Well, It COULD be Worse...

Here it comes…thanks to that Ohio Socialist (emphasis added):

Over the weekend, the National Conference for Media Reform was held in Memphis, TN, with a number of notable speakers on hand for the event. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) made an surprise appearance at the convention to announce that he would be heading up a new House subcommittee which will focus on issues surrounding the Federal Communications Commission.

The Presidential candidate said that the committee would be holding "hearings to push media reform right at the center of Washington.” The Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the House Government Reform Committee was to be officially announced this week in Washington, D.C., but Kucinich opted to make the news public early.

In addition to media ownership, the committee is expected to focus its attention on issues such as net neutrality and major telecommunications mergers. Also in consideration is the "Fairness Doctrine," which required broadcasters to present controversial topics in a fair and honest manner. It was enforced until it was eliminated in 1987.

Kucinich said in his speech that "We know the media has become the servant of a very narrow corporate agenda" and added "we are now in a position to move a progressive agenda to where it is visible."

This whole Fairness Doctrine thingie is one of my minor hot-buttons. I first mentioned it here, and hit the subject again in September of last year. And in May of last year I said:

The above is an excerpt from “The Fairness Doctrine; How We Lost it, and Why We Need it Back,” a Lefty Cri de Coeur for government intervention in the marketplace. Which is entirely typical, of course. And another reason NOT to stay home in November, as if you needed one more. Never hurts to point these things out, though.

I’m fairly certain the Congress won’t bring back the fully discredited Fairness Doctrine (well, fully discredited amongst thinking people, anyway). The Dems’ majority is fairly thin and there are enough Blue Dog Democrats to undo the majority if and when it would come to a vote in the House. I think the little weasel from Ohio is just grandstanding.

Captain Ed has more on the subject of the Fairness Doctrine, and it’s a good read.

I went to the little weasel’s site looking for a blurb on the FD to quote (coz he’s always good for unintended, over-the-top humor) and got sidetracked by this:

The Administration is preparing to escalate the conflict. They intend to increase troop numbers to unprecedented levels, without establishing an ending date for the so-called troop surge. By definition, this escalation means a continuation of the occupation, more troop and civilian casualties, more anger toward the US, more support for the insurgency, more instability in Iraq and in the region, and prolonged civil war at a time when there is a general agreement in the world community that the solution in Iraq must be political not military. Iraq is now a training ground for insurgents who practice against our troops.

[…]

These are the elements of the Kucinich Plan:

1. The US announces it will end the occupation, close military bases and withdraw. The insurgency has been fueled by the occupation and the prospect of a long-term presence as indicated by the building of permanent bases. A US declaration of an intention to withdraw troops and close bases will help dampen the insurgency which has been inspired to resist colonization and fight invaders and those who have supported US policy. Furthermore this will provide an opening where parties within Iraq and in the region can set the stage for negotiations towards peaceful settlement.

And it just gets better, and better, and better. I use the word “better” with the strongest sense of irony. Gawd, what a moonbat.

More irony: Kucinich begins all the missives on his web site with “Dear Friends.” The ex-hippies among us smile knowingly at that particular reference. I’m up in the air as to who’s actually funnier.

A man who believes his own press:

WASHINGTON -- In an announcement weighted with history and moment, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who less than three years ago was serving in the Illinois Senate, declared today his intention to run for president.

"As many of you know, over the last few months I have been thinking hard about my plans for 2008," Obama said in a statement on his presidential exploratory committee Web site. "Running for the presidency is a profound decision—a decision no one should make on the basis of media hype or personal ambition alone—and so before I committed myself and my family to this race, I wanted to be sure that this was right for us and, more importantly, right for the country.

"I certainly didn't expect to find myself in this position a year ago. But as I've spoken to many of you in my travels across the states these past months; as I've read your emails and read your letters; I've been struck by how hungry we all are for a different kind of politics."

“A different kind of politics.” Why does this statement make me think of that frickin’ peanut farmer? That statement aside, I’m wondering about the wisdom of a man (and his supporters) that launches a campaign for the highest elective office in the nation on such a thin, thin resumé. The lead sentence says it all: “…who less than three years ago was serving in the Illinois Senate…” Only in America.

Today’s Pic: I’ve gone on quite a bit about the weather these last few days. I seem to have forgotten the fact it could be worse, much worse. So, in honor of the “it could be worse” school of thought, here’s one of my favorite weather pictures: looking out on the deck from my dining room window in Rochester, NY (Perinton - actually). January, 1999.