As the echo chamber for the radical right who live in an alternate world of constant persecution by the forces of dark liberalism, Fox News never wastes an opportunity to jump on board the latest example of the vast, left wing conspiracy to silence conservatives. The latest bit of shite to hit the fan is a Connecticut high school student's claim that his school is deliberately blocking access to pro-gun, pro-Christian marriage, anti-abortion, and Catholic websites as well as access to websites for GOP luminaries such as Paul Ryan and Sarah Palin. The school says that this is a filtering problem with the computer system but Andrew Lampart thinks otherwise. So as is usual in cases involving persecuted right wing students, young Andrew has taken his little hissy fit to Fox News which is using the case to, once more, play the victim card and for extra points, bash biased public schools. Ironic, don't ya think!
What seems to have started with a local Fox report on Wednesday, quickly became all the rage on right wing websites. Yesterday, Fox took the controversy national with Todd Starnes' article, "Jesus, Republicans, and the NRA Banned on School Website." Starnes details how an erstwhile young student discovered this egregious offense when he was researching a paper on the NRA and couldn't get onto the website. He then tried to access other right wing sites but they were also blocked while liberal sites were available. Starnes did provide a link to a letter, from the school superintendent, which stated that the problem appears to be with the computer filtering system. But this doesn't satisfy Andrew Lampart who gave the school one week to rectify the problem. When this didn't happen Lampart went to the school board meeting where promises were made to look into the issue. Lampart is still pissed and told Starnes, who doesn't believe the school, that this is "indoctrination."
This was a topic for discussion on yesterday's Outnumbered. After reporting the details, Harris Faulkner said that the student "could be an investigative reporter" because he has "evidence." #OneLuckyGuy Eric Bolling said that schools should be "fair & balanced." (Just like Fox News?) and that the student's parents should also look at the textbooks because they are even more biased than the website restrictions. Faulkner provided red meat for the anti-choice crowd when she mentioned that the evil Planned Parenthood was available while right to life sites weren't. She also played to Fox's patented Islamophobia when she mentioned that the Vatican was blocked while Muslim sites weren't.
The gang dismissed the school's claims that they are looking into the problems because "there was no denial that this was happening." Without any standard of proof, attorney Kimberly Guilfoyle said it was "unacceptable." Without any standard of proof, Eric Bolling, the proud product of an abusive Catholic education, ranted about biased teachings, biased textbooks, and biased websites. He alluded to people who get "dragged out of PTA meetings if you make too much noise" - an obvious allusion to the NH parent, a Fox News hero, who was, in defiance of school board rules, disruptive. Faulkner then zeroed in on the Fox message: "It seems like this happens more with conservatives than liberals." She used, as an example, people who have "been cancelled" because of their conservative views. (I assume she's referring to Condoleeza Rice and Ayaan Hirsi Ali?) Meanwhile, she ignored the efforts to cancel Jane Fonda's appearance at UCLA - aided and abetted by Fox News. She asked "Are we not as free a society as we think we are?"
Sandra Smith opined that "if it's happening at this school, it's probably happening at a lot of schools in this country right now." Guilfoyle, another product of a Catholic education, said that parents need school choice so their kids minds won't "be poisoned by the selective education that they're getting and the censorship and that's why they go to private or responsible charter schools." (Right, a Catholic school would allow access to Planned Parenthood, right) Kirsten Powers, the daughter of liberal professors, said that the "censorship" of the school contravenes liberal principals. She referenced "all these stories" about liberals trying "to shut down access to information." Smith said "kudos to the kid for coming forward."
So there you have it. Outnumbered is more than just legs. It's the same old, same old, right wing propaganda which, in this case, hasn't been proven. It also demonstrates, once again, the wisdom of Jon Stewart when he said that "conservative victimization is the true genius of what Fox News has accomplished."
BTW, do ya think that the Outnumbered krewe will be indignant about the case of a public school teacher who alleges that he was fired because he wouldn't pray, during school time, to the Christian god?
http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act
No librarian or teacher can hand screen every kid’s internet usage so they use blocking programs and therein lie the problems.
I was using a laptop at the library a few weeks ago and was researching some photography book in the collection – to see if it was important and should be kept because it had not been checked out in years. I can’t remember what the trigger was, but it was something like the title, “Naked Eye” which was completely unpornographic, as was the book. I had to submit a request to the IT department to unblock it.
Meanwhile, we occasionally catch patrons looking at pornography, probably because porn sites know how to dodge the blocks.
I seriously doubt anyone at this school made any kind of screen based on politics. I’ve been unable to get Google to do it with their ads on our site. I would be shocked if there’s any software vendor to schools who does.
Or when—even after “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed—the Pentagon blocked LGBT websites. “It’s bad enough the United States Department of Defense censors Towleroad and AMERICAblog – banning the gay civil rights Web sites from being accessed on DOD computers – and it’s even worse that the Pentagon has no problem permitting their computers to access Ann Coulter’s and Rush Limbaugh’s hate-filled Web sites.” (http://americablog.com/2013/01/pentagon-bans-gay-web-sites.html —note the year there) As Aravosis further notes in the entry, “Our site, AMERICAblog, was previously banned for being “LGBT,” but now we’re only banned at least by the Air Force, for being “political” and “activist.” The Air Force is banning my Web site for being “political” while permitting other Republican “political” Web sites. Daily Kos is banned as well.”
Where were the Fox folkkks then? I certainly don’t remember any hue and cry from FoxNoise about any of that.
Let’s see if the Sistah will go after businesses and libraries.
Also, airports and select gyms don’t show Fox “News” on their tv sets. Only CNN. Is that bias? Will The Weave go after the airports and gyms?
Kudos for businesses that block Fox “News” from the masses.
NOTE TO SISTAH HARRIS
Older white male conservative viewers prefer the blondes, not a weave-wearing black woman. Read Fox Nation lately? They call black people monkeys. We can imagine what they say about you. Read the comment sections.
