Thread: Update on Senate Shenanigans Fairness Doctrine and Free Spee

Friends of ALIPAC,

We apologize for the short notice about yesterday's fight between Senator DeMint and Senator Durbin in the US Senate.

We want you to know that ALIPAC was the only national organization that was able to get an e-mail alert out before they voted on these amendments. Many of you received the alert after the vote had taken place on Thursday afternoon. Our e-mail list software tells us that only about 500 of you were able to open the warning e-mail with activist instructions before they voted.

Here is what we believe happened to the best of our knowledge.

1. On Thursday morning, Senator Durbin circulated an Amendment to Senate Bill 160 (S.160) which was the bill to consider statehood for the District of Columbia. While Senator DeMint's office received the Durbin amendment around 9:45am Eastern, Durbin did not officially file the amendment (S.AMDT.591) till later.

Senator Durbin's bill would give the FCC greater authority and assuring "diversity" in local radio markets and would thus be able to force many market driven talk radio shows that are against Amnesty for illegal aliens to be shut down or be canceled and replaced by shows with "different" viewpoints that are government mandated, instead of talk radio consumer driven.

2. Senator DeMint filed a counter amendment to oppose any return of the Fairness Doctrine that was abandoned in the late 80's, after it was agreed that the doctrine was suppressing free speech on talk radio. The removal of the Fairness Doctrine is what made talk radio flourish in America and was essential to our defeat of Amnesty for illegal aliens in 2006 and 2007.

3. ALIPAC caught wind of what was happening at approximately 2pm EST, when FOX NEWS broke the story about DeMint's amendment. We had our e-mail alert on the way to you, within 35 minutes of discovery, asking you to call your Senators to support DeMint and oppose Durbin's sneak attack on free speech on talk radio.

4. After attempting to activate ALIPAC supporters in time to make a difference, we found that the US Senate's website went down for almost an hour, most phone lines to the Senate were busy or giving us voice mail, and that we could find the text of every other Amendment offered to S.160, except for Senator Durbin's amendment that would affect free speech and talk radio! The text of Durbin's amendment only became available to the general public this morning, almost 24 hours after the amendment was voted on and passed.

5. It appears to us that many US Senators are doing the same song and dance with the Fairness Doctrine that they do with Amnesty. Many of the Senators that support Comprehensive Immigration Reform Amnesty will swear fervently "I'm against Amnesty". That is why Senator DeMint's amendment locking out the Fairness Doctrine passed 87 YEA - 11 NAY.

6. Unfortunately, Senator Durbin's amendment passed as well, by a vote of 57 YEA - 41 NAY.

Therefore, the Fairness Doctrine under that name has been locked out for now, but the Democrats and some Republicans have other plans that will be harder for talk radio show hosts and the public to spot in time.

At ALIPAC, we feel there is already a suppression of free speech in America, due to the aggressive actions of illegal immigration and amnesty supporters.

We also feel that the Open Borders Lobby is going to do everything in their power to silence or hinder free speech on the Internet and talk radio, as a prelude to a new amnesty attempt.

These traitors at the top have spent millions of dollars analyzing and creating new strategies, after we defeated their plans in 2006 and 2007. They know they have to stop the public from being able to speak out freely on the Internet and talk radio shows to succeed with their unpopular agenda.

While we offer our thanks and appreciation to Senator DeMint and his staff for standing up for free speech in America, there are big problems here.

We take strong issue with what happened in the US Senate yesterday on the following grounds.

1. Neither of these amendments were Germane to the bill being discussed and that violation of the rules and ethics of the Senate makes it impossible for any American citizen or member of the media to know what the Senate will discuss prior to the votes.

2. Senator Durbin and his buddy Harry Reid rammed that amendment into a vote, while the text was not even available to the public online, which means they conspired to deprive every American of any chance of reviewing the amendment or commenting to their elected representatives about the measure.

When lawmakers pull curve ball legislation and move unrelated amendments into bills, without adequate notice to the public or media, America's democratic principles are violated in lieu of autocratic rule.

ALIPAC is a peaceful and political organization dedicated to activism and public participation in the legislative process.

But under the current conduct in DC, it is starting to appear that the process itself has been derailed in a way that deprives Americans of a voice, adequate representation or due legislative process.

This, along with the recent move where lawmakers voted on an unprecedented trillion dollar "stimulus bill" that they did not bother to read before voting on is sending a very dangerous message to the American public.

Will the American public wake up one day to find out the US Senate passed Amnesty for illegal aliens the day before when nobody saw it coming?

Let me reiterate that all of us at ALIPAC are committed to peaceful civic action and the restoration of the rule of law in America, using what little still functions correctly in our political system.

Thank you for your understanding and to all of you that did your best yesterday under difficult circumstances.

For full details of our analysis yesterday or to see how your Senators voted, please visit this link.

http://www.alipac.us/ftopic-147714-days ... asc-0.html


William Gheen and the ALIPAC Team
www.alipac.us

2. Senator Durbin and his buddy Harry Reid rammed that amendment into a vote while the text was not even available to the public online which means they conspired to deprive every American of any chance of reviewing the amendment or commenting to their elected representatives about the measure.

All the things that were promised that they wouldn't do. No need to contact my officials.....they were the scum who started this.

I know these type of shenanigans also on in state legislations which have midnight twisting of language or new pork projects added just before the vote. And how many of these statesmen have stated they and their staffs have not been able to read the entire bill, much less contemplate the effects of such legislation.
Go for it, W. Hit every news and talk radio organization you can with this.