Absolutely no law will be boken by Sinclair's airing of "Stolen Honor". No one is being forced to watch what Sinclair (and now, a growing number of non-affilliated stations) will broadcast during the Oct 21-24 prime-time viewing hours, or at any other time, just as no one is forced to watch F-9/11 or Spongebob Squarepants or The Home Shopping Network. The official position of the FCC in this matter is that it is
not an FCC issue.
The second regulatory avenue of attempted free-speech repression pursued by The Democrats, that the broadcast would constitute an illegal gift to the Republican candidate, will get similarly short shrift in that A) no transfer of tangible assets will occur, B) the film is neither sponsored nor endorsed by either of the candidates or their campaigns, and C) the film does not address, pro or con, the campaign of either candidate. Just as there is no basis on which the FCC might act, there is no basis on which the FEC might act.
The third avenue of attempted free-speech repression being employed by The Democrats, the harrassment and threats of boycott against stations and advertisers offers not only at best limited and localized success if even that, but demonstrates a clear contempt for the very principle of free speech. The way free speech works, despite The Democrats' perception, is that one may say what one wishes to say, just as one may choose whether to listen to what others say. By their protestations, all The Democrats are accomplishing is to build interest in the broadcast, thus assuring a broader viewership than otherwise would be realized.
Boy, talk about "Not Getting It". Sheesh.
Oh, well ... cool. Thanks, Democrats, you're doin' a great job. Keep it up.
