The corporate media is trying to shut those up who are actually talking about the important issues. The leading Democrats are nothing but Bush-lite. Choice is the essence of a democracy. Taking away choices, which NBC is attempting to do is undemocratic and anti-American.
A democratic and open society requires that all candidates have equal time. NBC does not speak for America and should not determine who may or may not participate in the October 30th debate in Philadelphia.If Mike Gravel is censored and not allowed to participate then I suggest when NBC 's broadcast license is up for renewal thatwe partition the FCC to deny renal due to the violation of US Code - Title 47: Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs (January 2003)Sec. 315. Candidates for public office
Mike Gravel has good views on just about every topic, and doesn't deserve to suffer because of his lack of exposure, and his unwillingness to compromise his morals and beliefs to bend to a corporate America.Gravel is seriously misrepresented by the American Media, who give more attention to flashier star candidates who trade their loyalty to large corporations in exchange for funding, which is the one of the reasons NBC has excluded Mike Gravel from the debate.Gravel shouldn't suffer for his unwillingness to sell out. Gravel deserves more media attention, because if more Americans were better educated about his stances, more people would support him.
To deny any canidate his or her right to speak is to embrace despotism amongst our academics and will forever hinder the process of intellectual discussion and debate.
It's wrong to exclude any candidate with any significant national support. Mike Gravel may not win, but he is helping steer the debate in the right direction.
A democratic and open society requires that all candidates have equal time. Protect Democracy. Let's not take another step away from democracy and an open society as the Republicans want us to do.
I feel like the future of the country relies on this election. Only Senator Gravel can fix the mess Bush has created. Any of these other easily bought a-holes would just make it even worse.
We're still over a year away from the election. We haven't even had a primary yet! This is no time to be limiting the field of candidates, especially when the criteria being used is so arbitrary.It doesn't help that NBC is owned by GE, a big defense contractor, and that Senator Gravel is anti-war.It also doesn't help that Senator Gravel was recently so candid about the deleterious role AIPAC and many American Jews play in our foreign policy, and that so many of the people sitting atop NBC News are themselves Jewish.This looks really bad.
Every other debate (and there been boatloads) has capped at a certain number of candidates. The top 10, the top 8, etc. Please, if Mr. Gravel is not even in the top 8, please let me know who it is who has bumped him.These arbitrarily imposed standards would eliminate several candidates - the 5% rule would also eliminate Kucinich, Biden, and Richardson, and several from the Republican field as well.It is too early to begin culling. Establish a number of candidates - as high as the format will allow - and allow that many to come to the debate. 8 is a great number, and encompasses the known field for both parties.
Mike Gravel is the one candidate from any party that tells the truth, even when it's not what you want to hear. He's got years of experience in the Senate knows what's going on, sees where we're headed and has realistic solutions for the problems we face. PLEASE! INCLUDE MIKE GRAVEL!
It is imperitive that all legitimate Democratic presidential candidates be included in the debate. The American public must be provided the opportunity to consider alternative points of view. It is not your responsibility to censure speech in this context.
MSNBC, please consider your intregity as a respectable political and news media source. Let Mike debate! Leave cencorship and the distortion of politics and news to Fox Noise.
They exclude him from debates, so many people do not know who he is, and then they exclude him further because people do not know who he is?! Come on!!! Don't let the media control who we vote for!!!
NBC should rescind their frivolous debate entry requirements and extend Senator Gravel an invite to the October 30th debate. He has the right the debate and NBC has the obligation to make his voice heard.
I do not support the view that NBC has taken on excluding Gravel from the latest debate. If you really want to run the debates you must include all candidates. The US has a population of 301,139,947 (CIA world factbook) a candidate with 1% still has 3,011,399 people on his side. Do you really want to exclude them?P.S. if you do leave him out as a candidate make him the moderate because he is the only one asking the tough questions, so far the media has failed to do so... Here's a question for you to ask in case you don't make him moderator...Since nearly every Bush official that has left office has said
So, for you the the most important criteria for speaking is successful fundraising from the wealthy and from the military-industrial corporate interests. That tells me all I need to know about your dedication to public service. Such a decision will backfire.... word is spreading everywhere.
