Saw this in today's Athens Daily News/Banner Herald, and had to post it...can you say "talks out of both sides of his mouth...and his ass to boot"? The columnist is a Sandy Grady who writes for the Philadelphia Daily News...I'm not familiar with his material, so I can't vouch for any of his political leanings -- but assuming his facts are correct, somebody needs to call ol' Bob on this one, eh?
This is obviously directed at that segment of the GOP (which, lamentably, seems to be the dominant force in the party at this time) who insist on telling the rest of us what to do, claiming it's for our own good, but who squeal like pigs when they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar...reasonable, intelligent, fair-minded Republicans (who unfortunately seem to be in the minority these days) need not take it personally.
Anyway, thought you all might find this interesting. Feel free to pass it along, and the next time someone starts bitching about NIN, Time Warner, and how they corrupt society, be sure and point out Bob's little $21,000 adventure. Hey, Bob, don't rag on the rest of us for sneaking an Oreo or two when not only is your whole face covered in crumbs, but the lid's slammed shut and trapped your hand in the jar to boot.
nick maas (nick@potomac.com):
Once again, the leftists take a cheap, level-of-the-gutter shot due to a lack of anything worthwhile to say. Senator Dole's comments about Time Warner were the comments of a politician willing to boldly endanger his own pocket book and political war chest in order to speak to a need to reconsider violence in radio, and TV. While he did not advocate censorship, he emphasized the need to reconsider what Time Warner did to make some profits.
Liberals, by sharp contrast, have advocated censorship (why not, they have already tried to erode the rest of the Constitution to satisfy bogus social engineering schemes), and they too have taken at least $124,000 in soft-money contributions from Time Warner (source: Washington Times)....
Let's ask a few questions. Many psychologists, sociologists, and other social scientists have presented strong, if not totally convincing, evidence (and we should be honest about this too) that shows at least some problems arising from some unsupervised children who are exposed to violence on the airwaves and the screen. Not conclusive, certainly mitigated by many other things, but studies are being done.
What about the bogus gun control-argument? By comparison, we see serious handgun and other violence in the District of Columbia, where legal handgun ownership is virtually impossible, but comparatively little in neighboring Virginia, where handgun ownership is virtually unrestricted. Why are the liberals pushing bogus arguments instead of legitimate ones? Why do liberals openly promote and threaten censorship, take cheap, unsubstantiated shots at talk radio, but then criticize Dole for making relatively sober and sensible remarks? Probably because the left has nothing but failed policies, oppressive taxes and regulations, and a bankrupt ideology to present in lieu of actual substance.
obsidian (obsidian@fox.nstn.ca):
If Bob Dole is so opposed to the "depraved and soulless" works marketed by Time Warner (Ice-T and Nine Inch Nails) and movies such as Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone) and True Romance (Tony Scott/Quentin Tarantino), then...
Why has he been taking campaign funds from Time Warner? (See The Washington Post Friday, June 2, 1995 -- front page story).
Why has he failed to criticize the Time Warner-distributed film True Lies, one of the most politically irresponsible films of the decade, which is also thoroughly devoid of his much worshipped "family values"? Could it be that he is counting on Arnold Schwarzenegger's (Conan The Republican's) generous campaign contributions?
Why did he drop his support for the Convention on the Rights of the Child? This human rights treaty would prevent the entertainment industry's exploitation of children. It would make it illegal to use violence and sensationalism to get more young people in the audience, only so more products (like alcohol and cigarettes) could be sold to those forming their buying habits and values, etc. It also would have made the broadcasting of material that exists expressly to induce, influence, or inspire early childhood arousal of sexual responses a human rights violation.
Why is a Republican-dominated Congress refusing to use its authority to regulate TV? Congress has the authority to send over mandates to the FCC. If Dole read a media law textbook (which he can purchase, or order, from a college bookstore) he would see that the Supreme Court has given him all kinds of authority to regulate TV.
Oliver Stone is right -- Dole's Inquisition is McCarthyesque at best. Let him name names; for now it's only serving as the best form of advertising money can't buy. The entertainment industry is a driving political force, and Dole will be hard pressed to win the race without their support.
lisa livingston (procyon@icon.net):
I suppose Trent used Bob's campaign contributions letter as toilet paper and is now suffering the consequences of that particularly rash action. Can't say that I blame him, really -- you should have seen what I did with that letter I got from Ollie North....
Republicans are suffering the same problem that the Democrats are: the lack of a real leader possessing the common sense God gave a goose. I just grit my teeth through most of it, and pray they don't parade Dan Quayle in front of us again for our perusal. I just can't cope with that....
I have a great defense of NIN already -- at the ballot box.
nick maas (nick@potomac.com):
How ironic that the GOP front runner -- whose party has received some $136,000 in soft money contributions -- is willing to stand up and have some guts, while the liberals quietly work to promote censorship and still take their money.
chuck m1441 (chuckm1441@aol.com):
How hypocritical it is for the GOP to accept that money from the kind folks at Time Warner. Turning down that money would have been a more appropriate show of "guts" -- because, let's face it, it IS all about money. And isn't that the point of the GOP's rhetoric?
They blast Time Warner for making big bucks distributing gangsta rap and such, while at the same time the GOP is accepting that same money from Time Warner.
ted krueger (tedk@primenet.com)
Dole received $3,000 per year from Time Warner. Explain to me exactly how that is more than a drop of water in the ocean compared to the between $5.2 million and $8 million that Time Warner gives to national political candidates.
Besides, if Dole had given the $20,000 back, how would that have done anything more than convince Time Warner that they are confident that anyone who does not follow their creed will refund all campaign contributions?
It was not a matter of "turning down" any money, since the $20,000 had been given to Dole over a matter of about seven years.
Do you get it? Dole had already received the money years before...years before Time Warner had bankrolled Killers or any other of the movies Dole commented on.
Please, tell me exactly how much money Time Warner has given to conservatives, as a proportion of the money given to liberals.
My guess is about 10 percent.