Republican Kevin Martin, Caligula of the Airwaves, Defends His Choice for Corporate Consolidation to Weaken Democracy

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The commission vote, along strict party lines, will allow a single company to own a television or radio station and a newspaper in the 20 largest metropolitan areas of the country.

"I think this was actually a very moderate attempt to adjust our rules to reflect some of the changes that are occurring in the marketplace," Martin told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

However, the two Democrats on the commission say the rule will open the door to a new wave of media consolidation. The chairman was also criticized for granting waivers to a number of existing cross-ownership arrangements.

Martin says the loopholes are actually exceptions that create a high hurdle for such combinations to be approved in markets that are not among the 20 largest in the nation.

Last week's decision was the latest action in a proceeding left over from 2003, when under similar circumstances, the commission voted to loosen several ownership rules. The 2003 vote sparked a bipartisan backlash on Capitol Hill and helped fuel a well-organized and energetic media reform movement. A year later, the commission decision was rejected by a federal appeals court and the rules were sent back to the FCC for review.

Last month, Martin outlined his plan in The New York Times and released the text of the rule to the public. The chairman argued that the newspaper industry was in financial trouble and the commission should provide relief by loosening the 32-year-old cross-ownership ban.

Under his proposal, for a merger to be approved it must occur in one of the 20 largest metropolitan areas and involve only one TV or radio station. Also, the TV station could not be among the top four in the market, and post-transaction, at least eight independent media voices would remain.

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But it shouldn't happen at all.

And as anyone who has observed corporations, republicans or right wing democrats in action can tell you, they never stop . They're professional opportunists and they keep pushing pushing pushing to get whatever they want.

The same bunch of people already completely made over the media system. They began during the eighties, under Right Wing Hero Ronnie Raygun. And the consequences are visible everywhere you look. The consequence are a dumbing down of the public understanding that brought a takeover of government by odious, fascist pigs George W Bush, war criminal and dictator, Dick Cheney and the rest of the neocons.

Americans naively think it is illegal for media organizations to lie to them. So they turn on ABC,NBC, CBS, CNN, FAUX, etc and believe what is found there. What is found there is often nothing more than Britteny Spears latest diaper or Natalee Holloway hot night of ethnic sex or Brangelina's latest adoption.

Whenever actual news makes it to the telescreen it is typically reported with a right wing, corporatist slant which is why Americans could believe that secular Saddam Hussein was in bed with religious fundamentalist al qaeda and get behind that illegal, immoral invasion, mass murder and occupation.