In the interest of disclosure, I need to say right up front that I am not a fan of President George Bush. Period. I don’t like him and I think he’s done a lot of damage to our country and caused a lot of pain for the families of soldiers fighting in Iraq and the Iraqi people. I suppose that position is going to be unpopular and conservatives will accuse me of not supporting our troops in combat.

That assumption is absolutely ridiculous. I cannot think of a more ignorant accusation. Well, I can, but I refuse to be obscene in The State Hornet. But that’s not what this column is about.

When the FCC deregulated media ownership back in the mid-90’s they gave media conglomerates the ability to acquire television and radio stations in a way that allowed them to dominate a market. Calling those allowances Orwellian and obvious are, well, Orwellian and obvious.

What could be worse than a few media corporations shaping the way we see the world, our countries and our communities. That Orwellian time may have just arrived.

So, what does this have to do with President Bush? The argument could be made that it is nothing, but it is really everything.

Sinclair Broadcasting recently announced their intention to pre-empt local and network programming to run an anti-John Kerry documentary on its 62 television stations prior to the presidential election. As a journalist and a staunch advocate of free speech I am all for free expression and diverse points of view. I do NOT advocate anyone abusing their power or dictating to the American people their point of view. And I particularly do not like corporations attempting to influence what might just be the closest election in American history.

The executives at Sinclair must have balls the size of the Epcot Center, but brains the size of Anna Nicole Smith, pre-GED. If there is justice, the FCC will come down hard on these guys. But there isn’t justice in the sense that I would like. They ought to be fined, but they aren’t breaking any laws that are in place to legislate an abuse of the airwaves.

So what to do? Hit them where it hurts is what I would do. These people only care about power and money. We can’t take their power but we can affect how they make money. It’s simple. Boycott all Sinclair Broadcasting stations. They own 62 of them and one of them is right here in Sacramento.

KOVR channel 13 is owned by Sinclair Broadcasting. Protest with your remote. Don’t watch it, especially in November when television has their ratings period called “sweeps week.” The sweeps are worth literally millions of dollars in ad revenue. There is no better way to piss off a CEO than to screw with his bottom line. You can even watch Fox in November if you like, or read a book. You remember them, don’t you?