The Federal Communications Commission today gave Howard Stern's radio show the maximum fine of $27,500.
For what?
"The show’s cast discussed sexual practices and techniques" which "included explicit and graphic sexual and excretory references... This material was lewd and vulgar, and that it appeared to have been used to pander, titillate and shock," according to the FCC decision.
Huh?
The titillate comment recalls Senator Tankerbell from Mr. Show, a perfect parody of this arrogant, arch-conservative march away from free speech.
Howard Stern ain't for kids, but how many decades do we go back with this ruling? The worst part is Stern seems to be resigned to the fact that the right-wing morality police have succeeded in forcing him off the air.
Also Thursday, the FCC decides that Bono, champion to AIDS-ridden kids Africa-wide, is indecent and profane. What the hell is happening? It's crusades against ideas that scare me, not f-bombs.
Now, I'm more inclined to agree instead with this edict:
"I don't swear for the hell of it. Language is a poor enough means of communication. We've got to use all the words we've got. Besides, there are damn few words anybody understands." (citation left out as a devious test to see who might recognize the passage)
But the root of this whole matter is a distraction from the massacre of the public airwaves.
Leading the way is Michael Powell, who curiously enough "previously served as the Chief of Staff of the Antitrust Division in the Department of Justice," according to his bio.
The thinking goes thusly: "Let's inflame the Bible bangers by suddenly getting pissed about bad words and hope nobody notices that we've pimped out the television airwaves now because the radio waves are too sore from our previous rapings.
"Never mind the First Ammendment (says the crew who so much more prefers the Second), we have legislated morals in this country, derived from our long-standing Christian tradition. And the word fuck has no place in society, and neither does talk of sex.
"But don't you want to be richer Rupert? Ok, please feel free to own and control a substantially greater part of this nation's media outlets."
Since the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Clear Channel has gone apeshit, and now owns more than 1,200 radio stations nationwide. Before regulations were weakened, the most stations any company owned was 75.
And now lil' Powell has led the charge to make big media bigger, at the expense of, well, everyone.
I may be a bit radical here, but anytime the ACLU and NRA line up on the same side of the ball, I'm already convinced. We don't need 5 people controlling what the public reads/hears/watches, we need 5 million. We don't need to loosen ownership rules, we need to tighten them.
And we don't need to be on the lookout for every bad word. I find Pat Robertson offensive. I don't watch his show.