senate Commerce Commission. But it's far from over. This Free Press newsletter says that it faces a larger hurdle now to get through the House. And we can't give up now. It took people to get it this far, and we're not there yet

This is the first time in decades that Congress has stood up to the powerful media lobbies and acted to defend freedom of the press," said Free Press co-founder Robert McChesney. "Jefferson and Madison would be proud of our Senators for taking a stand." Common Cause and Free Press worked to make an issue of the impact of the media ownership decision.

"Our founding fathers would be prouder still of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who communicated first with the FCC and then with Congress to say that we will no longer accept decisions made behind closed doors without our knowledge and informed consent," said McChesney. Amen to that brother. Right on.