Talk Radio Show bans mention of Ron Paul. Suggested that Paul supporters need a 1500 signature petition to get him back on the air.

Local radio station talk show hosts Mike Shanin and Scott Parks have decided to censor stories concerning 2008 Presidential candidate Dr. Ron Paul. On the air this afternoon, the pair suggested that they would require a 1500 signature petition to be hand-delivered to their studio for them to lift the ban on Dr. Paul. They started by mentioning a somewhat threatening email they received from an individual in Virginia. This email suggested that they cover Ron Paul or else risk the wrath of angry Paul supporters. Each time they mentioned his name on the air, it was bleeped out as if it were a curse word. At one point, they snickered to each other when one of them mentioned Ron Paul's name and the name was not censored, as if they accidently let it slip. They attempted to marginalize Dr. Paul by implying that there is only a small, radical group of Dr. Paul supporters, and his supporters are basically akin to tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists.

The hosts then went on to suggest that a petition be started, which would require 1500 hand-written signatures of Dr. Paul backers and was limited geographically to just the Kansas City metro area. They suggested that they would need to scrutinize the handwriting to verify that the signatures are real, implying that signatures would need to be forged to reach the 1500 goal. Shanin suggested that the signatures should be delivered in person to their Westwood studios, to which Parks suggested that maybe they should just mail them in, because Dr. Paul's fan base are nuts.

The "Shanin and Parks" radio show airs weekdays from 4pm - 7pm CST on KMBZ. The pair are known locally as being conservative in their views, and so is KMBZ as evidenced by their mostly conservative lineup of programs. According to Wikipedia, "The station now carries Limbaugh's nationally syndicated show along with those of Bill O'Reilly, Neal Boortz, and Mark Levin as well as local hosts Mike Shanin & Scott Parks and Darla Jaye... Rush Limbaugh got his start in political commentary on the station in 1993."

Shanin and Parks recently did a show on the air where they suggested that there are no true conservatives in the field of Republican candidates. They went on to suggest that Fred Thompson should join the race, because he could carry the conservative mantle like Ronald Reagan. Dr. Paul's name was never mentioned.

In a 2005 op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, conservative icon Rush Limbaugh outlined his views on what it means to be a conservative. Limbaugh says:

We are confident in our principles and energetic about openly advancing them. We believe in individual liberty, limited government, capitalism, the rule of law, faith, a color-blind society and national security.
We support school choice, enterprise zones, tax cuts, welfare reform, faith-based initiatives, political speech, homeowner rights and the war on terrorism.
And at our core we embrace and celebrate the most magnificent governing document ever ratified by any nation — the U.S. Constitution. Along with the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes our God-given natural right to be free, it is the foundation on which our government is built and has enabled us to flourish as a people.

With the exception of the "War on Terrorism" and federally funded faith-based initiatives, Limbaugh's definition is almost point for point in line with Ron Paul's views and voting record. And, these views are also very much like the views frequently espoused on the Shanin and Parks show. According to Ron Paul's official campaign site, ronpaul2008.com,

He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.

He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.

Of course, these claims are easily verified by an examination of Dr. Paul's voting record and fit the ideals of classic conservate thought. So, it becomes ironic and fascinating that the KMBZ radio show's hosts would choose to censor a candidate whose views are frequently similar to their own. And, it is interesting that there are now attempts being made to censor Ron Paul from the debates, and that these attempts are being made by high level members of the Republican Party. GOPAC chair Michael Steele suggested on Fox News after the debate that the Republican Party should winnow the field of candidates allowed in the debates to include only the major top tier candidates. Fox News anchors made multiple suggestions that Paul's campaign was finished. The idea being perpetuated in the media is that Ron Paul is a fringe candidate. But, these attempts to undermine Dr. Paul's strong grass roots support lie in sharp contrast to the results of Fox News text messaging poll. The poll asked viewers to text their favorite candidate. When Sean Hannity first announced the poll results, Ron Paul was at 30% and was in first, followed closely by Mitt Romney. By the conclusion of the voting, Romney overtook Paul and the final results were 29% for Romney and 25% for Paul. The results were quickly dismissed by the Fox analysts as the work of a small group of organized Paul supporters and that the results were not scientific.

There is an online petition to sign that will be sent to GOPAC and the RNC in an effort to keep Ron Paul in the debates.

http://www.petitiononline.com/r0npau1/petition.html

Here is an excerpt from the petition:

"William F. Buckley recently stated that the Republican Party’s very existence is in danger. This new neo-con attack on our electoral process is treasonous and if not reversed, will cause a further mass exodus from the party."

Voice your support for Ron Paul and a return to traditional conservative values by signing the online petition and contacting the RNC.

Call the RNC now at 1-202-863-8500

If you live in the Kansas City area, start a petition, get as many signatures as you can, and then mail them to KMBZ. Tell Mike Shanin and Scott Parks that they are wrong.

KMBZ
4935 Belinder Road
Westwood,KS 66205

And on Today's show (May 18th) starting at 4 p.m., call in to KMBZ and voice your disgust.

Phone: 913-677-8998
Studio: 913-576-7798