Ronstadt Gets Audience Walkout Encore
ContraCostaTimes
by Bonita Brewer
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/9224649.htm 

Important Message From TRUE MAJORITY - Fox News' Claim To Be "Fair and Balanced" Is Not Only a Lie, It's False Advertising Tell the Federal Trade Commission to Stop Fox from Misleading the Public

It's bad enough that Fox News serves up biased "news" day after day on program after program. But it's even worse that Fox advertises its news as "fair and balanced" when numerous studies have proven this wrong.  A group of organizations, including TrueMajority.org and led by MoveOn.org, have devised a clever strategy to spotlight Fox's deceptive practices.  They've petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to declare Fox's "Fair and Balanced" motto false advertising.  Even if we lose our FTC case, this campaign will educate people about Fox, which is arguably the right wing's most effective propaganda tool. So it's important to dial up the citizen pressure on the Federal Trade Commission.  Here's the complaint that we will send to the Federal Trade Commission in your name:

"Fox News claims that its programs are "fair and balanced," but study after study has shown that they are biased. So it is clearly not in the public's interest for Fox to be allowed to use the phrase "fair and balanced" to promote its programs.  This is false advertising, plain and simple.  Though novel, this argument is no different than other cases that the FTC considers regularly. You do not allow companies manufacturing diet pills to advertise that their products will help consumers miraculously lose weight, if this claim is proven wrong. Fox's claim of "fair and balanced" has been proven wrong, and the ramifications go beyond creating obesity to undermining the proper functioning of our democracy. On behalf of public interest, the FTC should intervene."  Check out this video clip that MoveOn.org put together to show just how fair and balanced Fox News' Bill O'Reilly is (click on the photo of O'Reilly on the right of the page):  http://www.moveon.org/fox/

Click here to read MoveOn's complaint filed before the Federal Trade Commission:
http://65.54.246.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=552c6f373171aa2dd6f0430f9b6aa478&lat=1090689791&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fcdn%2emoveon%2eorg%2fcontent%2fpdfs%2fftc_filing%2epdf

Robert Greenwald has produced an excellent expose of Fox News' unfair and unbalanced news coverage, and examines the dangers of "ever-enlarging corporations taking control of the public's right to know." Order it at http://www.outfoxed.org/

QUOTE OF THE DAY - When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.   Thomas Jefferson

An Important Message From Working Families e-Activist Working Familiese-Activist Network

Yesterday the U.S. Senate and House recessed until after Labor Day--failing to block the Bush overtime pay take-away set to go into effect Aug. 23.  Republican leaders repeatedly joined with the Bush administration and blocked votes on two separate pieces of legislation that would have protected workers' right to overtime pay.  Starting on Aug. 23, employers can begin reclassifying many workers as ineligible for overtime, but it probably will take some time for employers to fully understand the extremely complex and confusing new rules and start deciding who can lose overtime pay.  Our fight to preserve overtime pay isn't over.  The two pieces of legislation before Congress would repeal the Bush administration's overtime pay cuts regardless of whether those cuts have been implemented already by employers.  Please take one minute right now to send a fax to your senators and representative by clicking on the link below.  Tell them to block the Bush overtime pay take-away.  http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/87akW6410pC0//

We need your continued action.  Pro-working family members of Congress will keep fighting to repeal the Bush overtime cuts after the recess and for as long as it takes to restore workers' overtime rights.  The Bush administration is going forward with this massive pay cut for working families despite opposition from bipartisan majorities of lawmakers and millions of working families.  Look for more alerts on this and other issues soon.  Don't forget to spread the word about Bush's overtime pay take-away to your friends, family and co-workers.