The following is taken from http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights.html.
During the debates on the adoption of the Constitution, its opponents repeatedly charged that the Constitution as drafted would open the way to tyranny by the central government. Fresh in their minds was the memory of the British violation of civil rights before and during the Revolution. They demanded a “bill of rights” that would spell out the immunities of individual citizens. Several state conventions in their formal ratification of the Constitution asked for such amendments; others ratified the Constitution with the understanding that the amendments would be offered.
In our various editorials PeacockWatch has expressed our concern about what amounts to a new tyranny. This new tyranny is best expressed in the attack by the new administration and its czars on capitalism, democracy, the constitution and specifically the first two amendments under the bill of rights to our constitution. One of these attack occurred in just the last few days when the administration tried diligently to ban Fox News from participation in White House pool interview. Thankfully, all of the media banned together to stop this move which may not have been a violation of the First Amendment but was certainly in violation of the spirit of the First Amendment. Hail to the press for this one-time victory.
Interestingly enough, the reason given for banning Fox News from this pool interview is the declaration by the White House that Fox News is not a news organization because of their supposed support for and bias toward the Republican Party. Keith Olbermann couldn’t wait to jump on, or is it continue to be the driver of, this White House bandwagon. Mr. Olbermann and MSNBC feel that they now have the golden opportunity to declare themselves number one in cable news because the White House has declared Fox News to not be a news organization. On their web site MSNBC states “With Fox News exposed as a political advocacy organization and not a news channel, that leaves msnbc as the #1 most watched news channel on cable”. This article on the MSNBC web site will lead the reader to the following video link. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/vp/33389812/ns/msnbc_tv-countdown_with_keith_olbermann#33389812
The Pew Research Center is generally regarded as an excellent and objective polling group. Perhaps MSNBC should look at the results of the latest Pew studies regarding MSNBC. If it is fair to declare Fox News to be a political advocacy organization for the Republican Party then it might be even more fair to declare MSNBC an arm of the White House staff.
MSNBC needs to go back to the principles on which this country was founded. MSNBC seems to spend a lot of its time fighting with Fox News while at the same time acting as a full time supporter of the Obama White House. Perhaps MSNBC should reflect on the following quote from Thomas Jefferson rather than joining with the increasingly closed White House to declare Fox News not to be a news organization.
“The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary to keep the waters pure.”
Who is it that is more afraid of Fox News? MSNBC or the White House. Or are the two indistinguishable from each other? Or perhaps MSNBC is simply afraid of , and stridently against, the same thing the White House is afraid of. Open competition in a free enterprise system.
