Radio Silence

It shouldn't surprise us to see so many Democrats fretting about how unhealthy all these anti-government protests are. When it comes down to it, Democrats support the concept of dissent the same way Republicans do--it's great when it's not against them.

Here's a story from Jesse Walker's website about British pirate radio in the 60s, and a new movie that gets it all wrong--by assuming the right wingers were the bad guys:

I don't expect historical accuracy at the cineplex, but this is extreme even by Hollywood's standards. Making the Conservative Party the villain of this story is like making the Republican Party the racist enforcers in a tale set in 1950s Alabama. Not only was Wilson in power at the time, but Radio Caroline regularly attacked the Labour Party. The Tories not only failed to lead the charge against the pirates, but some of them bought ads on the offshore stations (as did some Scottish Nationalists). There certainly were Conservatives who opposed the broadcasters—one Tory MP accused them of "providing what people want," which sounds good to me but he intended it as an insult—but it was Labour that pushed through the Marine Broadcasting Offenses Act of 1967, which barred British citizens from aiding the pirates in various ways, most notably by advertising on their shows.

Come to think of it, we've got the same sort of debate today--many Democrats would like to put limits on radio since they see it as a threat. Everything old is new again.