NPR & Federal Funding

So, what do we know? Well, we know for certain that Ron Schiller is an idiot, at least as big an idiot as the teabaggers and other right wing repubs he accuses, with some justification, of being radical racists. Whatever Schiller believes, and however true or false are his beliefs, he demonstrated that he did not deserve being in a position of authority at NPR. “Loose lips sink ships”, it was once said, and it as true now as it was in WW II. NPR is a national treasure, but a treasure under attack by the right wing. The right wing does not need more ammunition. It is enough for them that the only “Fair and Balanced” news program on our airwaves is NPR. The right wing specializes in media control. The Faux News Network is their idea of balance—i.e., to the right of Attila the Hun. So, Schiller handed them a gift. I guess he thought nobody was listening—he was talking “to the choir” so to speak. But, as in WW II, the enemy is always listening, and we need to be clear—the right wing in this country is the enemy of true American values. They value only corporate money and its ideologues. Rupert, the Cocks and others of their ilk now run the right wing of this nation, mainly the republican party. They will stop at nothing to destroy a balanced approach to any subject.
So, maybe we don’t need federal money. Perhaps the right wing is correct. If Rupert Murdoch doesn’t need and can’t get federal tax dollars, perhaps NPR should not get such funds either. Maybe this is a test. Sometimes bad things happen for good reasons. Perhaps this one of those times. If NPR is as good as we think it is, and as valuable to the American people, perhaps we should put our money where our mouths are. Maybe this is a time for the American people who listen but never contribute, to step up to the plate and pay for what they value. Maybe it is time to end federal support for NPR and PBS. The extreme right wing has its Glenn Becks and the other acting stooges of the Faux News Network. The rest of the country—the great middle—needs its daily fix of real news, and reporters who actually think for a living. I am firmly convinced that Americans will pay for real value, and that NPR provides real value. It is a quintessentially American institution—thoughtful, quiet, fair. We need NPR. The goons on the right want to kill it. But ending federal funding is their only vehicle. We cannot, must not let them succeed.
We need to stand up and pay for what we value.
We all need to denounce the enemies of NPR . . . BY PAYING OUR FAIR SHARE.
If you believe in the concept of NPR, send them a check.

Oh, and one more thing. Maybe we need to do the opposite of what the right wing is yelling about. Maybe we need to rethink the corporate advertisers who support the extreme right wing, via Rupert's PR outlets. Perhaps we can live without the products being advertised on the Faux News Network.