Now here is a real pip we haven't heard much (if anything) about:

On 12/08/09 the House overwhelmingly passed an apparently AIPAC-sponsored bill, brought to the floor by Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. (Foreign Affairs Committee) :

 H.R. 2278 directs the President to submit a report to Congress regarding anti-American incitement to violence in the Middle East. The bill also requires that the report include a country-by-country list of media outlets and satellite companies that engage in such incitement.

 

H.R. 2278 states that the U.S. should designate as global terrorists satellite providers that knowingly and willingly contract with entities designated as specially designated global terrorists or to consider implementing other punitive measures against satellite providers that transmit al-Aqsa TV, al-Manar TV, al-Rafidayn TV, or any other terrorist owned and operated station. The legislation also states that the U.S. should consider state-sponsorship of anti-American incitement to violence when determining the level of assistance to, and frequency and nature of relations with regional states.

The bill finally urges all governments and private investors who own shares in satellite companies or otherwise influence decisions about satellite transmissions to oppose such transmissions.

Several media outlets in the Middle East repeatedly publish or broadcast incitements to violence against the U.S. and Americans. Television channels such as al-Manar, al-Aqsa, al-Zawra, and others, are especially egregious in this respect.

Ayes: (395)

Noes:( (3)

Honda (D, CA)
Johnson (D, TX)
Paul (R, TX-14)

 Present: (9)

Edwards (D, MD)
Kucinich (D, OH)
Lee (D, CA)
McDermott (D, WA)
Moore (D, WI)
Stark (D, CA)
Waters (D, CA)
Watt (D, NC)
Woolsey (D, CA)

Not Voting: (27)

Fareed Zakaria makes his case against this travesty in this video:

 Franklin Lamb in Beirut writes for MiddleEast online:

As for the Lebanese, they continue their opposition to H.R. 2278 widely seen as an American-Israeli assault on more than 400 TV channels based in Lebanon, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

A continuing crescendo is rising of regional cries of gross hypocrisy, attacks on freedom of expression, aggression against the 19 black listed countries, and violations of Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights which reads: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

The State Department reaction has been, to feign surprise, "what's all the fuss about", while insisting that potentially closing down more than 400 Middle East TV channels is no big deal and has nothing to do with freedom of speech and access to information which is a cornerstone of the "New Middle East Project." which seems not to have faded along with its former cheerleader Condoleezza Rice.

 And the Obama White House?

When The American Embassy's Public Affairs Officer, Ryan Gliha was asked... whether H.R. 2278 represented the view of the Obama Administration, the Embassy press officer answered; "The Obama administration "doesn't have an official position on it because it is still an idea," the diplomat stressed. The response did not satisfy some who were present.

 The Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Dick Lugar, John Kerry) is due to take up the bill soon.  Let's hope it dies a necessary death in Committee.  This is politics of the worst kind, much like the bill the House recently passed on voice vote to require  Obama extend vicious sanctions on the Iranian people:  No gasoline allowed to be imported to Iran.  That'll show 'em.  Winning hearts and minds.  I guess if SCOTUS can call Corporations People, Congress can call television stations 'Terrorists.'

You can track more dissent to this bill at Opencongress.