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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear Visionaries All,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Forgive me for forwarding my liberal link to the
outside world but I could not resist.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Since the creation of the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting, PBS and NPR have been important windows on our world. Please
review this and if you wish to act, be my guest. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I believe information, from multiple sources and
multiple perspectives, benefits the First Amendment marketplace of ideas.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>All the best,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Linda Pall</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=moveon-help@list.moveon.org href="mailto:moveon-help@list.moveon.org">Noah
T. Winer, MoveOn.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=lpall@moscow.com href="mailto:lpall@moscow.com">Linda
Pall</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, June 14, 2005 10:50 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> This time, it's for real: Save NPR and PBS</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face="Arial, Verdana, sans-serif" size=2>
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<P><FONT face="Arial, Verdana, sans-serif" size=2><!-- BEGIN TEXT IN ASK BOX -->A House panel has voted to eliminate
all public funding for NPR and PBS, starting with "Sesame Street." This
would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. NPR
and PBS are under attack, but Americans trust them over the commercial
networks. <STRONG>Sign the petition to save NPR, PBS and our local public
stations from losing their funding.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P align=center><A
href="http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=5663-3002265-o1PNakg5UbgbwKOVR2CnfQ&t=1"><IMG
src="http://www.moveon.org/images/mailbuttonbox.gif?id=5663-3002265-o1PNakg5UbgbwKOVR2CnfQ&t=2"
border=0></A><!-- END TEXT IN ASK BOX --></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- END ASK BOX -->Dear
MoveOn member,
<P>You know that email petition that keeps circulating about how Congress is
slashing funding for NPR and PBS? Well, now it's actually true. (Really. Check
the footnotes if you don't believe us.)</P>
<P>A House panel has voted to eliminate all public funding for NPR and PBS,
starting with "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow," and other commercial-free
children's shows. If approved, this would be the most severe cut in the history
of public broadcasting, threatening to pull the plug on Big Bird, Cookie Monster
and Oscar the Grouch.</P>
<P>Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS:</P>
<P><A
href="http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=5663-3002265-o1PNakg5UbgbwKOVR2CnfQ&t=3">http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=5663-3002265-o1PNakg5UbgbwKOVR2CnfQ&t=3</A></P>
<P>If we can reach 250,000 signatures by the end of the week, we'll put Congress
on notice. After you sign the petition, please pass this message along to any
friends, neighbors or co-workers who count on NPR and PBS.</P>
<P>The cuts would slash 25% of the federal funding this year—$100 million—and
end funding altogether within two years.<SUP>1</SUP> In particular, the loss
could kill beloved children's shows like "Sesame Street," "Clifford the Big Red
Dog," "Arthur" and "Postcards from Buster." Rural stations and those serving
low-income communities might not survive. Other stations would have to increase
corporate sponsorships.</P>
<P>This shameful vote is only the latest partisan assault on public TV and
radio. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which exists to shield public TV
and radio from political pressure, is now chaired by Kenneth Tomlinson, a
staunch Republican close to the White House. Tomlinson has already forced
one-sided conservative programs on the air, even though Tomlinson's own surveys
show that most people consider NPR "fair and balanced" and they actually trust
public broadcasting more than commercial network news.<SUP>2</SUP></P>
<P>Tomlinson also spent taxpayer dollars on a witch hunt to root out "liberal
bias," including a secret investigation of Bill Moyers and PBS' popular
investigative show, "NOW." Even though the public paid for the investigation,
Tomlinson has refused to release the findings.<SUP>3</SUP></P>
<P>The lawmakers who proposed the cuts aren't just trying to save money in the
budget—they're trying to decimate any news outlets who question those in power.
This is an ideological attack on our free press.</P>
<P>Talk about bad timing. Every day brings another story about media
consolidation. Radio, TV stations and newspapers are increasingly controlled by
a few massive corporate conglomerates trying to maximize profits at the expense
of quality journalism. Now more than ever, we need publicly funded media who
will ask hard questions and focus on stories that affect real people, instead of
Michael Jackson and the runaway bride.</P>
<P>As the House and Senate consider this frightening effort to kill public
broadcasting, they need to hear from its owners—you.</P>
<P><A
href="http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=5663-3002265-o1PNakg5UbgbwKOVR2CnfQ&t=4">http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=5663-3002265-o1PNakg5UbgbwKOVR2CnfQ&t=4</A></P>
<P>Thank you for all you do,</P>
<P>–Noah, Wes, Jennifer, Eli and the MoveOn.org Team<BR> Tuesday,
June 14th, 2005</P>
<P>P.S. You can learn more about the threat to public broadcasting from our
friends at Free Press at:</P>
<P><A href="http://www.moveon.org/r?r=748">http://www.moveon.org/r?r=748</A></P>
<P>Sources:</P></A>
<P>1. "Public Broadcasting Targeted By House," <I>Washington Post</I>, June 10,
2005<BR><A
href="http://www.moveon.org/r?r=745">http://www.moveon.org/r?r=745</A></P>
<P>2. "CPB's 'Secrets and Lies': Why the CPB Board Hid its Polls Revealing Broad
Public Support for PBS and NPR," <I>Center for Digital Democracy</I>, April 27,
2005<BR><A
href="http://www.moveon.org/r?r=746">http://www.moveon.org/r?r=746</A></P>
<P>3. "Republican Chairman Exerts Pressure on PBS, Alleging Biases," <I>New York
Times</I>, May 2, 2005<BR><A
href="http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0502-01.htm">http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0502-01.htm</A></P>
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