NPR: Goons for big government ~ By Joseph Farah

By Joseph Farah Posted: July 22, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 When America's founders established, for the first time in world history, special government protections for a free and independent press, they probably could not have imagined a monstrous future mutation of their dream like National Public Radio. The First Amendment's press protections were designed to serve as yet another check and balance on the tendency of government to expand and grow well beyond its limitations, assuming God-like powers over the affairs of men. America's founders were in the business of removing shackles from the people and placing them on the government – knowing government is always the primary threat to personal liberty. They envisioned the free press as a vigilant independent watchdog on government – a champion of the people in the eternal quest by the powerful for more power. Yet, as I wrote in my book, "Stop the Presses! The Inside Story of the New Media Revolution," today's corporate, establishment journalism has, almost without exception, betrayed its mission to serve as a watchdog of government and other powerful institutions. Instead, it would be more accurate to characterize most of my colleagues as lapdogs for government. Worse yet, there is a distinctively hideous brand of pseudo-journalist in America today who actually gets paid by government to do its bidding. That's where the likes of NPB and PBS come in. If you doubt what I am saying, I would like you to take a look at the way NPR is covering the federal government's push for nationalization of health care in America. Not only is NPR an active cheerleader for Washington's proposed takeover of another 17 percent of the private sector economy, it is actually resorting to harassment and intimidation of those who oppose socialized medicine. Check this out: On its website, NPR published a large photograph of a recent Senate hearing on the issue – identifying those American citizens there to express their opinion, offer testimony and listen in as members debated the future of their choices for medical care. [CONTINUE READING]