Sinclair Broadcasting has made a decision not to carry an ABC “Nightline” program tonight that will consist of announcer Ted Koppel reading the names, and displaying the faces, of Americans killed in Iraq. (The graphic, by the way, is linked from Famousfoto.com, and has nothing to do with Sinclair Broadcasting. I just thought it was fun.)

An official statement from the group reads in part, “Despite the denials by a spokeswoman for the show the action appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq.” Sinclair owns 8 ABC affiliates.

But this is not the whole story. Not in my opinion. What follows is my opinion.

Sinclair’s market strategy is, put simply, to dominate the small markets where it operates. It uses Local Marketing Agreements to circumvent FCC rules on media ownership in many markets, buying multiple stations so viewers there have little choice but to listen to what it reports.

Then, instead of giving its viewers local news, it gives them propaganda. Vice president Mark Hyman broadcasts daily rants masquerading as news every night. He calls it Newscentral.. Add to this Vice President Cheney’s overt endorsement of Fox News and you start to see a disquieting trend.

When politicians control all media, the people no longer have a choice on what to think, or how to react to events. The majority of the people become obedient, and democracy dies. A monopoly of media on behalf of any viewpoint is tyranny.

That trend has already reached its fulfillment in Italy, where Sylvio Berlesconi not only dominates all media, but has the political power to pass laws absolving him of any crimes he may commit – putting himself above the law. Italy is only now beginning to awaken to the meaning of that and it may be too late.

It is not too late here, not yet. The time has come to call this what it is, and to call the conspirators in this attempt to destroy democracy and liberty – Sinclair, Murdoch, Bush, Cheney, et. al – what they are. We still have time to take effective, non-violent, Constitutionally-protected action against them, although time for that is running out.

These men are not conservatives. In my opinion these men are not even American.

These men are nothing less than fascists. Google offers many definitions. Fascism came to Italy first, through Benito Mussolini, using a union of big business, the military, and religious power. It spread throughout Latin America and was often accepted by American foreign policy experts as the only alternative to communism.

When you have a wealthy few taking all economic power, taking all media power, taking all political power, and using absolute military and police power solely in their interests, seeking to suppress all dissent, whether on college campuses or in the media, you have fascism.

This is the truth no one will will admit to, the truth we’re all afraid to acknowledge. Fascism is the forbidden word, the word no one will say. God save the United States of America.