The Nanny State of the Month Award goes to the Los Angeles City Council for their consideration of a law that would seek to prevent “racist and sexist slurs” on talk radio. This is censorship by any other name. Apparently, the totalitarian collectivists on the city council were offended by local radio hosts John and Ken who called Whitney Houston a “crack ho” shortly after her death. Here is the article http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/03/21/city-council-warns-crack-ho-comments-intolerable-calls-for-diversity-in-talk-radio/
For anyone who has listened to the John and Ken, you know that the real issue is their relentless criticism of State and, especially, local government on the show. While John and Ken were suspended by KFI 640 AM, the bureaucrats are not satisfied. They want to be the first city council in the nation to prohibit speech they find offensive.
Never mind the subjectivity of the proposed standard and the obvious conflict of laws, particularly the Constitution of the United States of America, and hundreds of years of precedent on the matter. Never mind that the remedy for this perceived blight on the airways is to turn your radio off or change the station. No, what we need are more laws abridging our basic rights. The rights of free speech and a free press, even and especially the speech we find offensive, is basic to a free society. This small fact escapes the nervous Nellies on the council who fear that offending someone is more egregious than the loss of our liberty.
So it goes with all government. Left unchecked, all governments big or small, become tyranical. In fact, sometimes the more petty the tyrant, the worse the effect, as in this particular case. While I do not believe the L.A. resolution will have any legs or survive any serious legal challenges, it is indicitve of the danger of which we must always be aware, the desires of the few to impose their will on the many. So called “diversity” and “sensitivity” have become the new fascism.
If you believe that your rights have been violated by law enforcement or any other governmental agency, contact Los Angeles Criminal Lawyer Vincent R. Ross at DS Criminal Law Group 213-289-9400 for a free consultation.
For anyone who has listened to the John and Ken, you know that the real issue is their relentless criticism of State and, especially, local government on the show. While John and Ken were suspended by KFI 640 AM, the bureaucrats are not satisfied. They want to be the first city council in the nation to prohibit speech they find offensive.
Never mind the subjectivity of the proposed standard and the obvious conflict of laws, particularly the Constitution of the United States of America, and hundreds of years of precedent on the matter. Never mind that the remedy for this perceived blight on the airways is to turn your radio off or change the station. No, what we need are more laws abridging our basic rights. The rights of free speech and a free press, even and especially the speech we find offensive, is basic to a free society. This small fact escapes the nervous Nellies on the council who fear that offending someone is more egregious than the loss of our liberty.
So it goes with all government. Left unchecked, all governments big or small, become tyranical. In fact, sometimes the more petty the tyrant, the worse the effect, as in this particular case. While I do not believe the L.A. resolution will have any legs or survive any serious legal challenges, it is indicitve of the danger of which we must always be aware, the desires of the few to impose their will on the many. So called “diversity” and “sensitivity” have become the new fascism.
If you believe that your rights have been violated by law enforcement or any other governmental agency, contact Los Angeles Criminal Lawyer Vincent R. Ross at DS Criminal Law Group 213-289-9400 for a free consultation.
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