The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has oversight authority over the operation of broadcasting, specifically the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, chaired by Fred Upton, Republican of Michigan, with Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts as ranking minority member. Here are the rest of the subcommittee's members.
Call them. E-mail them. Ask for hearings on the CBS forgeries.
Congress has held hearings on Howard Stern and "wardrobe malfunctions" at the Superbowl. It has held hearings on the networks' disastrous performance on election night 2000. Now a network is party to a fraud committed with the obvious intent of influencing an election. Where are the hearings? This is very serious stuff, and the rise of technology capable of influencing elections is a worry on many minds. (See John Fund's new book Stealing Elections.) It doesn't do much good for Congress to arrive to conduct an autopsy. It should act before the fraud spreads.
The blogosphere can help Congress frame a witness list and question trees after the first hearing is scheduled, but like-minded bloggers are invited to join in this call for Congress to exercise its appropriate authority of oversight over the federal government's licensees. It will be interesting to see if much in the way of call volume can be generated by the pajama-clad.
Of course Dan Rather made his bones on Watergate, which involved a cover-up begun in the midst of a presidential election and some very famous Congressional hearings, so he couldn't possibly object to participating.
The Congressional switchboard number is 202-225-3121. Ask for Congressman Upton's office. Dan's got nothing to be afraid of, as he told us Friday and yesterday, so let the truth-telling begin.
I made my call - now you make yours! If they can have hearings everytime Rumsfield farts they can look into CBS blatant attempts to influence an election.
DKK
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