Spring Break
Running Limbaugh off the air
Liberal attempts at removing Rush from Armed Forces Radio unreasonable
By: Clint Rainey
Issue date: 6/28/04 Section: Opinion
So take comfort in the fact that the plan will be foiled, but be concerned about the underlying foolishness of it, which, for the sake of this country, needs to be exposed.
The attempt to entice the federal government to censor its citizens poses a serious misunderstanding, or blatant disregard, for the laws and freedoms of America, but it's just the first bend in this labyrinth that maps these liberals' thought patterns. For it is likely Sen. Harkin knows the unconstitutionality of his amendment; the uneasiness should come in listening to the justifications offered by the liberals who support it.
It's not difficult to see where one could get off putting the moniker of "unbalanced" on Rush Limbaugh, but to then pass that branding iron right over individuals such as Diane Rehm and Dan Rather is rather disturbing. It's even more disturbing to see someone accuse the AFR as a whole of being biased.
There is no factuality to attest to this at all. Consulting the weekly master schedule for AFR, available on their Web site, one sees that the notoriously liberal National Public Radio alone occupies ten hours per week, which is five more hours than Rush Limbaugh. Now, throw in other liberal notables like Dave Ross, Diane Rehm, Bill Schneider and Dan Rather and the total grows horribly disproportionate. Even combining the short segments of conservatives like Paul Harvey or Dave Ramsey yields numbers that are immaterial; no matter how the hours are added, the liberals come out ahead.
This whole premise of counting time by ideological lean becomes ridiculous when one considers that AFR has over 1,100 different radio programs. This is why Sen. Harkin is not really serious about making AFR "balanced." If he were, he'd have to identify the political ideology of over 1,100 hosts and commentators! What about Jim Rome? He gets 54 minutes per day; maybe Sen. Harkin should ask him if he is pro-life or pro-choice so he can be added to the appropriate list.
The attempt to entice the federal government to censor its citizens poses a serious misunderstanding, or blatant disregard, for the laws and freedoms of America, but it's just the first bend in this labyrinth that maps these liberals' thought patterns. For it is likely Sen. Harkin knows the unconstitutionality of his amendment; the uneasiness should come in listening to the justifications offered by the liberals who support it.
It's not difficult to see where one could get off putting the moniker of "unbalanced" on Rush Limbaugh, but to then pass that branding iron right over individuals such as Diane Rehm and Dan Rather is rather disturbing. It's even more disturbing to see someone accuse the AFR as a whole of being biased.
There is no factuality to attest to this at all. Consulting the weekly master schedule for AFR, available on their Web site, one sees that the notoriously liberal National Public Radio alone occupies ten hours per week, which is five more hours than Rush Limbaugh. Now, throw in other liberal notables like Dave Ross, Diane Rehm, Bill Schneider and Dan Rather and the total grows horribly disproportionate. Even combining the short segments of conservatives like Paul Harvey or Dave Ramsey yields numbers that are immaterial; no matter how the hours are added, the liberals come out ahead.
This whole premise of counting time by ideological lean becomes ridiculous when one considers that AFR has over 1,100 different radio programs. This is why Sen. Harkin is not really serious about making AFR "balanced." If he were, he'd have to identify the political ideology of over 1,100 hosts and commentators! What about Jim Rome? He gets 54 minutes per day; maybe Sen. Harkin should ask him if he is pro-life or pro-choice so he can be added to the appropriate list.
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