STERN IN BIG BLAST AT BUSH [NYPOST]

[truthisfreedom]

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/19206.htm
STERN IN BIG BLAST AT BUSH

By JOHN MAINELLI HOWARD STERN
February 28, 2004

Besieged shock jock Howard Stern taunted his government critics yesterday by skipping his usual congressional and FCC attacks and tearing right into the top guy - President Bush.

Stern also said he fears his "suspension" last Wednesday by radio behemoth Clear Channel has turned into a firing.

"I might be taken off all the stations very soon, and my last words to you are 'G.W.B.,' " Stern told listeners yesterday.

"Get him out of office. I'm tellin' you, man, he's in dangerous territory a religious agenda and you gotta vote him out - anyone but Bush," Stern railed.
<snip>
"It doesn't sound like I'm going to be asked back," Stern said, after playing an ominous quote from Clear Channel's CEO's testimony to a congressional indecency panel Thursday:

"The Bubbas of the world and the Howard Sterns of the world are the exception rather than the rule, and they will no longer have a platform on our stations," said John Hogan, who fired Florida's even-rowdier "Bubba the Love Sponge" on the eve of the hearings.

Hogan told committee members he was "ashamed" of both shows.

[Voltaire99]

1. When we can't be indecent anymore...

...we can only be pure. Purity, as they knew in Salem, requires trees. And witches to hang from them.

The old American question is back with a vengeance: are we going to be primitivists or modernists? It ain't looking too good for modernism right now...

[izzie]

4. Well it get to the problem now. Who is going to say what we do.

Looks like it is going to be the Republicans. Looks interesting I must say, I grew up under Blue laws (you can live that way) and the churches were filled on Sunday,( people were the same they just turned up at church) and the whole ball of wax. Good luck as I can see my children and grandchild will be re-fighting every thing we tore open. It will be hard to get it all back into the box by the way. Also I can be firm on this, they were not the 'Good old days' even if the right wing nuts want to tell you they were. It also will not work but I am sure they will try and make even more a mess. Back to witch burning is right.

[Crachet2004]

21. The tide comes in and the tide goes out Izzie.

And sometimes it can't come in because it crashes on the rocks-the rocks would be us. They can beat you if they can isolate you, at least psychologically. Kind of hard to do these days with the web, you know? Hard to burn a witch, if a hundred thousand other witches find out and show up! We'll see who gets burned.

And you are right, they want to tell us what to do. That is why they have been losing the culture war for a generation now. It's all about freedom. We have been winning and as long as we have the Constitution, that isn't going to change.

That is why the other side keeps trying to change the Constitution! And how long will it be before that blows up in their face? Not long, I suspect.

[alfredo]

42. Remember, the Dominionist want to bring back slavery.

and other biblical stuff.

[Zhade]

55. Now those are some freaky people. Downright evil plans, if you ask me.

NT!

[LiberalFighter]

63. Do you think that businesses..

would be against some of those Blue laws?

Do you think sport fans..
would be against some of those Blue laws?

[LiberalFighter]

39. Who will define purity?

[fearnobush]

2. Wow, Stern's a national hero to the non voting public.

His listeners love him. He could much damage to the BFEE. One thing I do agree with him on is:

Get him out of office. I'm tellin' you, man, he's in dangerous territory a religious agenda and you gotta vote him out - anyone but Bush," Stern railed.

Its a scary religious agenda. Christ would definately NOT approve. Could Bush be the Anti-Christ?

[pinniped]

3. The Final Conflict Part Deux.

Could Bush be the Anti-Christ?

[cprise]

5. A part of me is thinking this should be a Frank Zappa moment

And I'm sorry, he just doesn't cut it.

Stern isn't even in the same class and I won't be counting on him to make a lasting impression on the public.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

10. If you believe defending free speech is not worth the effort...

...why even participate in this thread?

Why participate in ANY thread concerning free speech?

Stern has a much bigger impact on the public than most people will ever know.

[Design8edGrouch]

12. You are so right

This is so much bigger than the raunchiness of Stern or the Bubba from Florida. Censorship on lewd talk always skips hand in hand with censorship on political speech. How far will this kind of censorship have to go before it becomes a crime to work for the election of a progressive?

[LiberalFighter]

40. It is just a reason to censor more.

Where will it stop?

[cprise]

49. First off, Stern is only interested in "Me"

Second, he's half as intelligent and not a bit as eloquent as Zappa.

I'll support him, but he's not good enough to be the focal point for a media-reform movement.

[Zhade]

56. Right on! You said it, brother.

We must defend even those we despise from tyranny, or we all lose.

[Tuttle]

13. Zappa never had to deal with anything as evil as W

so that is not a fair comparison. Nixon comes nowhere near the dripping sinisterism of the Bush clan.

Tut-tut

[cprise]

50. No, only Vietnam and the draft...

:eyes:

[thingfish]

65. Because there's no way to delay that trouble comin' every day.

Zappa Zindabad!!!

[sendero]

62. I hate to tell you..

... but Stern has 100 times the audience and probably as loyal a following as Zappa ever did.

Don't get me wrong, I love Frank and he's said a lot of great true things over the years, but only a relative handful of people heard him and even fewer understood him.

[gold_bug]

6. wow- some strong words from Stern

against BushCO and the rightwing agenda.

-kick-

[Manix]

7. ..corporate "terrorism" on the march.....more to come.

nt

[nolabels]

8. Clear channel and Hogan "ashamed" of both :-(

I never dreamed such s self rightous sum of b could ever put me on Howards side, but freedom of speech is much more important any thing else. F U klear

[Media_Lies_Daily]

11. They're the same people that also tried to shut up the Dixie Chicks.

[dbt]

18. While CC was trying to shut up the Dixie Chicks

They were also promoting their concerts!!! Nothing like a little controversy to stimulate ticket sales, eh?

:evilgrin:
dbt
Solidarity With Stern.

[NeoConsSuck]

44. It has absolutely nothing to do with controversy..

money is their God, placed higher than their principles. So they will promote their concerts.

[roguevalley]

60. Howard Stern is a skank but this sucks. Even my 72 year old mom and

76 year old dad are angry over this action.

[joeunderdog]

46. #4 top earniers in 2003. I wish someone would "bury" me like that.

The only place the RW is as popular as they think they are is on Diebold machines.

[Athame]

25. The irony is killing me

to find myself siding with Howard Stern and Larry Flynt is almost too much to bear, but Patrick Henry was right.

On edit, whoops! not Voltaire, either. http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20030331.html

[starroute]

37. Clear Channel-Bush connection

The vice-chairman of Clear Channel is Tom Hicks. He has held that position since 1999, when Clear Channel bought out a radio chain owned by Hicks and his brother.

It was also Tom Hicks who paid a highly inflated $15 million in 1998 for George Bush's share of the Texas Rangers.

Before that, in 1996, Bush had appointed Hicks as the first chairman of the University of Texas Investment Management Corporation. Hicks had lobbyed intensively for the creation of UTIMCO, and he used his position there to invest the University's money in ways that would benefit Republicans and the Bush family (eg, The Carlyle Group.) Hicks' own investment firm has also been a major Bush contributor.


http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/03/04/18_clear.html
http://www.utwatch.org/utimco/hicks.html
http://www.utwatch.org/utimco/

So this Stern business is not exactly a coincidence.

[nolabels]

69. Now that's doing the homework, thanks for posting that

I wondered what heck happened to all the radio stations, this brings me one more reason to be very angry. My ears will never be the same. Now does anybody else wonder why media monopolies are a bad idea?

[JCMach1]

9. I am putting together a little activism for Howard on my Website

Check thesyndrome.com later today.

[seventhson]

14. Great Site JCMach1

a little slow for my computer. But great work.

The Haiti story is particularly disturbing. Like Venezuela but the popel do not have the means to rpotect themselves.

A Haitian friend said it is all Bush. Where, he said, could people get guns. It HAS to be Bush, he says.

I asked him what there IS in Haiti to want to steal.

Nothing, he says.

We fought in the US revolution for you guys. We had our own revolution based on your struggle in the 1780's, he says. We were the first Black independent state. Why is the US killing us?

Then I read: it's all about slave labor and the sweatshops.

A democracy demands reasonable working conditions. A military dictatorship does not.

Sorry - tangent here. This is a Howard stern thread , but Mach's site and articles got me going.

Go there and read the Howard Stern article as well as the Hait article and ponder my words.

we know so little and need to know so much if we are to defeat the BFEE.

If Bush wins - you can bet this website will be closed down *DU) and many of us will be in a Guantanamo). One DUer was already picked up by the secret service and interrogated (John Buchanan) on a flight because he challenged Bush.

He is not alone

[Zhade]

59. WHAT?

One DUer was already picked up by the secret service and interrogated (John Buchanan) on a flight because he challenged Bush.

I never heard this. Wow.

[JCMach1]

66. Not shut down... I would move it offshore...

I currently live in the UAE

[Zhade]

58. I signed your petition and mentioned it on my blog.

Hope you get some more signatures. Clear Channel is downright Stalinesque.

[ixion]

15. woohoo! go Howard

I listened to him for awhile when I was living in Miami. I think alot of his bits were childish, but I have more respect for the man than the show.

Stern has always been about celebrating Freedom of Speech, if he hasn't been entirely policitcal about it. I was really upset when he mentioned that he was a repug. It's good he's seen the error of his ways, and has seen the neocons for what they are.

He is a good ally for us, IMO.

Finally, Howard gets the wake up call. That rocks. He has alot of listeners and will really help us get the word out: ABB.

[sonias]

16. Well now that he attacked the shrub he is fired

No way "clean channel" is going to keep him now. I'm sure the new standard is the pro-bush mantra or your out. Everything else is impure.

Non Sequitur comic has been doing a parody take on Clear Channel for a while, calling them "clean channel". It was uncanny about the timing.

He was doing it long before Howard got sacked. Unfortunately I think the real good comics on the radio theme were back in January
http://www.ucomics.com/nonsequitur/

Sonia

[gristy]

32. Stern doesn't work for CC

He works for Infinity/Viacom. He's just syndicated on some CC stations (6 out of 46). Apparently Stern said on Friday that Viacom might fire him, but I don't think so. I think he's just speculating on that for more coverage and/or sympathy.

[UpInArms]

17. a little reminder here about

censorship

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010926-5.html

MR. FLEISCHER: I'm aware of the press reports about what he said. I have not seen the actual transcript of the show itself. But assuming the press reports are right, it's a terrible thing to say, and it unfortunate. And that's why -- there was an earlier question about has the President said anything to people in his own party - - they're reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do. This is not a time for remarks like that; there never is.

[seventhson]

19. Please check out this thread. We have a GREAT opportunity here.

Carpe Diem!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1174022

A politicized Howard Stern would be an absolute Terror to the BFEE!

And a Godsend for those who oppose Bush.

We need to use this opportunity to broaden the minds of the masses to VOTE and defeat Bush.

[lowreed]

31. The King of all Media vs. King George!

It is a nice little dust up.

[calimary]

67. Welcome to DU, lowreed!

Yes, I can certainly understand the conflicts over Howard. I'm not a listener of his. But as the late Alan Cranston once said "I know how to count votes." He has a potential pool of 17 million people on the other end of his microphone. Love him or hate him, he's a titan, and he's got HUGE clout with the NON-choir people to whom WE should be preaching but have no way to reach, and no influence. HE speaks to them every day. They love Howard and they take in everything he says. He speaks, at least to them, with great credibility. Face it - an ally is an ally.

I think seventhson makes a good point. YES, he's crass. YES, he's crude. People say he's funny. I've never cared to listen to him long enough to judge for myself, really, although a very good friend of mind listened religiously and almost burned incense to the guy. I say we welcome him in from the dark side, and use his influence for the GREATER good: ridding our country of the rats that have brought us the bush plague. Howard's a GREAT ally.

[Robb]

20. If there was ever any doubt about Stern's brains,

this lays it to rest. Stern's no dummy.

NOW if anyone else yanks him, he can point to his comments about the president*, and tell the world he was silenced for political views.

Bright, bright guy. He won't get yanked.

[DennisReveni]

22. Whitman

Whitman pointed out, on Real Time, that Stern got her elected. Mainly because her people were the only ones to contact his people.
I think she was really torn between supporting Howard and Bush.
Also, if you look at one of the quick camera shots, I think it was right after Gandalf's statement about Rios, she is trying very hard to contain her laugh.

[ramapo]

24. About time he woke up....

Stern buddied up with many a Republican.

Whitman of NJ, he did us no favors there. D'Amato, former NY Senator, certainly no friend of progressives.

[BlueEyedSon]

23. My Letter to Howie

Subject: New meme: the "Christian Taliban"

They didn't like Janet's tit.
They don't like gays.
They are working criminalizing abortion.
They want to take science out of public schools and replace it with
prayer.
They love George Bush.
They want to shove their religious crap down all our throats.
Now they are after you, Howard!

We must not let them destroy America.
FUCK THE CHRISTIAN TALIBAN!

Regards

[underpants]

26. Bubba the Love Sponge??????? anyone know about this guy?

Since this story first broke I have not been able to get that name out of my head. Is this a perverted take off on Spongebob Squarepants?

I think I can imagine the locker room "humor" on that show.

[peekaloo]

28. I think he predates SpongeBob

exhibit A: "Claim to Fame: Arrested for animal cruelty after airing a "roadkill barbecue" featuring the slaughter of a pig. He was eventually acquitted."

Popular in the Tampa area with the "rawk" crowd.

[underpants]

29. Yeah I figured he was that type

Looks like a real slimeball.

[modrepub]

27. coincidence

Stern has been doing this type of stuff for years. Why all the hoopla now? He has hinted a couple of times that all his trouble started when Jackson's boob came out. But his troubles also started when he started openly slamming *. I wouldn't mind him going to satellite radio so I could actually hear everything that's censured out. Remember, you can't legislate morality or intelligence.

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

30. What a hypocrite! Stern was blowing Bush the past two years...

Stern only whines when it's personal or suits him. He's been bashing liberals and anti-Bush folks for the past two years. He was a MEGA HAWK on the Iraq Invasion, and he's advocated "killing all the Arabs" indiscriminately.

Sorry to see free speech die in a piecemeal fashion, but with Stern all I can say is "you reap what you sow."

It's funny how Stern and Limbaugh rail on the ACLU and other liberal activist groups, but when they're in a pinch they certainly clam up about their previous opposition.

JB

[Cooley Hurd]

33. If someone has an epiphany, we should welcome them...

...to the fold, not criticize them and call them a hypocrite.

Stern seems very genuine about his change-of-heart. I, for one, welcome him to the ABB movement. He has millions of listeners and wields a great deal of influence over them. If he tells them to register to vote and cast their ballot against Bush (and, hopefully, for the Dem candidate), then you can believe they'll do it.

[teryang]

34. Exactly!

Stern knows his market and has pandered to it ever since I can remember. His promotions of Swanzenegger immediately before the recall also come to mind. Anything for a buck. He understands mass marketing.

His program was always degrading and in bad taste. But it sold. Now Clear Channel gets religion? How big is the fine?

[henslee]

38. Amen,amen, amen.... He couldn't shut up about how great Bush was.

I suspect that "a dee-jay scorned is a formidable opponent". I don't care how Stern got to this point but i am glad he did. Not to defend Stern, but I suspect with with his shcedule and lifestyle, he spends much of it in a celebrity type vacuum. It wasn't until he got bit on the nose that he woke up...

[calimary]

68. Hey, he's not the only one.

If you've read around the DU threads, or kept your ears open just generally, you'll hear it around you. People who used to like bush and voted for him now are out of work, or realize their loved one is in HUGE and needless danger in Iraq, or they're elderly and suddenly see they're being screwed on Medicare and prescription drugs. It's only WHEN IT HITS THEM that it has any meaning. If Howard had to take a hit, personally, to gain his own epiphany, so be it. I can be as Machiavellian as the next guy. The end - Howard dissing bush - WAY justifies the means.

[daveskilt]

64. and I hope he inspires many more of his listners to be hypocrits

and vote ABB. Let's face it his core audience are not the brightest buttons in the sky are they? If howard tells them that bush is good they believe because howard gets chicks. If howard says dont vote bush - they wont vote bush. well maybe they will for beavis and butthead type reasons...so THATs how he got votes last time.


Nascar fans - 75% brand acceptance of driver sponsored products, more gullible than anyone since neville chamerlain.

[Shakespeare]

35. I never, EVER thought I'd be in agreement with Stern on anything.

Much less cheering for his continued success. :crazy:

[Octafish]

36. Fire LIMBAUGH!

The gas bag's afraid he's next. Make it so.

But, no. They don't fire racist NAZI scum.

[twilight]

41. blow your horn Howard

You got a big mouth anyway so bark loud while you are still being heard! :evilgrin:

:dem: :kick:

[wryter2000]

43. Like I'm going to listen to you, Howard

Kiss *'s butt until he does something that hurts you, huh? You can take your outrage and put it where the sun don't shine.

[JCMach1]

45. SIGN THE SAVE HOWARD STERN PETITION

http://www.thesyndrome.com/

[Lindacooks]

48. Thanks, done!

eom

[Skittles]

47. I find Michael Savage far more offensive than Howard Stern

will Savage be fired too?

[JoFerret]

53. Replace all of them

Must say I can't find much energy to fight for Stern. Free speech is worth fighting for always but surely there are other areas to focus on that are not so tiresomely offensive. After all - Stern is still able to speak - right? just not on major airwaves. So many other voices are silenced by not having the opportunity in the first place. What i would like to see is real diversity on the radio -more contrarian views. And yes - i do understand the Voltairian arguments and agree with them. however - what is aired is so narrow in the first place. One fewer loudmouth vulgarian would be ideal if it were to be replaced with something truly contoversial - such as a democratic point of view.

[JoFerret]

51. So - who gave Stern and his ilk

the radio soapbox in the first place?

[Alpharetta]

52. Any chance he'd take a time slot on the liberal network?

Any chance the liberal network would give his show a timeslot?

[rocktivity]

57. He's already GOT a network

And if he hasn't run his fans off so far, think of what he could do in terms of "educating" them about the Bush Regime twenty hours a week. He wouldn't have to call anyone names or make genalizations--there's already enough stuff for "Bush Lie of the Day" right up until November 11!

:headbang:
rocknation

[Piperay]

54. So how come if he is so ashamed

he let Howard spout all of his racist, sexist crap for so long?? Why is it now so bad when it wasn't before?? No need to answer I'm just being retorical, I KNOW why.

[jeanmarc]

61. Is it too late to start calling Dimson Pig Vomit or Pig Virus? [nt]

[cosmicdot]

70. Kerry backs Clear Channel

Kerry: Stations Have Right to Pull Stern

February 28, 2004 09:59 PM EST


NEW YORK - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said radio stations are within their right to pull Howard Stern off the air if they object to the shock jock's racy show.

"Howard Stern does have the right to say whatever he wants anywhere, but he doesn't necessarily have the right to say it on that station if the people who run the station don't want him to," Kerry said while campaigning in New York, where Stern's show is broadcast.

~snip~

Kerry said he disagrees that Stern faces repression.

"If you are working for somebody and they have a set of rules, that's the deal," Kerry said. "And it doesn't mean he can't go out and say it somewhere if somebody else wants to have him say that."

~snip~

http://start.earthlink.net/newsarticle?cat=9&aid=D810LB300_story

Personally, I think the Senator is missing the mark at what's going on with the Stern situation ... his remarks follow the BushCheneycorporate line and script.

I think the issue is corporate power vs. the individual and democratic principles, an issue which pretty much determines our country's course and future ... Stern has been consistent in his work, and his reputation is well-known ... to allow corporate america to put restrictions on the arts and artists is not the right precedent ... Clear Channel has already proved its desire to censor when after 911 they restricted some songs from air play. There's something very scary about this.

It's disappointing to me that Sen. Kerry backs the corporation and that, as an entity, has over-riding rights to those given us in the Constitution. I've legally fought corporate power ... and, I suppose, that helped to forge my perspective. I'm no big fan of Howard, but it's time to stand up to corporate power and re-establish We the People, and firm up employee rights as basic to our system.

I suspect that Howard Stern is a 'contracted' employee, and not under any right-to-work laws. That might may make a legal distinction on his behalf (although I don't think we should have class employee status over another one, contracted vs. salaried; nor special rights for executives and CEOs).

[mikehiggins]

71. How hard would it have been for Kerry to keep his mouth shut?

How about that old chestnut "I disagree with what you say but I'll fight to the death for your right to say it"?

Is there someone on Earth who doesn't understand that the only reason Stern (a man I listen too only slightly less than the chimp himself) is having problems is because of Janet Jackson's nipple jewelry? Clear Channel is throwing him to the wolves because they fear regulatory interference with their bottom line.

It isn't much of a reach to connect the dots. If you allow speech we do not care for, we will shut you down. Since, in this case, it does constitute government interference, and that "chilling effect" civil libertarians love to chatter about, this has to be a free speech issue.

How come Kerry can "nuance" his position on the Iraq war but not his position on Clear Channel and Howard Stern?

[nolabels]

72. Lawyer-ease, what would you have expected

Anybody that spent anytime watching the fish bowl that sits on the banks of the Potomac knows the final arbitrator is SCOTUS, unless the people get up, stand up and tell them its going to be different, like say an amendment.

I would rise up and support a few, but remember the words as that other John sang them

http://www.lyrics007.com/John%20Lennon%20Lyrics/Revolution%20Lyrics.html
(snip)
You say you've got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We are doing what we can
But if you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell is, brother, you'll have to wait

Don't you know it's gonna be
Alright?
Alright?
Alright?

You say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You'd better free your mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow

Don't you know it's gonna be
Alright?
Alright?
Alright?
Alright?
Alright?
Alright?
(snip)

I am still wondering many things, but what freedom of speech is, is not one of them.

[cosmicdot]

73. legal-ese is right

anyone (me, for one) who has had to navigate a case through one's own lawyers know what you're saying (at times, it was difficult to know, aside from perhaps knowing all the settlement facts and details - just enough, who side they were on; as things go along, the language used when addressing the client (me) becomes more ... blurred, for one thing)

I liked both posts above.

[nolabels]

74. That post about the tongue got me wondering

But then thinking about it, if the lips are sealed, it can't get out :evilgrin:

[cosmicdot]

77. edit

"aside from perhaps not knowing all the settlement facts"

[Barkley]

75. Clear Channel dropped the Dixie Chicks after they dissed Bush too

"Dixie Chicks axed by Clear Channel"
http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2003/03/17/daily14.html

[spanone]

76. I bet he wasn't so ashamed that he sent back the advertising checks