Radio, multi-media corporate giant Clear Channel is organising supposedly grass-roots pro-War rallies. Ken Fisher, one of Ars Technica's founders is so disturbed by the trend that he's presented a detailed response on the home page of this well-know hardware review site.
www.arstechnica.com
Conservative apologists for Clear Concept argue that a company's decision to fund protest rallies is merely an extension of its Constitutional Freedom of Speech. This makes perfect sense within the prevailing legal defintion of "Freedom of Speech" in the US, by which the investment of hundreds-of-millions of dollars in 'issues-based' advertising by lobbyists and business groups is deemed to be "free speech." Individuals are permitted their quotient of free-speech, while corporations receive their own correspondingly larger portion.
Clear Channel is the largest owner of radio stations in the States. It's Chairman purchased the Texas Rangers from George Bush Jr. and "made him a millionaire." Clear Channel is currently lobbying congress for further de-regulation of the radio industry.
For those people who might think this sort of egregious hypocrisy could only happen in America, I would suggest that the Irish Republic's present violation of it's Constitutional neutraliity by providing air transport services at Shannon Airport for US Troops in response to pressure from the Bush Administration is another worrying erosion of political integrity on this side of the water. I don't doubt but that members in the UK could contribute similar examples.
In any case, this sort of arrogant mendacity deserves notice.
www.arstechnica.com
Conservative apologists for Clear Concept argue that a company's decision to fund protest rallies is merely an extension of its Constitutional Freedom of Speech. This makes perfect sense within the prevailing legal defintion of "Freedom of Speech" in the US, by which the investment of hundreds-of-millions of dollars in 'issues-based' advertising by lobbyists and business groups is deemed to be "free speech." Individuals are permitted their quotient of free-speech, while corporations receive their own correspondingly larger portion.
Clear Channel is the largest owner of radio stations in the States. It's Chairman purchased the Texas Rangers from George Bush Jr. and "made him a millionaire." Clear Channel is currently lobbying congress for further de-regulation of the radio industry.
For those people who might think this sort of egregious hypocrisy could only happen in America, I would suggest that the Irish Republic's present violation of it's Constitutional neutraliity by providing air transport services at Shannon Airport for US Troops in response to pressure from the Bush Administration is another worrying erosion of political integrity on this side of the water. I don't doubt but that members in the UK could contribute similar examples.
In any case, this sort of arrogant mendacity deserves notice.