Today I received an email, forwarded by a friend, about how the FCC is going to destroy America in the next fifteen minutes by allowing brief expletives and fleeting frontal (female) nudity to be broadcast over the airwaves.
Naturally, there was an appeal for MONEY as part of this Emergency Action Alert! (TM) message. As if we'd expect anything less.
Just so you'll know, here's the text of the email:
Please forgive the mass email but this will have a huge impact on each of us. Please read the following action letter from American Family Association and respond as you see fit. I hope you do as I have and speak out in opposition to the FCC's attempt to eliminate 70% of their backlog of complaints and then forward to friends and relatives who will hopefully do the same. THANKS MIKE
Subject: FCC set to drop ban on f-word, nudity on television and radio stations nationwide
Date: 4/8/13 10:22:01 AM
From: "AFA Action Alert"
American Family Association Take Action Now___________________________________
Dear Mike, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it is considering dropping current broadcast decency standards that ban explicit profanity and "non-sexual" nudity.
You can read the press release from the FCC here.
Specifically, if enacted, the new FCC policy would allow network television and local radio stations to air the f-word, the s-word and to allow programs to show frontal female nudity , even during hours when they know children will be watching and listening.
It is accepting comments on the proposal from the viewing public until the end of April.
Current broadcast decency law prohibits expletives and nudity, even if brief or "fleeting." The Supreme Court has upheld the law as constitutionally enforceable by the FCC, despite lawsuit attempts by networks NBC and FOX to overturn it.
Submit your comments to the FCC, urging it to reject any changes to the current policy.
The FCC will not accept general email comments. To be valid, you are required to file a formal comment via the FCC's website.
Please follow these instruction carefully, to insure your comment is accepted by the FCC:
2. Enter the code "13-86" in the "Proceeding Number" box and fill out the few remaining required fields.
3. Enter your comment in the text box provided and click "Continue."
4. From there, review your comment and click "Confirm."
Here is a sample comment you may submit:
I oppose any changes to the current FCC indecency standards that would allow television and radio stations to broadcast expletives and nudity on the public airwaves, even if brief or "fleeting."
The Supreme Court has confirmed the FCC& authority to enforce policies regarding expletives and nudity, especially during times when children are likely to be watching or listening.
Relaxing the current policy would not serve the public interest and I urge the FCC to reject all proposals that would allow for the broadcast of expletives and nudity on FCC-licensed stations.
It is very important that you forward this alert to your friends and family members.
Sincerely,
Tim
Tim Wildmon, President
American Family Association Help us Financially
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Action Link
Okay, so now you know. The FCC is trying to reduce it's backlog of cases, and actually reflect the reality that (GEE WHIZ, WALLY!) some people actually cuss, and sometimes on cable a booby gets flashed. It's not like most people haven't seen it before.
Here's the skinny: I don't want kids seeing this. I also don't want an energy policy based on unicorn farts, but that's pretty much what I'm stuck with. I have ZERO problem with relaxing the (overly rigid) rules after 'family time', when all good parents have the sprogs in bed. For the other parents, they're kids are seeing and hearing it anyway, so it really isn't that big of a deal...unless you're trying to raise money for your TaliBaptist group.
As a general rule, I try to oppose ANYTHING the American Family Association supports, just on general principles. Especially the 'Spiritual' Tours. Please don't try to proselytize me when I'm trying to experience history.
At any rate, I immediately clicked on the 'action link', and put in my own two cents worth...and I'm certain the TaliBaptists WON'T approve, because THIS is what I wrote:
Proceeding Number:
13-86
I strongly support changes to the FCC's 'indecency'
standards to allow TV and radio stations to broadcast colorful expletives as
well as brief or fleeting frontal nudity, of either sex, on the public's
airwaves, especially in those times when children should be in bed and adults
will be watching these programs.
This change to the standards reflects society's changing
nature, and while I do not believe this is appropriate during children's time,
it is perfectly appropriate for adults who choose to view it. Those who do not choose to do so have only to
turn the dial or click the remote, and their insistence on the 'purity' of the
airwaves is an attempt by them to foist their own puritanical mores upon the
rest of us.
I believe these changes will NOT harm the public interest,
especially if they are restricted to 'after hours' programming, and are
appropriately labeled.
Notice that I'm not agitating for kids to be exposed to this language or boobies. In a perfect world, each and every kid will already have SEEN boobies, 'cause they were breast fed. Also, every kid will be in bed by the time this comes on. Remember, if you don't like it, you can vote with your remote...and let that 'invisible hand' of the free market decide.
So, really, this irritates me on two levels: first, it's a blatant attempt to coerce the State to regulate and enforce something that should be left up to the marketplace, and second, it's being pushed for all it's worth to scam money from the marks of the AFA. Granted, it's morally wrong to allow suckers to keep their money, and anybody who'd send money to the AFA is indeed a sucker...it still annoys me.
Isn't it interesting that so-called 'conservatives' go all State-y and "We gotta have REGULATIONS" when it's bad language, the human body, and the privacy of your own home involved.
Am I the only one who sees the hypocrisy here?
At any rate, the info is above. Make your voice heard, one way or another. Otherwise, you're not allowed to complain. Change the channel, yes. Complain, no.
