Religious Left Pro-Censorship Campaign Hits Rough Water

"Whether or not churchgoers agree with Limbaugh, Dobbs and Beck, the move to use the churches to silence them should be chilling to free speech advocates." -- Mark Tooley, IRD President

From The Institute on Religion and Democracy

A campaign effectively to censor conservative voices on the airwaves and sponsored by a Religious Left coalition has been suddenly dropped. Sponsored by George Soros' Open Society Institute and the ACORN-supporting Wallace Global Fund, the "So We Might See" campaign called for advertisers to stop supporting the Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs programs, as well as the firing of Dobbs. The "Color of Change" campaign targeting Beck has been removed from the "So We Might See" website, as has the "Drop Dobbs" campaign.

The move comes as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) joins a growing list of denominational agencies, including United Methodist Communications, which have removed their names from support for an FCC petition promoted by "So We Might See," a coalition that includes agencies of the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and the National Council of Churches, as well as the Islamic Society of North America and the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops Office of Communications. The petition invokes the name of conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh as an alleged purveyor of "hate speech" and seeks to effectively silence conservative talk radio voices.

IRD President Mark Tooley commented:

"Shouldn't liberal religious voices defend free speech against an intrusive government? Regrettably, these Religious Left groups are all too willing to censor speech when it works against their political agenda.

"In the free-flowing marketplace of ideas, the truth usually emerges. Efforts to re-define 'hate speech' and intimidate targets by threatening to have them removed from the air are brutal tactics designed to suppress dissent. "Whether or not churchgoers agree with the likes of Limbaugh, Dobbs and Beck, the move to use the churches to silence them should be chilling to free speech advocates."

The Institute on Religion and Democracy, founded in 1981, is an ecumenical alliance of U.S. Christians working to reform their churches’ social witness, in accord with biblical and historic Christian teachings, thereby contributing to the renewal of democratic society at home and abroad.

FUTURE TALK SHOW HOST RESPONDS

Dear Sean, Rush, Mark, Roger, Laura, and the rest of the "Conservative" talk show hosts,

You've taught me well, above all else to think for myself. A true "ditto head", I am actually able to form my own truly conservative thoughts, based on what I understand as the most important issues that seperate a REAL Conservative from "wanna be's" and fakes.

Conservative values as I have heard from you all, never change, and this is sound reasoning. True conservatism means that you believe and actually act on your beliefs. True Conservatives are consistent on the following principles. Those start with the Christian values that our forefathers founded this country on, those found in the Bible (which are found in the halls of our Supreme Court), the Ten Comandments. A direct result is that we start in our society wih a Sanctity for Life. It follows that the Sanctity of Marriage and the family is a fundamental building block of our society. Another fundamental belief is that of hard work and self reliance, which creates wealth for those willing to work for it, and as our Bible tells us clearly, if you don't work, if able, you should not eat. One more Conservative test is the Right to Bear Arms, a basic fundamental right in a Democracy and any Free Country.

So lets apply these principles to three "conservative" candidates left standing. Mike Huckabee is the only Conservative who has signed legislation to restrict abortion and protect the Sanctity of Life. Mike Huckabee is the only Conservative candidate who signed legislation protecting the American Family and the Sanctity of Marriage. Mike Huckabee is the only Conservative candidate who stands firmly to abolish the IRS, implement the Fair Tax, and allow us hardworking self reliant Americans to keep more of what we produce and decide how we spend and pay taxes. Last but definitely not least, Mike Huckabee is the ONLY Conservative candidate who has consistently supported the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, a life long hunter and NRA member most of his adult life.

As you all know, John McCain and Mitt Romney fail miserably when compared on these four basic tests of Conservatism. To make matters worse you have broken the "Golden Rule" of our self proclaimed leader "Ronaldus Maximus", never attack a fellow Republican in the primaries.

Yet all of you have in unison decided to attack the record of the only True Conservative in the race, and prop up a man who makes John Kerry's flip flops look like a rank amateur.

So, I must do what you all have schooled me to do, remove my support from the fakes, the "wanna be conservatives" and be true to the real Conservative values I know stand through thick and through thin.

I am no longer listening to any of you! The great thing is that when all of my fellow Conservatives follow suit, your ratings will suffer so badly that the market will have room for some True Conservative talk show hosts!! I think I may have a new career!!

A True Conservative,

Craig A. Nordal

Evangelical Christian

Future Conservative Talk Show Host

Encinitas, CA