Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Compromised Virtue
Christmas is under attack, as you may have heard, by raging secularists who do not love Jesus. Thank goodness for people like Rush Limbaugh, who stand up for traditional American values--like his right to use the word "dick" on the air, and in a non-Cheney context at that. Atrios has the details, and suggests you e-mail the FCC to complain, which I did. (By the way, Atrios guest-hosts The Majority Report between 6 and 9 Central on Air America Radio tonight; Joe Conason has been sitting in for Al Franken this week.)
Speaking of FCC complaints, FCC chairman Michael Powell announced today that nobody's getting fined for airing the obscene language in Saving Private Ryan last month--although as Kevin at Lean Left notes, there's no coherent rationale for Powell's decision in the Ryan case. He can apparently fine whomever he wants whenever he wants, and figuring out where the line is drawn is not his concern.
The FCC is running right up against the dilemma of Potter Stewart, the Supreme Court justice who famously said of pornography, "I know it when I see it." Back in Stewart's day, 40 years ago, it was assumed that some things are simply not able to be legislated, and while some regrettable activities might go unregulated as a result, better that than to slide down a slippery slope into legally unsupportable repression. Stewart wasn't presumptuous enough to try and codify his personal preferences in law, but Powell and millions of other conservatives are flailing about trying to do just that, so we can expect more regulation by whim, I fear. For example, yesterday we learned that Powell's minions are examining footage of the Summer Olympics opening ceremonies to determine if anyone's virtue was compromised by the outlines of penises, or something--even though you could see the same thing elsewhere during the Olympic TV broadcasts, and can probably find it tonight somewhere on your own cable system in other contexts. Powell's obsessions prompted John at AMERICAblog to sneer, "Michael Powell seriously needs to get laid. And then fired."
Quote of the Day: From Wonkette stand-in "Joe Klein," noting that Bush participated in a menorah-lighting cermony last week in honor of Hanukkah: "You wouldn't necessarily think a holiday that celebrates the victory of a small band of religious insurgents over an occupying foreign power would be one of Bush's favorites."
Also worth reading today is the other blog by Dave Pell of Electablog, Davenetics, in which he reviews how well his predictions for 2004 turned out. I didn't make many predictions for 2004, but I am working up a list of my favorite posts of the year on this blog. It'll be up sometime around Christmas.
Christmas is under attack, as you may have heard, by raging secularists who do not love Jesus. Thank goodness for people like Rush Limbaugh, who stand up for traditional American values--like his right to use the word "dick" on the air, and in a non-Cheney context at that. Atrios has the details, and suggests you e-mail the FCC to complain, which I did. (By the way, Atrios guest-hosts The Majority Report between 6 and 9 Central on Air America Radio tonight; Joe Conason has been sitting in for Al Franken this week.)
Speaking of FCC complaints, FCC chairman Michael Powell announced today that nobody's getting fined for airing the obscene language in Saving Private Ryan last month--although as Kevin at Lean Left notes, there's no coherent rationale for Powell's decision in the Ryan case. He can apparently fine whomever he wants whenever he wants, and figuring out where the line is drawn is not his concern.
The FCC is running right up against the dilemma of Potter Stewart, the Supreme Court justice who famously said of pornography, "I know it when I see it." Back in Stewart's day, 40 years ago, it was assumed that some things are simply not able to be legislated, and while some regrettable activities might go unregulated as a result, better that than to slide down a slippery slope into legally unsupportable repression. Stewart wasn't presumptuous enough to try and codify his personal preferences in law, but Powell and millions of other conservatives are flailing about trying to do just that, so we can expect more regulation by whim, I fear. For example, yesterday we learned that Powell's minions are examining footage of the Summer Olympics opening ceremonies to determine if anyone's virtue was compromised by the outlines of penises, or something--even though you could see the same thing elsewhere during the Olympic TV broadcasts, and can probably find it tonight somewhere on your own cable system in other contexts. Powell's obsessions prompted John at AMERICAblog to sneer, "Michael Powell seriously needs to get laid. And then fired."
Quote of the Day: From Wonkette stand-in "Joe Klein," noting that Bush participated in a menorah-lighting cermony last week in honor of Hanukkah: "You wouldn't necessarily think a holiday that celebrates the victory of a small band of religious insurgents over an occupying foreign power would be one of Bush's favorites."
Also worth reading today is the other blog by Dave Pell of Electablog, Davenetics, in which he reviews how well his predictions for 2004 turned out. I didn't make many predictions for 2004, but I am working up a list of my favorite posts of the year on this blog. It'll be up sometime around Christmas.
