Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
Posted on 06/02/2005 1:17:06 PM PDT by freepatriot32
The Danger.
No bill has been introduced yet, but Senator Stevens has promised one, and when it arrives it is likely to come straight out of the Commerce Committee he chairs and move directly to a vote with little time for public comment. The time to act is now.
You can read more about this at...
Center for American Progress: Think Again: The New Content Commissars
Jammed.com: Transcript of Sen. Stevens' remarks on Internet "indecency" laws
DownsizeDC.org commentary
This bill would deny you the right to watch mature programming on cable TV for the sake of parents who are too lazy and irresponsible to bear the burden of doing their jobs as parents. Those parents who object to cable TV programming already have several ways to deal with this problem:
They can buy a reduced set of cable programming (this is the approach used by DownsizeDC.org President Jim Babka who has three children under 10).
They can no have cable at all, but rely on broadcast TV only (which is now heavily censored).
They can restrict cable to only one part of their house and not allow their children to watch TV there.
They can block cable channels they consider inappropriate for their children. But some parents, rather than take any of these responsible steps, want Congress to do their parenting for them, at the expense of everyone else who wants to be able to watch mature programming.
And, we might add, Congress has no constitutional authority for such censorship, something that should concern every American who still cares about constitutional legality.
Many Americans have excused broadcast censorship because the government supposedly owns the broadcast spectrum, but no such excuse exists here. Congress can make no claim to own cable networks, local cable providers, or even the TV sets in your home. They simply don't have the authority.
Why Take Action?
Please help us stop the growth of the nanny state.
Please help us stop the Congressional urge to turn the entire country into Disneyland.
Please help us preserve the benefits of adulthood. Please help us preserve the First Amendment.
Please don't reward the busy-bodies who think they know what's best for you and your family.
Please stop the political habit of using children as an excuse for extinguishing American freedom.
Please don't let Congress reward the whining of irresponsible parents who want others to do their job for them. To send your message to Congress opposing this censorship click here.
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
Let it all out, Keith. Let it all out.
This is soooooo stupid on so many levels.....
90% of the shows on TV are total garbage, but I agree Ted Stevens needs to get a life, or rather a remote.
Bababooey, ya'll.
Now matter how much Howard steams...there is absolutely NO justification for FCC regulation of Cable and Satellite TV and radio. None.
"Howard Stern is a steaming turd and deserves every bit of scorn he receives. He is a waste of resources."
...and a moron.
I hate Stern and adult programing. In a way I don't mind, but on the other hand I don't like the government deciding what we can and can't watch. They could say that conservative programing is bad as well and block it next.
Not only is Howie the Stern a steaming turd, he's inane. Vulgar. A pestilent boil on the buttocks of humanity. A useless eater. An oxygen waster. Shall I continue? :)
It's nonsense like this and the transnational open borders beliefs that keep me from taking the libertarians seriously (even though I defend them in most threads). Our society has reached the point where you essentially have to pull a Timothy Leary, drop out, and live in a bubble in order to raise children with a decent morals. And yet the sex, drugs and libertarianism crowd wants us to make it even more difficult to raise healthy children.
The junk on cable is EXACTLY why there is no cable in my home. Doesn't matter if I bring myself near to stroke to prevent my kiddo from seeing vulgar commercials, they come on anyway. Thankfully mine knows better than to even try to watch it, but all it takes is a milisecond for the image to register and damage done. Ever woke up in the middle of the night and turned on Spike tv? Nothing but infomercials for the "girls gone wild" videos... that's just one example. It's sickening.
The only way to be a good parent is to either shell out the bucks for digital cable and lock out all the channels, or just not have cable at all.
I agree with the motion to clean it up or for cable companies to offer packages without the mini-porn commercials and programming.
Until then, I'll rely on my trusty rabbit ears.
but...he wouldn't have his show if those bimbos wouldn't take their clothes off either would he?
Howard Stern is entertaining on a couple different levels. He was fairly pro-Bush until this FCC nonsense picked up steam. That's what sent him off the leftist cliff.
Forget this "public airwaves" crap.
Sorry, I'm ok with this.
Should government really be telling cable providers how to offer their channels line-ups?
Stern cracks me up. I don't agree with him on everything, but his show is damned funny. Once he is on satellite radio, he can say all he wants.
Sal The Stockbroker is a Stalker!
Ditto.....
There used to be a time when what is allowed on TV today would have been unacceptable in the past.
Exactly.
Look for a President Hildabeast to do exactly that, with an Executive Order.
You are correct since I didn't specify...but I was referring to content.
And the courts will most likely strike any new censorship laws down as they have in the past.
You'd think these politicians can't find more important issues to confront that people are actually concerned about. I guess the pressing problems of steroids in baseball is easier to deal with.
yawn
If cable companies don't want to offer affordable basic cable programming without all the smut, then ABSOLUTELY. Why does it have to be the "norm" for the smut rather than the other way around?
Sure, it's good for the soul. PURGE.
How true that is.
I always have to laugh at people like Bill O'Reilly (whom many on the left consider to be a "conservative"), who constantly invoke the "for the children" canard to justify all manner of government heavy-handedness.
Just like that other Bill who all us Freepers love to hate.
Ted Stevens is such a blowhard dinasaur. Government has no business telling the producers of my beloved "The Shield" what Vic is permitted to speak.
That guy is sick . . . peep-show booths, spitting on others, being completely homo for KISS, etc.
Howard who?
Don't be so sure. They let McCain/Feingold stand, which is a clear violation of the 1st Amendment.
Seems some people have yet to discover the wonders of the remote control.
Stern picked his fight, the idiot.
How long before "Rocco's Animal Trainer 17" takes the place of Sesame Street?
LOL! Today was funny, and now he is going after Stern's Cousin LOL!
I personally cannot stand toilet humor, but these "indecency" laws would be used to censor and destroy any show on TV that has any intelligence in them, for examples, sci-fi shows like Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, Battlestar G. and the anime that comes on Cartoon Network's adult swim.
So if you want more brain-dead reality TV television, just go ahead and support these "indecency" laws.
Why? This is a private company providing private services to its customers. If the customers don't like those services, they can complain to the company and/or discontinue the service. If enough cable customers are really interested in such an arrangement, the companies will accomodate them.
What you are proposing would be akin to the government telling Wal-Mart what sizes of light bulbs it needs to keep in stock.
Nobody is forced to buy cable.
Someone is forcing you to subscribe to cable television?
1st Amendment during with = 1st Amendment dealing with
Of course! That's "conservatism". </sarcasm>
Robert Byrd is a steaming turd and deserves every bit of scorn he receives. He is a waste of resources.
Ted Kennedy is a steaming turd and deserves every bit of scorn he receives. He is a waste of resources.
Trent Lott is a steaming turd and deserves every bit of scorn he receives. He is a waste of resources.
John McCain is a steaming turd and deserves every bit of scorn he receives. He is a waste of resources.
The democRat Party is a steaming turd and deserves every bit of scorn it receives. It is a waste of resources.
The Republican Party is a steaming turd and deserves every bit of scorn it receives. It is a waste of resources.
The difference being, I can ignore Howard Stern and he doesn't harm my interests, steal my money or my liberties.
No, that will never happen. Republicans are in charge and we all know Republicans can do no wrong.
I agree, but....
How dismal and debased does the broadcasting industry have to get before something is done? Or is there no bottom?
Pornography is all over television, it's virtually inescapable. It's also true that the more people watch it the more desensitized they become requiring ever lower standards to generate the necessary "pay-off".
Is public decency now a non-sequitor?
Is access to nonstop fart jokes an inalienable right?
In my opinion the "guardians" of public airwaves in this country have failed miserably. The "arts" community is an open sewer. If the're appealing to me for sympathy and protection, well, I'm sorry but I will not defend pornography.
That way, I only have to pay for what I want to watch in my home, and nothing else.
I was (past tense emphasized) a dedicated Stern fan from 1986 (when he was first syndicated in Philly) until the Janet Jackson incident when he went over to the Dark Side and became a lefty. Even after he started Bush-bashing after the FCC blow-up, I still tuned in from time to time, but when he started praising Michael Moore, that was the last straw. I have not listened since.
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