When they silence the opposition.

Whether it be the so called Fairness Doctrine or Localism, when the government employs censorship, it is setting itself up to control information.  Does the TASS News Agency ring a bell?  Or how about Al Jazeera?  President Obama has said that he opposes reenacting the Fairness Doctrine, but in this age of double speak, he does not outright tell his party or fellow leftists to leave the issue alone.  If Congress leaves it alone, there is still the FCC which can implement the policy.  If not them, local boards could be established to review broadcast content to make sure locals are heard rather than nationally syndicated shows.  In any case, the government controlling the political opinion being broadcast is one step in contolling the population.  Many of President Obama's FCC appointees are in favor of the Fairness Doctrine as is the Congressional leadership. But why would the Government want to control what the people hear?  The reason the recent rash of spending bills have been pushed through quickly, always a crisis that needs immediate attention, is that the longer the wait for the vote, the more the people learn, the more they get upset, the more they speak up, the more they contact their legislators.  As each day passes, the public opinion drops and the vote is made more difficult.  As the ruling party tries to push through its agenda, they do not want to be questioned or defied. Funny, one of the ten pillars of communism is: 6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the state. Remain alert to what happens over the coming year in this matter.  Will the same people that complained about President Bush and his policies and civil rights voice their objections to those of President Obama?  If they do, will the media do any reporting on it? Consider NBC who is widely reported to be in the tank for President Obama, especially MSNBC during the campaign and election.  NBC is owned by GE, whose CEO is Jeffrey R. Immelt since September 7, 2001.  According to his bio at GE.com, Mr. Immelt is on the board of the New York Federal Reserve Bank.  He was also named a member of President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board.  Get the picture?  And what of the $140 billion dollar bailout loan from the government?  Who owns whom? There are more examples to be had, but let's consider a famous quote from the 1940's. First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out-- because I was not a communist; Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out-- because I was not a socialist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out-- because I was not a trade unionist; Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-- because I was not a Jew; Then they came for me-- and there was no one left to speak out for me. Pastor Martin Niemöller