Note to Fox News: America - Love It or Leave It! - Jackson Merritt - MediaBizBloggers

When I was protesting the Vietnam War in 1968 it was suggested more than once that if I didn39t love America amp8211 and its policies amp8211 I should leave Many young Americans didamp8230 not because they didn39t love America but because they didn39t agree with its policies and mostly to avoid the draft and the warAt the time I couldn39t comprehend the idea that Americans could not embrace debate and disagreement It was just plain counterintuitive that a country founded on the principle of freedom of speech could reject debate on an issue as fundamental as the loss of ones own lifeToday I understand where the prowar advocates were coming from in the 1960s I simply can39t accept the fundamentalist approach by the Republican Party to health care and the public option Their refusal to listen to understand to discuss to embrace the majority will is unacceptable We live in a Democratic amp8211 with a capital D amp8211 nation today I admire the administrations39 symbolic attacks on Fox News as an extension of the Republican Party If you watch Fox News their argument implicitly suggests you are watching mouthpieces for the Republican Party And if Fox News cannot offer a balanced perspective then they are part of the opposition and not deserving of the President39s support in any way Fox has proudly engaged in antiadministration lobbying organized antiadministration rallies raised funds for antiadministration initiatives and even admitted to an agenda dedicated to bringing down the President This strikes me as no less AntiAmerican in fact more antiAmerican than the antiwar protests of the 1960s The difference is that Fox purports to be a news organization owned by a parent company that operates television stations licensed by the federal government With those licenses comes a responsibility to act in the public interest Fox is the voice of a minority and is acting against the interests of the majority and a duly elected President and CongressFox News is attacking our nation39s best interests from the inside like an insidious virus amp8211 one that serves only to reinforce the fear of our enemies their hatred toward us and their commitment to continue fighting against us The voice of Fox News I expect is the propaganda tool that is most effective in recruiting new members to Taliban and Al QaedaIt must be a Sophie39s Choice for the fundamentalist American right whether to focus now on health care or Afghanistan The battle against Islam is core to the religious right in America It is no accident that the President39s decisions on Afghanistan are being made parallel to Congress39 debate on health care If we get a public option President Obama expands the war If we fail to get a public option our soldiers will be brought home One or the other Republicans If we fail to win the public option AND we expand the war then Democrats can forget retaining a Congressional majority in the 2010 electionsThis is the time for Democrats to flex their muscles Only 20 of Americans admit to being Republicans and that percentage is steadily shrinking as the party continues to be the party of quotnoquot There is no place in America today for a political policy that simply refuses to discuss debate and ultimately compromise If those who support these Republican policies refuse to accept the concept of majority rule if they cannot love an America that embraces the needy if they cannot live in a society that rejects their myopia and selfishnessamp8230 then perhaps they should leave AmericaOf course there is no place they can go At least in the 1960s Canada England France and Australia seemed like reasonable options to the antiwar crowd Where would a Republican go where they might find a more agreeable political environment The only foreign countries that come immediately to mind are South Carolina Texas and Alaska This raises an interesting issue of states rights which is ultimately where our sociopolitical debates are heading In ten years we39re likely to have two countries in America Every major social issue we face today will be defined by states amp8211 and those who cannot accept the rule of the state they live in will need to leave and move to states with laws that are more consistent with their parochial views Red States Blue States and neutral White States If I lived in South Carolina right now or in Michelle Bachman39s district in Minnesota I39d want to move Fundamentalists who live in New York California or Massachusetts should consider moving to South Carolina and stop insisting on imposing their rigid minority rejectionary politics on the majority of their neighbors who favor a public health care optionJackson Merritt has been writing about culture and counterculture for nearly four decades Jackson has been an outspoken advocate in Washington for increased media commitment to children39s educational programming and for an improved media content ratings system Jackson can be contacted at jacksonmerrittymailcomRead all 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Note to Fox News: America - Love It or Leave It! - Jackson Merritt - MediaBizBloggers

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