A functional Democracy requires an informed populace...

[Mythsaje]

Unfortunately, in many ways, we have a MIS-informed populace. The fact that the Supreme Court has determined that so-called "news" organizations are in no way obligated to give the people a factual accounting of current events (which also suggests to me that they are also granted carte blanche to change historical details.

Speaking for myself, I don't like the overall message that sends to the news organizations, groups with a reason to manipulate those same organizations, or the people themselves. It says "we don't need or want a functional democracy." What kind of thing is this for the Supreme Court of the United States to suggest? It's spit in the eyes of the founding fathers and burning a hole in the whole concept of the Press clause of the 1st Amendment.

Of all the damn fool decisions handed down by this court over the past several years, this might well be the worst. And the most telling.

"Fuck Democracy."

On edit: A correction. It wasn't the SCOTUS, but a Florida Court of Appeals. I could swear there was new movement on this, but I was apparently mistaken.

[enlightenment]

1. Link please?

Thank you.

[inna]

9. link to what?

the OP is one of the DU's several original writers.

[enlightenment]

11. A link to the issue that is being discussed.

Pardon me if I don't follow every thread with bated breath - I thought it sounded relevant enough to read about and thought - since the OP was concerned with the issue - that they would have a link.

Untwist your knickers, please.

crimey.

[inna]

12. "Untwist your knickers, please. crimey."

lol, what are you even babbling about?


:shrug:


are you having a bad day, or do you always act like this online?

[enlightenment]

14. inna, you're the one who went after me for asking a

perfectly reasonable question of the OP. Your response to me was rude and unjustified.

I wasn't aware that the OP needed a protector, so it was quite an unpleasant surprise to discover you've apparently appointed yourself.

You'd do better to look to your own online behaviour than wonder about mine - and if you don't understand my comments, find a dictionary.

[inna]

15. how did i go after you, and what in the world made you think i had my knickers in a twist?

you're completely hallucinating and/or projecting, my dear.

and YOU were rude first, btw.

not that i'm going to continue this "discussion". :shrug:

[Selatius]

2. As AJ Liebling once said: Freedom of the press belongs to those who have one.

In Colonial America, there was always at least one town press, and there were many towns in each of the Colonies. In those days, you could always count on a wide variety of viewpoints in your region simply due to the number of presses.

With the invention of corporate personhood in the now famous US Supreme Court case of Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad, it became possible to create conglomerates large enough to swallow up multiple news outlets and consolidate them into one. Prior to that, if the owner died, the firm either went to the heirs, or it was liquidated, but corporations are immortal. Empires could now be built over several generations. Over time, news outlets fell into the control of a smaller and smaller group of people.

The trend of strengthening corporate power in America was further continued in another Supreme Court case of Buckley v. Valeo. The Court ruled that corporations are also entitled to First Amendment protections as far as freedom of speech. They could spend as much money to influence campaigns as they wish. One only has to watch TV for a bit to see how many anti-health care reform ads big health insurance corporations are airing right now.

Such is the state of America today. One of the prime reasons the early US Republic did not feature many powerful corporations was that the leaders of the Revolution had enough of the privilege of monopoly cast upon one early multinational corporation. That corporation's name was none other than the British East India Company, which was granted a monopoly in the American Colonies by the British Parliament paid for by taxes levied on the Colonists without their consent. The Founders were suspicious of corporate power and for good reason.

It is one aspect of the American Revolution that has all but disappeared from the American psyche. It is an omission that could very well end up destroying the Republic in the end.

[Hydra]

6. One bit to add to that

Shay's rebellion. The Bankers were there and had the support of the Gov't since the signing of the Constitution. I think that was ultimately our undoing.

[Selatius]

8. The Bankers who invested in war wanted payment rendered in gold and silver.

But in the Colonies, there was very little gold or silver, and the colonial currencies were generally backed by the good faith and credit of their respective state legislatures. The result was local businessmen who were indebted to the bankers took advantage of business relationships with poorer people, specifically poor farmers. They had the local courts seize their property and home including their farm animals and liquidated all of them to pay back bankers.

[Hydra]

10. Yup, and Sam Adams, grand hero that he was

Wanted to purge all of them. It was also the impetus that helped push for a central army to put down future rebellions by uppity non-business people.

It was an inauspicious way to start things.

[DJ13]

3. Yes, a Democracy does, but a corpro-fascist state requires an uninformed populace

Which do you think we've had since the 80's?

[Greyhound]

4. One correction or request;

As far as I know the decision that I believe you are referring to was that of an appeals court in 2003 and not the SCOTUS.

If there is a SCOTUS decision regarding this, I would definitely like to know about it.
:kick: & R

[Mythsaje]

7. You're right...

I could have sworn there was something recent about this, but it might have been some sort of info lag.

The Florida Appeals court, not the SCOTUS.

Thank Gawd.

[Hydra]

5. Let's see

To have a functioning democracy, you need:

Informed populace: Nope
Easy Access to Participate: Nope
Active 'Citizens': Nope
People willing to fight to safeguard rights: Nope
Judicial System that works: Nope
Checks and Balances: Nope

Hmmm...

[Hannah Bell]

13. designed that way, to keep people out.