Debbie Stabenow's 'Fairness' Response

Let's face it, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) can't be in a happy place. She is married to Thomas Athans, co-founder of the liberal TalkUSA Radio network, a guy who drops more on hookers than advertisers were willing to pay for spots on his network. Her "leadership" as a junior senator has helped drag Michigan into a financial abyss that has Toyota and Honda fist bumping. And, well, she's not just pro-choice . . . she's so aggressively pro-abortion I suspect she'll eventually sponsor legislation to hook hoovers on the foot of hospital delivery tables. This is not a person living a smile-laden life in search of silver linings.

So we shouldn't be surprised at her support of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine." Extreme incompetence rarely befriends free speech. An unhappy heart seeks silence. Debbie Stabenow does not want her opposition examining her opinions openly on talk radio.

But I will say this about Senator Stabenow: somebody in her office does answer correspondence. I wrote to the senator asking her to explain her position on the doctrine and how she can support legislation that attacks free speech. This is her response:

Khaki [She's comfortable calling me by my first name]

Thank you . . .

. . for contacting me about the "fairness doctrine," which required broadcasters on public airways to allow time for contrasting points of view. I appreciate that you have taken the time to communicate your views and concerns with me.

The Federal Communications Commission first implemented this doctrine in 1949. At the time, it was concerned about the limited number of radio and television broadcast
frequencies being controlled by advocates with a singular point of view. The FCC abandoned the doctrine in the 1980s. Should any proposal to reinstate this doctrine come before me in the Senate, I will be sure to keep your views and concerns in mind.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to do so again if I can be of assistance to you in the future.

Sincerely,
Debbie Stabenow
United
States Senator

While I do appreciate her rapid response and the history lesson pointing out that "the fairness doctrine" was implemented back in 1949, I can't help but wonder why a senator who wallows in the party that demonized the "McCarthyism" of that era points back to its restrictions in order to defend and embrace the concept of restricting free speech. Oppression makes strange bedfellows (sorry, Debbie, that wasn't a reference to your husband's hobbies). And . . . I'm still waiting for an answer to the questions I actually posed in my letter.

How & Why, Sen. Stabenow? How & Why?