As we have all heard by now, Pearl Jam's performance of "Daughter" was edited by AT&T on the recent webcast of Lollapalooza due to some anti-Bush rhetoric. I was going to post this last night when I firsrt read of it, but did not. I am glad I didn't, it gave me more material from the right-wing noise makers. We have heard AT&T say it was unintentional, and will correct it. We even have others suggesting the band is whining because they haven't had a hit in years. Please...if you check Soundscan you will find that Pearl Jam has been a major player in the Alt. rock scene since they came out with "Ten" . So that accusation of a marketing ploy is debunked.
On to the real issue, AT&T is one of the handful of telecommunication companies who were complicit in Bush's illegal wiretapping program. So, it is not without merit to suggest they would find it improper to air anti-bush rhetoric. Remember The Dixie Chicks? Well, their parent label Sony Music saw the loss of enormous record sales after their honest words. More of the spew from righties has thrown Google and Yahoo into the mix because of their support for internet regulation, which I actually support as well. Much like the talk radio debacle we have right now, it is with great concern that big brother is probably watching. When media giants own large portions of the outlets we recieve our news and entertainment we enjoy Conservatives like to invoke "Capitalism" or "Free Market demands", those of us with opposable thumbs call it "monopoly". The continued censorship of American free speech is very dangerous, I seem to remember "Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism".
Google and Yahoo's interest in this is vital, as is everyone who is worried about the direction our country is headed. Net neutrality provides the same interest as the Fairness Doctrine does for talk radio. This allows us to neuter the conservative monopoly on what news and entertainment we hear and view. This is a just cause and I applaud Pearl Jam for not only short of two decades of good music, but their patriotism and activism that their fans respect.
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