Czar, Czar or Commissar?

TLF is reporting that Mark Lloyd, identified by the Fringe media, and focused on by Glenn Beck, as a "Diversity Czar" at the FCC accompanied by horrifying video of him celebrating the takeover of the what was once the Free Media in Venezuela by now dictator Hugo Chavez....is, apparently...not exactly a "czar".

I'm not sure that makes a hell of a lot of difference given the makeup of the FCC under Obama, and the community organizations that are demanding "net neutrality" and government regulation all under the name of "freedom"...

Lloyd’s critics argue that these [his] views are extraordinary, putting him hopelessly out of the mainstream of debate. But again they are wrong. But the real problem is not that Lloyd’s views are extraordinary. It is that they are far too ordinary in some political circles. The 2007 talk radio report, for instance, was not a random screed – in fact it had seven authors and was jointly published by the Center for American Progress and the advocacy group Free Press. The fact is that there is significant political support to control the content of speech, especially conservative speech.

Chairman Genachowski, asked about Lloyd’s appointment, asserted that Lloyd would have no role in broadcast licensing issues. He also maintained that he did not support speech controls, stating his opposition to the Fairness Doctrine by the front door or the back. “I believe deeply in the First Amendment, he added, “and oppose any effort to censor or impose speech on the basis of political viewpoint or opinion.”

That’s good news. But it would be more reassuring if he specifically rejected the ideas in the Lloyd paper. And if other policymakers – some of which are on record as supporting the Fairness Doctrine itself – did so too.

No, there is no “speech czar” at the FCC. But that doesn’t mean there is no threat to speech. There is a very real threat. As the adage says, just because you are paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.

You said a mouthful there, friend.

The (Paranoid) Gunslinger
Enemy of the Imperial State