Blogswarm - Online Political News Magazine

Sorry.

No such luck.

Not from Harry Reid.

The point is to communicate better on the radio:

What I've created is a communications center where we're going to take some of the resources that are already there and make sure that when someone comes to the Senate floor to give a speech, that talk radio stations know what that person had to say.

Sorry Harry, but your timing is 80 years too late and you've joined the radio age just in time for the funeral.

Oh, yeah, that stuff about a WAR ROOM, well it isn't a War Room, it is a communications center and hopefully it will be used for dancing. Really:

Well, I think war room designation is something that comes from inside Washington.
[...]
I hope we don't have to go to war.  As I said, Tim, I'd rather dance than fight.

So instead of standing up to the GOP we're going to ask them to dance with us? Even though they just won and they're in no mood do dance with anyone who isn't a far-right winger (ask Spector). So what is Reid going to do to make sure that we can dance instead of fight?

MR. RUSSERT:  In 1994, when the Republicans seized control of both houses of Congress, this is what Senator Harry Reid said.  "We all have to swallow a little bit of our pride and go toward the middle."

Is that still your advice to the Democrats?

SEN. REID:  I think there's no question about it.

So instead of creating a state of the art WAR ROOM to distribute alternatives we're going to sell out our values because we'd rather be dancing.

Reid isn't going to work as leader, he just doesn't get it. Ask him to save us all a lot of heartache and step down now:

Carson City
600 East Williams Street, #302
Carson City, NV 89701
Phone: 775-882-7343 / Fax: 775-883-1980
Link to Yahoo Maps

Las Vegas
Lloyd D. George Building
333 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Suite 8016
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: 702-388-5020 / Fax: 702-388-5030

Reno
Bruce R. Thompson Courthouse and Federal Building
400 South Virginia Street, Suite 902
Reno, NV 89501
Phone: 775-686-5750 / Fax: 775-686-5757

Rural Nevada Mobile Office
Phone: 775-772-3905 / Fax: 775-201-6010

Washington
528 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3542 / Fax: 202-224-7327

We already lost, let's not keep lose worse.

Bernard Kerik, the man tasked with protecting the United States from the threat of terrorist attacks, fathered a daughter with a South Korean woman while serving on the peninsula in the mid-1970s, U.S. media reported over the weekend.

Kerik, who was selected to replace Tom Ridge as secretary of the Homeland Security Department on Thursday, had the baby with a woman identified as Sun-ja after arriving in South Korea as a 19-year-old military policeman in December 1974, according to several reports.

The baby, named Lisa, was born in 1975. But Kerik deserted her and her mother when he left the country in February 1976.

Many Demcrats have stated that they want to win in the west. Well RAT is a perfect issue number one. It began with a poor (double-tax) philosophy, expanded to a counter-productive policy, and in the dead of night was resurrected without debate.

George Ochenski lets us know the story behind RAT:

Like a diseased rodent in a shipping container, a very nasty little RAT--the acronym for the new Recreation Access Tax--was slipped into the federal Omnibus Spending Bill as a rider last weekend and the consequences are not pretty, especially for those of us living in the West.

As the Denver Post put it bluntly in a Sunday editorial: "Get ready to pay through the nose to use your national forests and other public lands. A last-minute plan to charge recreation fees on some federal lands for the next decade was tucked into the 3,000-page appropriations bill that passed Congress last Saturday. The proposal never received even one public hearing and was rammed into law by a congressman who has no public lands in his district. It was lawmaking at its worst."

The father of the RAT is Rep. Ralph Regula, a Republican from Ohio, who was more than happy to slap on a charge to use federal public lands, although he has no federal lands in his congressional district. Rep. Regula abused his position as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee to slap on the RAT rider, despite a clear record of overwhelming dissent from Western senators and congressmen.

Now some of you reading might be thinking: sure it is a double-tax, but if the money helps out the environment isn't it a good thing?

The initial Fee Demo Program was supposed to be just that--a temporary "demonstration" program to see how it worked in practice. But the problems began to arise almost immediately across the spectrum of national public lands. Contrary to its initial intent, a General Accounting Office study found the Fee Demo Program was costing appropriated money to pay formerly nonexistent expenses for enforcement, ticketing and prosecution of those who didn't pay.

So if this has been discredited, how did it end up in the omnibus bill?

To make a long story short, the RAT's father, Rep. Regula, saw the handwriting on the wall and realized Congress would never pass legislation to authorize general fees for using federal lands. Rumor has it that he cut a deal with Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), in which Stevens received pork-barrel funds for building a remote road in Alaska in return for allowing Regula to attach the Recreational Access Tax to the Omnibus Spending Bill in the conference committee without a hearing, debate or full vote on the issue.

Come on, is this really that bad?

When federal agencies abused their new fee authority, a strong anti-fee movement arose at the grassroots level as citizens throughout the nation suddenly found themselves faced with fees to even park on public lands. Then the federal agencies began to charge fines for those who refused to pay and the opposition went thermonuclear.
[...]
To make matters worse, Regula's RAT rider also contains outrageous penalties of $5,000 and six months in jail, thus making criminals out of those who can not or do not pay the fees. As the Denver Post noted: "By comparison, damaging a fragile wetland with an all-terrain vehicle nets just a $75 fine."

OK, so it really is that bad. What does Mr. Ochenski think we should do?

The House of Representatives must vote on the Omnibus Bill before it can be sent to President Bush for his signature. That vote is scheduled to occur Monday, Dec. 6. All citizens who don't want to end up "paying through the nose" to access public lands they already own should let Congress and the White House know their feelings. For those seeking more information, a compendium of news articles on the RAT can be found at www.wildwilderness.org/docs/feedemo.htm.

Diaries fly by around here, and some good diaries that don't have attention-grabbing titles get lost in the shuffle and kerfuffle.  That is the reason why a weekly feature titled "The Week's Best Diaries You Didn't Read" got started.  It's posted on Saturday or Sunday, which are generally slow days.  I'll list a few diaries that didn't get much attention but are worth reading, because:

1. they're fabulously written
   
2. they'll educate you on candidates and states.  
   
3. newsworthy items that got lost in the mix

Branding & Advocacy of Democrats & Democratic Policy
Ed. note: It's Democratic Party--Democratic with an "ic."  It's also RWCM. MSM is a freeper term, and while some want to "recapture" MSM, the mainstream media is seen by many as liberal.  It's not exactly the most pro-Dem frame either.  Right-Wing Corporate Media.  To push back "liberal media," you have to have something on the other extreme.  In domestic politics, you don't counteract a bullet with a spitball; you counteract with another bullet.

Straight from KE04 and BC04. A look inside the campaigns by Newsie8200

25 Books or Movies that Made Me a Democrat by stephdray (with backtrack to another good diary by Brian Nowhere)

Operation: Red Alert -- Message Discussion by Aethern

Media Literacy 101: The Kool-aid Antidote by mrsdbrown1 (Teaching high schoolers about the media.)

Conversations with a Radical Theocrat by Delaware Dem

Harry Reid building new Dem war room by daveweigel

Making the DNC listen to the grassroots by JDL

MBNA Cancellation by JenAtlanta

First Steps towards Renewed Democratic Success by fester

Dems for small business, part 1 by electroniceric

More Sunshine on Republicans Now! by Tim from VA

Yes, Virginia, people do convert from conservatism by Maren

Issues, News & People in the News

Ken Starr: "I shouldn't have dealt with Monica. OK, so are you personally going to re-pay the U.S. government $70 million?  Is right-wing sugar daddy Richard Mellon Scaife going to pony up the money?

1260+ by Bohica Sobering.

Topics We used to Care About (follow-up on previous diary) by lsoderman

A soldier from NJ is killed near Ramadi by jdeliaNYC Author knows the soldier KIA.

Wounded vets need our help by randym77 Several ways you can support the troops besides putting a sticker on your car.

Depleted Uranium & Birth Defects (warning: VERY GRAPHIC) by Avila

A Military Funeral by fugitive

Kofi Annan's son behaving like Dick Cheney! Scandalous! by balta1701 Re: oil-for-food investigation

Iraq: "The Generals Love Napalm" by Avila

Jennifer Granholm Responds by ashke The media in Michigan falsely reported her stance on the domestic partnership beneifts for gay couples and other issues accompanying the story.  Anyways, I hope as many people get to read Granholm's rebuttal, because it would be unfair to judge her by the earlier media reports.

Bush to Fish: Drop Dead by existenz

Bush Seeking Psychological Testing for all School Kids Without Parental Consent by Descrates

No Child Left Unmedicated by claude

A Message To Wal-Mart: Buy American by Power

Campus Conservatives Flex Their Muscles by Lancaster

The enemy within: The Fourth Estate? by libby I say the media seems to misinform rather than inform people.  

Medical Marijuana Initiatives Reach the Supreme Court by mad cowan

Ashcroft v. Raich: Medicinal Marijuana Supreme Court Outcome by ttagaris

WaPo: Why Bush Can't Get Good People for His Econ Team by RT Shorter WaPo: "Bush doesn't like dissent."

NC Recount Victory! by Nindec

Congress to cut NSF funding by aureas

Anti-Evolution Teaching Gains Foothold by pyrrho

Liberalism, Academia and the crisis of the left by Ben P Hey Ben P, it may not make the rec list, but it makes this one. ;-)

Do we believe any of this shit anymore? 12k more troops to Iraq by Armando No, we don't. (And the replies in this diary are pretty good.)

CNN Headline: "Pentagon debate rages over 'information operations' in Iraq" by brokenbottle Yea, that the paragraph can be described as ballsy is a sad testimony to our media today.  The media needs to do a better job scrutinize info coming from the Pentagon and the Bush administration. Stenography is old.

NJ Dems move on election reform. by sayitaintso

This is What John Kerry did today by lawnorder So, what's it going to take for Bush to attend a funeral for an Iraqi soldier?  Both Kennedy and Kerry made it to this one. The photo in the replies is heartbreaking, too.  

Tommy Thompson to terrorists: 'Idiots! Poison our food!" by Bob Johnson Do you feel safer? Yea, me neither.  

Get to Know These States, Regions & Their Players
Ed. Note: Make sure to read the replies in these diaries.  Sometimes the diaries that make it here are here for the replies.

If you skipped it, Kos did a story on higher office aspirations and analysis of house seats are throughout the replies. Check 'em out.

In Depth: Mount vs. Boustany (LA-7) Run Off by ttagaris  Run-off in Louisiana occurs Sat, December 4! (per ttagaris's diary)

House 2006: DeLay and DeFeat for Moderate Republicans by RBH

Montana Legislative Recount Ends in a Tie by Ed in Montana

MN Dems' neat stunt by pangolin  

Eastern Washington (specifically Spokane) suffering by murphy

Wild Wild West: Nevada 2006 Senate Race by displacedyankeedemocrat Please see replies.

VA Elections Results and Analysis on Future of VA by jiacinto

VA Election 2005...We can win this! by doctormatt06

Seeing Red: Southern Stories, Part II

The Truth about the South (and how we can win it) by Aethern

More on winning the south -- evidence of good & bad news by surfbird007

Kweisi Mfume MD Gov. or Senator in 2006? by pontificator See the replies.

George Allen Considering Presidential Run in 2008 by John

Hypocritical, Corrupt & Power Hungry Republican COWARD Watch

FYI, Kos did a main story on Earle Firing Back.  The replies were pretty valuable.

Lynne Cheney's "Sisters" published online-- excerpts and download by anna Haha.

Values? Scandal at Christian Coalition: messy divorce, tax fraud, insurance fraud by up2date I'd like to remind all readers of this column that last week Ralph Reed's name came up in a bit of scandal...

RNC Raunch: what they REALLY did in NYC by Plutonium Page

Ethics violations force a Republican in the NH state govt to resign his chair by nonverbalcoma

NH Speaker: Winger Rejected by realnrh A follow-up to the above diary.

Administration Hides Terra Report by Mike S

FL: GOP's Webster Struggles to Find Meaning of Democracy by norwood

The Truth About Bernard Kerik by DemWatch

Corrupt GOP watch from elsewhere in the blogosphere
Republican Nevada Controleer Kathy Augustine faces a state Senate impeachment trial in Nevada    

James Tobin, the man at the center of the 2002 New Hampshire phone-jamming scandal and New England regional head of BC04 has been indicted. There was a dKos diary on this, but it violated rules (no link) so the link is to TPM.  Josh Marshall has posted extensively on Tobin, so do a search at TPM if you want to know more.

FBI searches AIPAC offices again, and got subpoenas for grand jury appearances by four AIPAC staffers .

Bush Channels Stalin

Discredited Swift boat vet seeking conservative handouts... It sounds to me like this guy is swindling conservatives...

DeLay's troubles and that Indian gaming, er, shakedown, scandal.

Bernard Kerik once security chief for Saudi royal family's hospital system. Do the Saudi royal family connections with the GOP ever stop?

Bob Novak's ethics-free zone.

Deep Throat is male.  Ben Bradlee tells us it was a guy who helped bring down that Richard "I'm not a crook." Nixon.

Rudy Giuliani cashing in a chip for good old Kerik.

This Week's Middle Finger Goes to...
NBC's Brian "Tom Brokaw Replacement" Williams
because of what he said about bloggers. Dude, my dorm bathroom is the definition of ugly. I'd never spend extensive amounts of time blogging from there.  

Media Watch

Mr. President, will you answer the question? Dan Froomkin writes about what the White House press corps should do to get Bush to avoid tough questions.

Wow, Chris Matthews actually plays hardball with Rev. Jerry Falwell. Video at crooksandliars.com

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The Week's Best Hall of Fame
If someone's name shows up here, that person probably frequently posts diaries worth reading.  Sometimes these diaries make it to the recommended list, and sometimes they don't.  You may want to consider subscribing to the poster's diaries, because I will no longer be highlighting each diary on the weekly list to save space.  I got tired of  adding them on to the list, and then, taking them off b/c they got main-paged or on to the recommended list.  The only time I will still post their diaries is if it falls under the Corrupt GOP watch section.

Kagro X
Plutonium Page
Jeffrey Feldman & his Frameshop diaries
LiberalRakkasan

-----
Newsie's Blogosphere PSAs:

Not a blog, but many Democrats served. Many chickenhawks found.  In related news, the son of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has enlisted as a grunt in the airborne infantry.

Diplomats & Military Commanders for Change closes shop, but individuals will continue to speak out. Click here to read the concluding statement.

Humor of the Week: RNC Strip Club Blog If you missed this earlier this year, you've missed a lot.

Blog You Should Be Reading If You're Not Already: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com Josh Marshall has really been on a roll since the election.  I'd always made TPM a part of my daily reading, but for whatever reason, since the election, TPM has been much better IMHO.

Blog You May Want to Check Out: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/ Digby is a great writer, so check out Hullabaloo.

Another Blog You May Want to Check Out: CJRDaily. http://www.campaigndesk.com/ The Columbia Journalism Review has some great media critique and interviews with prominent journalists.

Video clips of pure fun: http://www.crooksandliars.com/ The site authors welcome any video clip requests that you may have.  Email: Crooksandliars@gmail.com

Spread the word: http://www.oliverwillis.com/branddemocrat

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The Personal Lives of Media Hacks Watch

Anderson Cooper: Gay or nay? I'm not sure what the answer is, but what am I supposed to make of the CNN transcript change? Atrios says  Cooper's gay.

John Tierney is one name in the mix for replacing William Safire.  Let's shout from the rooftops...Tierney is a reporter for the NYT, and he's apparently John Stossel-like. NYT even put him up for a Pulitzer.  Liberal bias? Searching...searching...nope, don't see it!  He also used to date Maureen Dowd, she of a staunch Republican family.  Someone find a photo of Tierney, and then, we can have fun manipulating photos of the two of them...what would their babies look like?   Without knowing what Tierney looks like, I'd wager major bucks a Dowd/Tierney kiddo would be much better looking than a Kagan/Limbaugh one.

Boston Globe reporter Nina Easton marries a GOP operative, Russell John Schriefer.

----
Big Feet Item for Just This Week
Vice President Dick Cheney's shoe size is 10EEE. Hmm..., well you know what they say about guys with big feet. Somewhere, Andrew Sullivan is smiling. (and if anyone can find that post of Sully's where he says that Cheney's sexier than Edwards, please share...)  

Although, TPM has a far more serious take on it.

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While there is no word yet on Craig's Blog, this development has the potential to focus the race on how candidates would modernize the Democratic Party to foster grassroots involvement. Craigslist is one of the most popular sites on the internet and is used by millions of people to connect with others and fullfill any imaginable need.

The hint of the endorsement came this morning after Simon Rosenberg posted a entry on the NDN blog announcing that he was exploring the idea of running for DNC Chair.

Somebody using the name Craig Newmark responded to the post with the following:

Hey, I'm all for this, please lemme know what I can do!

Craig

Posted by Craig Newmark at December 2, 2004 02:59 PM

Craig Newmark is a member of the New Democrat Netwoork and his support of NDN has been chronicled by stand-alone journalist Chris Nolan.

The comment was in response to the following post from NDN President Simon Rosenberg:

I thought you might like to see this article in Business Week about the race for Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (the link is here and an excerpt is attached below).

Today I am writing to you, as a valuable member of the NDN community, to let you know that I'm taking a serious look at the race and will make a decision whether to run in the coming weeks.

If I run, it will be to take the values, insights and success of our community to the national Party. The recognition my early possible candidacy has been getting in this and other national publications is a real testament to what we've built together at NDN.

Whether or not I end up running I hope you will join me in a very important mission. Together we must work hard to ensure that this coming race for Chair becomes a national debate about where Democrats are headed. Our new Chair must have a sharp, clear vision and strategy for building a 21st century Party, one capable of creating a better America and prepared to take the challenge of today's conservative movement and Republican Party head on.

For all the work we've done together these past few years in imagining, building, and investing in a more modern infrastructure, a better agenda, and a new generation of leaders, the task in front of Democrats now - ensuring a vibrant, modern, dynamic and effective Party in all regions of the country - is perhaps the most important challenge we face. Quite simply: it is impossible to imagine Democrats' revival without the DNC and the state and local Parties themselves leading the way.

If you have suggestions as I look into this important race feel free to email me at simonrosenberg@newdem.org. I will do my best to respond to ones requiring a response, and while I can't guarantee a prompt reply, please know that I will be reading and thinking carefully about all your ideas and suggestions.

Whatever I decide, I hope you will join me in ensuring that the debate over the future of our Party is a vigorous one - and a discussion in which the causes we have championed these past eight years are heard. Let us take this debate seriously, and help our Party find a better course.

The website lambasts the Senator's experience using modern technology in campaigns by providing a joke endorsement signature page and asking people to print it out, get it signed, and then mail it. Historians say this method of what we now call "netroots" action ceased to exist late in the 20th century.

The site goes on to attack the Senator's lack of vision for a modern Democratic Party. In an apparent attack on Carnahan supporters as the Anybody But Dean crowd, the site says she, "could bring new leadership" as a joke on the fact whoever wins will bring new leadership. The site goes on mock her by only listing "work ethic and extreme trustworthiness" as her personal leadership qualities. The "work ethic" line may also be a subtle dig at her lack of a leadership role amongst Senate Democrats.

Mocking Carnahan's electability the site says she should be elected because of, "her centralist views, her rural upbringing and the fact that she is from the nations [sic] center the Midwest."

The pictures on the site are hard hitting and the sketchy look and feel of the website advance the argument that Carnahan is unable to grasp the technological opportunities the internet provides Democrats.

I'm surprised to see the race for DNC get this negative this fast. But with Draft Howard mobilizing over 7,000 people, Simon Rosenberg making waves and Donnie Fowler listing his vision the Reform Democrats seem to now be moving from consolidating support to ensuring success.

If you're looking for a good laugh, check out the site at www.wewantcarnahan.4t.com.

In January, we need to be lying in the tall grass, prepared to strike at any opportunity and capture any advantage.  Snakes know how to defend territory and now is the time for us to fight like a COBRA. December is our month to:

Contribute strategically
Organize locally
Battle electronically
Reform nationally
Advance personally.

Contribute Strategically

If you want to give a holiday present to future generations, give to the Democratic causes that need money right now. We need to finish the last fight before we start pilling up money for 2006. Contribute strategically during the month of December:

A currently tied vote for one state house race in Montana will decide if newly Governor-elect Brian Schweitzer (D) will have a Democrat or Republican as Speaker of the House. If we win our legal case over the bizarre double-count votes or if we can stall in the courts until after January 3, then the next Speaker is a Democrat. The Montana Democratic Party needs the resources right now to win over the holidays. Contribute Strategically

Democrats are 42 votes from retaining the Washington State Governor's Mansion. There is a $750,000 fee for the next vote count. Additional legal fees and the cost of winning in the court of public opinion drives up the price further. This is our state and we need hold on during the holidays. Contribute Strategically

Organize Locally

We all need to do a better job of organizing locally if we ever hope to win nationally. Our message needs to extend into every conversation and we need to do better from the ground up, in every precinct, in every state. Democrats are not in a position to take anything for granted and we can't afford to give up anywhere. Being strong in 2006 starts with better organizing now:

Democracy for America is hosting meet-ups tonight where "many groups are starting to plan for 2005 by researching filing deadlines for local offices, recruiting and encouraging people to think about running, and planning ways to get more involved in the Democratic Party." Meetup tonight to Organize

Democracy for America has a great new tool to find out information about your local Democratic Party. They are making it as easy as possible to get involved in organizing at the grassroots level where you live. Find out when your local Democrat Party meets and organize the grassroots. Many of the meetings in December and January will also decide who be voting for our next Chair and why. Get Local and Organize

Battle Electronically

Republicans are acting like Bush has a mandate and we need to fight back, in real-time, every day. We need to stop bad ideas before they spread and force a fight on every issue. The internet provides us an opportunity to engage the Republicans relentlessly. If you know how to use a computer well enough to be reading this, then you have the skills necessary to battle the GOP online over the holidays:

The blogosphere's best minds have banded together around BlogPAC. If you believe in fighting hard online and want to join online battle, sign up to be a BlogPAC member. Send an email to your friends asking them to sign up and spread the word. BlogPAC needs a million email addresses by Bush's inauguration, so sign up and Battle Electronically

Continue the pressure to make sure every vote counts. Working in December as a (small 'd') democrat will strengthen us in January to fight as Democrats. Understand Actionable Fraud and do what you can to Help America Recount.

Monitor the online skirmishes and be prepared to respond rapidly when we need action. The CBS/NBC censorship scandal demonstrated that our opposition won't allow holiday cheer to stand in the way of oppression. The best practices from the Sinclair blockade are already being put to use. Support online battles you believe in and keep fighting.

Reform Nationally

The month of December will see much of the battle for control of the Democratic Party. It is vital that we elect reform leadership for the DNC and modernize our Democratic Party. All of the action is going on behind the scenes right now, we will only have a voice if we speak up immediately:

Pay attention to the race DNC Chair by reading Jerome Armstrong who is keeping us up-to-date: 11-30, 11-26, 11-24, 11-22, 11-22, 11-22, 11-18, 11-16, 11-15, 11-12.

Use the Draft Howard tools and the Phraxos phone list to contact your DNC representatives and demand fundamental reform to create a modern Party that will win. You can read Why I am a Reform Democrat or I am a Reform Democrat for ideas.

Demand candidates for DNC Chair list their vision before the election. I believe Donnie Fowler was the first candidate to announce candidacy and list a vision. Other candidates need to follow Fowler and let us know where they are coming from and what they would do if elected.

Advance Personally

December is also a great time to cozy up in front of the fireplace and reflect back upon the cycle with an eye towards learning to do better.

Read a George Lakoff book or read class notes from his Political Linguistics 290

Read what Kid Oakland thinks about being a Fighting Democrat.

Read classic posts like Matt Stoller's How to Leverage the Fact that Democrats are Right on Everything.

Understand Why Pat Toomey Lost.

Learn why Chris Bowers says we should reject the concept of electability and focuses on a 50 state strategy.

Hop on the Political Cluetrain.

Keep reading, keep learning, keep writing and remember the minority has to work harder and smarter every day...even during the month of December!

CBS, NBC refuse to air church's television advertisement

United Church of Christ
Barb Powell, press contact
(216) 736-2175
<powellb@ucc.org>
<http://www.ucc.org>

For immediate release
Nov. 30, 2004

CBS, NBC refuse to air church's television advertisement

United Church of Christ ad highlighting Jesus' extravagant welcome called
'too controversial'

CLEVELAND -- The CBS and NBC television networks are refusing to run a
30-second television ad from the United Church of Christ because its
all-inclusive welcome has been deemed "too controversial."

The ad, part of the denomination's new, broad identity campaign set to
begin airing nationwide on Dec. 1, states that -- like Jesus -- the United
Church of Christ (UCC) seeks to welcome all people, regardless of ability,
age, race, economic circumstance or sexual orientation.

According to a written explanation from CBS, the United Church of Christ is
being denied network access because its ad implies acceptance of gay and
lesbian couples -- among other minority constituencies -- and is,
therefore, too "controversial."

"Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other
minority groups by other individuals and organizations," reads an
explanation from CBS, "and the fact the Executive Branch has recently
proposed a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as a union between a
man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast on the [CBS and
UPN] networks."

Similarly, a rejection by NBC declared the spot "too controversial."

"It's ironic that after a political season awash in commercials based on
fear and deception by both parties seen on all the major networks, an ad
with a message of welcome and inclusion would be deemed too controversial,"
says the Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president.
"What's going on here?"

Negotiations between network officials and the church's representatives
broke down today (Nov. 30), the day before the ad campaign begins airing
nationwide on a combination of broadcast and cable networks. The ad has
been accepted and will air on a number of networks, including ABC Family,
AMC, BET, Discovery, Fox, Hallmark, History, Nick@Nite, TBS, TNT, Travel
and TV Land, among others.

The debut 30-second commercial features two muscle-bound "bouncers"
standing guard outside a symbolic, picturesque church and selecting which
persons are permitted to attend Sunday services. Written text interrupts
the scene, announcing, "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." A
narrator then proclaims the United Church of Christ's commitment to Jesus'
extravagant welcome: "No matter who you are, or where you are on life's
journey, you are welcome here." (The ad can be viewed online at
<www.stillspeaking.com>.)

In focus groups and test market research conducted before the campaign's
national rollout, the UCC found that many people throughout the country
feel alienated by churches. The television ad is geared toward those
persons who, for whatever reason, have not felt welcomed or comfortable in
a church.

"We find it disturbing that the networks in question seem to have no
problem exploiting gay persons through mindless comedies or titillating
dramas, but when it comes to a church's loving welcome of committed gay
couples, that's where they draw the line," says the Rev. Robert Chase,
director of the UCC's communication ministry.

CBS and NBC's refusal to air the ad "recalls the censorship of the 1950s
and 1960s, when television station WLBT in Jackson, Miss., refused to show
people of color on TV," says Ron Buford, coordinator for the United Church
of Christ identity campaign. Buford, of African-American heritage, says,
"In the 1960s, the issue was the mixing of the races. Today, the issue
appears to be sexual orientation. In both cases, it's about exclusion."

In 1959, the Rev. Everett C. Parker organized United Church of Christ
members to monitor the racist practices of WLBT. Like many southern
television stations at the time, WLBT had imposed a news blackout on the
growing civil rights movement, pulling the plug on then-attorney Thurgood
Marshall. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. implored the UCC to get involved
in the media civil rights issues. Parker, founding director of the Office
of Communication of the United Church of Christ, organized churches and won
in federal court a ruling that the airwaves are public, not private
property. That decision ultimately led to an increase in the number of
persons of color in television studios and newsrooms. The suit clearly
established that television and radio stations, as keepers of the public
airwaves, must broadcast in the public interest.

"The consolidation of TV network ownership into the hands of a few
executives today puts freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression
in jeopardy," says former FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani, currently
managing director of the UCC's Office of Communication. "By refusing to air
the United Church of Christ's paid commercial, CBS and NBC are stifling
religious expression. They are denying the communities they serve a
suitable access to differing ideas and expressions."

Adds Andrew Schwartzman, president and CEO of the not-for-profit Media
Access Project in Washington, D.C., "This is an abuse of the broadcasters'
duty to inform their viewers on issues of importance to the community.
After all, these stations don't mind carrying shocking, attention-getting
programming, because they do that every night."

The United Church of Christ's national offices -- located in Cleveland --
speak to, but not for, its nearly 6,000 congregations and 1.3 million
members. In the spirit of the denomination's rich tradition, UCC
congregations remain autonomous, but also strongly in covenant with each
other and with the denomination's regional and national bodies.

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