Daily Archives: June 8, 2020

America, FCC, United States

FCC: No objection to U.S. media properties being 100% foreign owned

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You read that correctly.

The FCC has ruled that Cumulus, which operates 424 radio stations in 87 U.S. markets, can be owned up to 100 percent by a foreign company (and, yes, that means a foreign government). Cumulus had been seeking such approval as it tries to claw out from bankruptcy.

Cumulus’ petition to the FCC was unopposed, which might be more frightening than the ruling itself. Previously, no U.S.-based media property could be more than 25 percent foreign owned.

The laissez-faire nonsensical argument here is that the market will decide whether a radio (or television) station succeeds or fails. That’s crap. This is not about the market; this is about a constant drumbeat of potential anti-American messages filtering into U.S. homes.

Remember how the Soviet Union tried to jam Voice of America signals during the Cold War? This is the opposite: The FCC ruling welcomes unchecked foreign interference. The propaganda spewed by FOX News matches the worst “fake news” any foreign-owned television news operation emanating from anywhere in the world does as it broadcasts into U.S. homes via cable, satellite or the web. It will only get worse (no) thanks to the FCC.

Where is the logic in the Trump administration standing by and allowing this to happen? Is it not interested in making AMERICA great again? Under what pretense does opening the door to wholly foreign-owned media operations align with MAGA?

Or is this all part of the uncomfortable sense too many people have that Trump is doing the bidding of another government?

Bush administration, Colin Powell, credibility, Donald Trump, ethics, Iraq War, leadership, personal responsibility, political credibility, the importance of history, United Nations

(ICYMI) Can we slow down the “way to go Colin Powell” talk for a minute

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The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Enter Colin Powell.

Social media has erupted with likes, retweets and accolades for Colin Powell who today said (dramatic pause) Donald Trump is a horrible president.

Oh, and Powell, a Republican if you hadn’t already figured that out, also said he’ll vote for Joe Biden in the fall.

With those statements, many people on the left seem to have erased from their memory banks the enmity they held for Powell for his disgusting presentation before the United Nations in 2003 that set up the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Powell made clear that day there was “evidence” Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and Saddam Hussein was stonewalling international efforts to identify them.

Suddenly, Powell is being lauded, praised and honored, and all because he criticized Trump. Criticizing Trump, unless the person doing it shares his last name, is not a bold statement in 2020, folks.

For those of you reading this not old enough to remember 2003, let me summarize: There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. You know all about the war in Iraq, I hope.

Later, almost a decade later mind you, and after billions of dollars had been spent and thousands of people had died in that war, Powell said he had made a huge mistake that would live with him forever.

In reality, he lied.

A huge mistake is divorcing your spouse though you still love the person. A lie is telling your spouse there is no one else when in fact there is.

Powell, in effect, told the U.N. that Saddam was cheating on its members and he had the evidence to prove it. And the U.S. would broker the divorce.

A lot of good that did.

As I write this, I vividly remember standing in Washington in January 2009 and watching Barack Obama being sworn in as president. To my right, maybe 10 feet away, was a man and a woman. He held her tightly, their sobs audible to me as Obama spoke to the nation. I wouldn’t dare interrupt that couple’s moment, but I was convinced their tears were for a son or daughter who fought and died in that war.

If I knew who they were, I’d have called them today to ask what they think of Powell’s comments about Trump.

I believe you know what I think.