I consider myself a reasonable person. I do not subscribe to any of the many conspiracy theories designed to strike fear in the hearts of patriotic Americans. I have studied world history and American history and am a paid political commentator with my own daily talk radio program. And the news this week that my colleague Dr. Michael Savage has been banned from Great Britain sent a shudder down my spine.
While Michael joins the likes of the Honorable Geert Wilders, Dutch parliamentarian, he is also on the list with racists, murderers and radical Islamic terrorists. Oh, excuse me, "man caused disasters" of the Islamic variety. How did we get to this point? How did two great Western civilizations, the U.K. and the U.S., find themselves challenging John Locke's ideals and the U.S. Constitution?
On May 5, 2009, United Kingdom Home Secretary Jacqui Smith released a list that includes a ban on conservative American talk host Michael Savage entering her country. Today, May 7, 2009, at 10 a.m., thanks to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, an Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age will convene to begin to dismantle conservative talk radio. Its sole purpose is to control programming content, a backdoor fairness doctrine. So, May 2009 will go down in history as the month free speech died. Unless we take a stand.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits the United States Congress from making laws "respecting an establishment of religion" or that prohibit the free exercise of religion, infringe the freedom of speech, infringe the freedom of the press, limit the right to peaceably assemble, or limit the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The First Amendment, if not dead, is certainly taking a beating. We cannot call ourselves a Judeo-Christian nation; we cannot speak without fear of national or even international censure and sanction; the Fourth Estate has become the president's cheerleaders rather than inquisitors; and when half a million patriots gather together in mock "American Tea Parties," they are ignored and marginalized by the very government they are attempting to petition for a redress of their grievances. Again, how did we get to this point? And what do we do now?
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Michael Savage is making his stand. He stands alone on the wall. He has fought these battles before, on the air, in the courts and in the court of public opinion. I say every patriot needs to join him on the wall this time. These are the times that separate the men from the boys and the women from the boys as well, when the Patrick Henrys and Molly Pitchers need to get off their butts and up on the wall.
There is a great scene at the end of Stanley Kubrick's movie "Spartacus" when the Roman Legion asks the revolting slaves to turn over their leader or his body. One by one the gladiators rise to their feet and say: "I AM SPARTACUS." They stood side by side and refused to hand him over to the tyrannical oppressors.
The time has come for us to stand up to Great Britain, stand up to the mainstream media, stand up to the FCC and stand up to President Obama and the Congress. Without the First Amendment, you can kiss the Second Amendment goodbye. And without your gun, you can just tear up the Bill of Rights. All I know is: not on my watch, not in my country.
So today I ask you to stand up with me, shoulder to shoulder and proclaim loudly:
I AM SAVAGE !
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Joyce Kaufman is a radio talk-show host at Florida's 850 WFTL. She is also part of the effort by leading radio talkers to battle free-speech restrictions at donttouchmydial.com.