Olbermann Suspended?! The cable network MSNBC has, insanely, suspended its greatest star, Keith Olbermann, for making LEGAL contributions to three Congressional campaigns, in violation of "newsroom policies". Putting aside for the moment the question of whether Olbermann's show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, is a news show or a commentary program to which "newsroom" policies are irrelevant, there is a fundamental issue of a corporation's asserting the right to forbid its employees from exercising their political rights.
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So I sent the following message to MSNBC via feedback form this evening.

MSNBC does NOT have the right to take its employees' political rights away. You cannot forbid them to vote; you cannot forbid them to make legal contributions to campaigns. That is contrary to public policy of the most fundamental kind: preserving democracy. Keith Olbermann should SUE you for many millions of dollars, at least treble economic damages plus punitive damages for injury to his reputation. Any comparison to Rupert Murdoch, and thus accusation of hypocrisy by Olbermann, is absurd: Murdoch claims that he is impartial — that Fox News is "fair and balanced". Keith Olbermann never claimed to be impartial but has always been a partisan for the Liberal point of view. His fairness constitutes showing what people have themselves said, before responding. I will NEVER watch ANYTHING on or from MSNBC until Keith Olbermann is restored — with a public APOLOGY.

NO corporation has the right to interfere with people's political rights. If one corporation can do so, then ALL corporations can do so, and the great majority of Americans could be forbidden to vote or donate to political campaigns. MSNBC's outrageous, antidemocratic, and illegal behavior must be slapped down hard. Whoever made that decision — be it one fool or a whole boardroomful of fools — should be "suspended indefinitely, without pay". And Federal civil-rights authorities should PROSECUTE them for interfering with people's RIGHTS to vote and contribute to political campaigns. They should be sent to PRISON for a month or year, as a warning to all corporations that they may NOT, in law, deprive people of their political rights as a condition to employment.
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This is a very serious issue, and should be prosecuted by the Government.
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(The current U.S. military death toll in Iraq, according to the website "Iraq Coalition Casualties", is 4,427 — for Israel.)
- posted by L. Craig Schoonmaker @ 7:36 PM