Rocket Ramblings

The Utter Decline of Modern Civilization and Sense

The following is information on the FCC's new Policy for Public Radio and Television broadcasting. My own personal comments will follow each various part in bold/Italic.

So, this past week, the FCC notified broadcasters that fines for indecent material would be increased up to ten times.

Up to ten times. TEN TIMES! That's a lot. That's like upping the cost of an ice cream push up from $1.00 to $11.00.

I don't know why I made that comparision. I just like Ice Cream push-ups.

The legislation passed the House 379-35 on Wednesday after moving through the Senate last month on a voice vote. Before this "bump", the maximum fine for so-called "indecency: was $32,500 per violation. With the increase, a single fine can now be as high as $325,000.

Three Hundred Twenty Five Thousand dollars.

For a spoken word(s). For some pictures.

Imagine if it was for something that really... ya know... HURT someone?

This penalty does not apply to cable broadcasts or to satellite broadcasts, so HBO, SHOWTIME and Howard Stern are safe.

... for now.

However, you notice... as before, the FCC has neglected to specify just what "indecent" is defined as.

According to the AP, President Bush welcomed the passage of the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act and promised to sign it into law. He was quoted as saying: "I believe that government has a responsibility to help strengthen families.This legislation will make television and radio more family friendly by allowing the FCC to impose stiffer fines on broadcasters who air obscene or indecent programming."

Translation? "I believe that since I have managed to screw up so many things in this country in my two terms I wanted to go for even more long-reaching effects by forcing my beliefs upon you all. Don't like it? Well, next time try becoming a rich, white, privledged, born with a silver spoon in your mouth. good for nothing. Then YOU can do whatever YOU want! We need more Howdy Doody on the airwaves instead of Black Women ripping off their clothing at football games! Heh. I said Doody. That's funny stuff. Anyway, who cares about inflation, and the impossible to handle gas prices, and the out of control health care system? THIS IS WHERE THE ISSUE IS PEOPLE!"

You know... Janet Jackson's partly exposed breast didn't offend me. $3.41 for a gallon of gas... now THAT offends me.

The approval of this bill culminates a two-year drive to crack-down on "sexually explicit material" and "offensive language" on public radio and television following the Janet Jackson infamous "wardrobe malfunction" during halftime of the 2004 Super Bowl.

My question is this. Almost every time George Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Dick Cheney, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfey, Bill Maher and the entire cast of The View open their mouths, I'm offended. To me, that translates as what they say is Offensive. So... where is MY voice in all of this? How am *I* being protected? Can't anyone shut these idiots up?

L. Brent Bozell, President of the Parents Televison Council of People Looking to Determine What's Best for Your Kids Whether You Agree or Not (Ok, I made that last part up), remarked: "The FCC will now have the authority to impose meaningful, punitive fines when the indecency law is broken. We hope that the hefty fines will cause the multibillion-dollar broadcast networks finally to take the law seriously."

Translation? "The FCC now has an even larger platform to overstep the bounderies of which it was created for by now being able to slap down senseless penaties upon broadcasters so that the airwaves can be shaped into something that would make the Smurfs seem like child porn. I mean, look at those little blue bodies anyway... half naked... never wearing shirts... all those males and only one female? I know what's going on there at night... dirty little blueskins. Sweaty little, nasty blueskins all sweaty and nasty and sweaty and working those nasty little parts... oh yeah... nasty... work it... work it... you like that don't ya? errr... I mean... and furthermore, these penalties, despite the fact we have yet to define them at all, leaving all broadcasters completely in the dark to what actually constatutes an infraction, will help us drag the public, kicking and screaming, into a world that *we* determine is proper. Sieg Heil!"

Wow. Amazing what a little translation can do. Be afriad. Be very afriad.

"This is a victory for children and families," said Senate sponsor Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. The higher fines were needed, he said, "in a world saturated with violent and explicit media."

So... um.. exactly WHAT familes is this a victory for? Not *my* family. Not *my* children. Is it a victory for Senator Brownback's family? I guess it is. Look how happy *he* seems to be. Then again, he must need some excitment... Glen Miller radio broadcats and Little Orphan Annie serials can only take up *so* much of his free time.

Under FCC rules and federal law, radio and over-the-air television stations may not air obscene material at any time, and may not air indecent material between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. when children are more likely to be in the audience.

Yeah... like my Children are up at 6 AM listening to the radio and waiting with baited breath for someone to utter the word "boobies". I'm kinda wondering... why aren't these "children" in bed at 6 am? Why aren't they in school by 9 am through 3 pm? Why aren't they in bed by 8:30 PM or so? Just what the hell are these kids doing to be able to avoid all of these things? Damn... when I was a kid I had NO freedom compared to these kids listening to the radio and watching TV non-stop between 6 AM and 10 PM. What a life kids live today.

The FCC says indecent material is that which contains sexual or excretory material that does not rise to the level of obscenity.

Translation. "ANYTHING WE WANT IT TO BE... bitch."

The legislation, while facing little resistance in Congress, had detractors warning of problems in defining what is indecent and of the erosion of First Amendment rights.

"What is at stake here is freedom of speech and whether it will be nibbled to death by election-minded politicians and self-righteous pietists," Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y (or in other words... ONE OF THE ONLY SANE MEN IN THE ROOM), said in a statement. He recalled how after the Super Bowl incident, numerous ABC affiliates refused to air the acclaimed war movie "Saving Private Ryan" because of its rough language.

This is a perfect example. God Bless Gary Ackerman.

Without having the slightest idea of what constitues "indecent", the broadcasters are forced to err WAY on the better side of caution. Thus, cutting their own legs out from under them. What if I told you I could go and find "indecent" parts of the simplest of things like SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, AND THE FAIRLY ODD PARENTS? I could you know. It's all there. At what point is the line even drawn? The FCC has the ability to go and wait three months and then fine someone for commiting a "violation" every day for that three month period and charging MILLIONS of dollars in fines that could cripple any broadcasting station... and in the end, the broadcasters hadn't the SLIGHTEST idea that they were anywhere NEAR commiting a violation. For God's sake.... this is as unconstituitonal as is gets people.

The FCC has also actively responded to the increase in complaints about lewd material over the airwaves, with total fines jumping from $440,000 in 2003 to almost $8 million in 2004.

So are we to believe that the airwaves suddenly became more "lewd" in one year? Or should we gather from that information that the FCC is jst getting totally out of control? It would be interesting to see just WHO the complaints came from and what areas they originate from.

The agency recently handed down its biggest fine, $3.3 million, against more than 100 CBS affiliates that aired an episode of the series "Without a Trace" that simulated an orgy scene. That fine is now under review.

Notice that no actual sex or nudity was shown and that the show, which is clearly NOT a show for Children, was aired at 10 PM which is not only outside of the 6 AM to 10 PM timeframe dictated by the FCC, but is also a time that any decent parent would make sure their young child (say up to 14 years old) WAS IN BED! I have a great idea. How about you fine the parents of the kids that were exposed to these shows?

Listen. I'm a parent and I worry a lot about what my kids see, hear and experiance. However, I refuse to allow someone else to choose for me what they will be exposed to. It is up to me to raise my children right so they can learn to filter out the bad shit from the good stuff. No one else has the right to make that determination. No one. Just to be safe... I have copies of CATCHER IN THE RYE, LORD OF THE FLIES, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and other various books on hand to have my children read when they get older. There's no telling how many of these books will be "indecent" once they get of age, and I have every intention of letting them make up their OWN minds on this sort of material.

As for people like George Bush, Sen. Sam Brownback, L. Brent Bozell, American Family Association founder Don Wildmon, FCC head Honcho Kevin Martin and the other people who want to deterimine what we should be allowed to watch and listen to (and eventually read and see on the internet). I have to say... I choose not to drink your milk... you bunch of Book Burning Nazi Cows.