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Send FCC Chairman Martin a Heart(ache)

Free Press is running this campaign to send FCC Chairman Martin a valentine, asking that he stop the growing media conglomerates, prevent phone companies from destroying Net Neutrality and help foster more diverse voices and points of view.

It's a light piece and we encourage you to play along in the fun at http://www.freepress.net/valentine/

That said, we think this is far too polite treatment of Chairman Martin. He's easily one of the worst FCC Commissioners in recent decades and is wholly wedded to corporate interests. Valentines from the public interest are very unlikely to win him over. Martin shouldn’t be swooned – he should be removed.

As we reported in December; Martin was appointed by President Bush in 2001 to replace the infamous Michael Powell, He was recently reconfirmed as Chairman in late 2006 for another term. Before joining the FCC, Martin was Bush’s Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy. Prior to that position, Martin served on the Bush-Cheney election team in Florida and is rumored to have played a role in the faux public uprising over the election recounts often referred to as the "Brooks Brother Riot". He was rewarded as a loyal foot soldier by Bush with the FCC appointment. Earlier in his career, Martin worked several years for Wiley Rein & Fielding, a top-rated telecommunications lobbyist.

But Martin already has a sweetheart. His wife, Catherine J. Martin, is former Vice President Cheney's communications director. She was recently called on to testify in the CIA Leak case and offered these insights Jan 27th as reported by the LA Times:

...She also told the court that she suggested that the vice president's office "leak" information that seemed to undercut Wilson's credibility to carefully selected reporters at the New York Times and Washington Post, arranged a lunch for Cheney with right-wing commentators and advised him to avoid the New York Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof because he had "attacked the administration fairly regularly."

Martin called the word "leak," which appeared in her notes as a "term of art" and testified, "If you give it to one reporter, they're likelier to write the story." source: Los Angeles Times

In fact, Catherine Martin was the one who discovered that that CIA operative, Valerie Plame worked for the CIA after she called the agency to get more information about Wilson's trip to Niger. Martin said she quickly reported the information about Plame to Libby and Cheney. LA Times

So it seems Martin already has a special Valentine, one whom believes 'leaks' are just artful phrases, that the media is something to be manipulated and that the public is something easily deceived. This same cynical attitude guided the propaganda activities around the Florida vote recount. So, this is the First Family of the FCC, send your valentine regards accordingly.

And please send our regards to the House Commerce Subcommittee who will be reviewing Martin and the FCC on Thursday. We want the Subcommittee to stop the FCC from running roughshod over every municipality in the country with their Video Franchise Ruling (issued on Dec 30th) which will eliminate thousands of local PEG channels and facilities around the country. This was another apparent Martin family payback - this time to the phone companies. Take action at: http://saveaccess.org/takeaction

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