July 24, 2005

"Those who think terrorism is incident specific don't understand the terrorist mind.""
-- John Howard, Australian Prime Minister, July 21, 2005

A second attempt at terror attacks in London, coming exactly two weeks after the first deadly round, have once again wreaked havoc in London, leaving its people wary and insecure about their surroundings.

With people on edge on both sides of the Atlantic, it is surprising that CBS/Infinity Radio would pass on an opportunity to carry advertising for a symposium on terrorism designed to educate the American people on the terrorist mindset. But that is exactly what happened.

As we fight our daily battles in the war on terror we can be sure about a few things: information equates to security, knowledge to acquiring the upper hand against our foes and that if we bury our heads in the sands of appeasement we will all soon be bowing to the East several times a day.

Make no mistake; there are some among us who believe that this "War on Terror" is a recent development. How wrong they are.

The Islamo-fascist extremists who enjoy sawing people's heads off with saifs and stoning their own women for being raped have been waging war against the West for over three decades . They have literally declared war on the United States and the West, very clearly and in writing.

So, a question needs to be asked. Why would a major media outlet like CBS/Infinity Radio refuse to allow a non-partisan, private sector group to advertise an educational symposium on terrorism? I can give you their answer -- as unbelievable as it is -- but first a bit of background.

Jeff Epstein, a friend of mine who I met during the 2004 election cycle, has an organization titled "The People's Truth Forum." Its goal is, "to educate the American people on controversial topics of national security....by disseminating critical information that is not readily available, via conventional channels, to concerned citizens."

Currently, his organization is sponsoring a symposium titled "The Radical Islamic Threat to World Peace and National Security." Given the events of the past two weeks in London this seems like a timely and necessary educational opportunity. At least one would think so.

I have been doing what I can to help Jeff make the symposium a success. I agreed to help him because I believe most Americans would benefit from the knowledge and expertise of the speakers that he has assembled for this event.

Harvey Kushner, a noted terrorism expert, has instructed the FBI and FAA. Robert Spencer has written several books on the subject of Islamic terrorism and publishes the popular website JihadWatch. Laura Mansfield, an author and counter-terrorism expert, alerted British authorities that the first bombings in London were imminent weeks before they occurred and Brigitte Gabriel is a Lebanese born journalist who has experienced the terrorism of Islamo-fascists first hand.

By all accounts, these people know what they are talking about and bring a very important message -- and an incredible amount of knowledge -- to this public forum. So, you can imagine my surprise when Jeff contacted me in an incredulous state last week.

It would appear that he had been in talks with a local radio station in New England -- a CBS/Infinity Radio affiliate -- to run some commercials publicizing the upcoming event. At first everything was wonderful. The local sales manager even complimented Jeff on how professional the recordings were. A sales schedule (agreement) was sent to Jeff for his approval and the commercials appeared set to run.

One day later, Jeff received a phone call from the sales manager saying that his station would not be running the ads for the symposium and that their agreement would not be honored.

When the sales manager was pressed for a reason he said that the Legal Department at CBS/Infinity Radio had instructed him not to run the ads stating, "Too many people might be emotionally affected by the subject matter...It's too controversial to be aired at this time."

What? Emotionally affected? Too controversial? Aside from some of the freakish statements that come out of the black helicopter crowd on the liberal left and the radical right, this is one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever heard!

Wasn't it too controversial to run innuendo-based "news" items about Quran desecration at Guantanamo Bay? Isn't the opportunistic coverage of innocents being beheaded for the thousandth time risking that people might be too "emotionally affected by the subject matter?" How controversial was forging a memo in an attempt to topple a sitting president?

CBS/Infinity is no stranger to controversy. In fact, they thrive on it. Given the fact that until recently their most valuable radio personality was Howard Stern I seriously doubt they give a rodent's behind about the effects their programming has on the "emotions" of their listeners.

They didn't mind covering the "atrocities" at Abu Ghraib ad nauseum but allowing advertising to promote knowledge on a topic that pertains directly to the safety and security of an entire nation is, "too controversial to be aired at this time." If there was ever an example of a politically correct agenda this would be premier.

CBS/Infinity Radio has an opportunity to do something right for a change. They can choose to put their politically motivated agenda aside to help publicize a non-partisan educational event that would facilitate, as my friend Jeff put it, "a potent message for both our citizenry and our first responders."

If this were a propaganda-fest featuring a panel of MoveOn.org endorsed rumor-mongers CBS/Infinity would likely smile upon the suggestion of coordinating a simulcast as a "public service" to their listeners. But it's not. Instead, a panel of experts has been assembled to address a most serious issue facing the American people and CBS/Infinity is so blinded by their agenda of subterfuge that they once again do a disservice to the American public.

There will be no half-truths and manipulation at "The Radical Islamic Threat to World Peace and National Security Symposium," only experts and facts. Perhaps someone would be kind enough to buy a couple of tickets for the legal eagles at CBS/Infinity. Lord knows it would do them good to be re-introduced to the idea of presenting facts over fiction.

(Frank Salvato is managing editor of TheRant.us.)