100 signatures reached
To: President Biden, Leaders of House & Senate, Attorney General, & Future Political Candidates
Fox News and Republicans in Congress Should Be Held Accountable
Fox "News" and the Republicans in both the House and Senate are not as stupid as they act, but they seem to believe they can just say "It's time to move on" and we'll all just forget about the things they did during the past 4 years. They know that Donald Trump is a dishonest liar, he has been helping and received help from Russians, he has committed countless crimes including attempts to cheat in elections and inciting violent riots, he has spent considerable efforts to obstruct and conceal his crimes, and he encourages others to cheat and commit crimes on his behalf. It is a crime to help others conceal crimes, and by helping Trump conceal his crimes, Fox and the Republicans in Congress are not only acting dishonestly, they are also committing crimes themselves that include conspiracy, aiding, abetting and others. However, they seem to feel as Trump proclaimed, that they too can commit such crimes and avoid consequences. It's time for our leaders to stand up for honesty and let them know that if they knowingly persist with dishonesty, they will be held accountable for crimes!
I propose a National Politician Clemency Program in which each and every politician, as well as lobbyist and others, shall be given a chance to publicly admit to all political crimes and other bad acts they have participated in. The deal is, they get 100% clemency for everything they voluntarily and publicly admit up front, including identification of everyone else that was involved, and all such admissions will be edited into videos available to the public. They should receive immunity from prosecution for everything they confess, and they can and should be charged for any crimes or other bad acts they didn't admit to.
Fox "news" avoids liability for the barrages of blatant lies by having people like Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Laura Ingraham in prime news time-slots and allowing them to present lies that are intentionally fashioned like news, and calling them "opinion hosts". They are even counting the once reliable CNBC stock market reporter Maria Bartiromo as an opinion host who is now encouraged to lie without without consequences. We need laws that make opinion hosts, as well as other people in positions of public trust, be held responsible for being honest. It's one thing to have and share an opinion that is wrong, but it's quite another thing to knowingly promote lies and dishonesty.
If they have information and know something is untrue, they are abusing their position when they promote it as truth and they should be held accountable. And if they want to tell fibs in the name of entertainment, the broadcasting network should include bold verbal and text disclaimers to advise viewers their information is not factual. Likewise, broadcasting networks that broadcast shows with such opinion hosts should offer bold verbal and text disclaimers to identify when factual news information begins and ends. The disclaimers offered by both the opinion hosts and the network that broadcasts such opinion hosts should be adequate enough for common people to easily identify what is presented as facts and what is not.
Why is this important?
Unfortunately, legislators aren't limited to making laws that protect us from each other and encourage decency, and the love of money causes some legislators to pass laws that take away from common people and benefit the wealthy, industries, and businesses who find ways to pay the politicians. But they can't just ask and expect common people to surrender everything they work for and give it all to other people who already possess extreme wealth. Instead, they demonize and promote fear of minority groups, they get together and create a narrative that seems to support the desired new laws, and the politicians present themselves as a "cure" to get elected.
Many people can see through false narratives and understand the truth, and that's probably why you are here. But many others tend to accept what they are told without questions and they trust the leaders who are supposed to be on their side, so they don't even bother to look. These people are vulnerable to anyone who can make lies seem believable, the Republican leaders as well as some right wing groups like Fox "news" have found ways to generate profits by taking advantage of their vulnerability, and the Republican Party has become The Party of Fear & Exclusion.
We shouldn't fault common Republicans for trusting their leaders, and we should all be able to trust our leaders. However, as we have seen, the vast majority of Republican leaders are not only dishonest, but they are constantly testing and pushing the boundaries that define acceptable behaviors and they have pushed it to a point where they're dangerous to our people, our nation, and life on this planet. This is an issue that affects all humanity and it needs to be resolved before it gets worse.
They say confession is good for the soul. We can and should condone leniency for those with enough character to confess, their confessions are likely to expose those that lack such character, and they should be held accountable for their actions just like anyone else. None of them are above the law.
Tell our legislators its time to police themselves, require honesty from people in positions of public trust, and add accountability where it's needed. And while they are at it, do away with the Electoral College.
And invite your friends to sign our petition as well.
How it will be delivered
We are in the process of developing a website and Facebook page, but we need funding to pursue this activity as full time jobs. Signatures will no doubt be provided by email and options such as press conferences and personal deliveries are preferred if funding is adequate.