Senate Passes Bill Raising Indecency Fines for U.S. TV, Radio Broadcasters

[Freddie Stubbs]

June 22 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Senate passed a bill to stiffen fines against broadcasters that air indecent content after singer Justin Timberlake bared Janet Jackson's breast at the Super Bowl halftime show.

The measure will raise Federal Communications Commission fines to $275,000 a violation and $3 million a day. In March, the House of Representatives passed a similar bill with higher fines that has been endorsed by President George W. Bush.

Television viewers filed more than half a million complaints with the FCC after the Feb. 1 Super Bowl incident aired on Viacom Inc.'s CBS, fueling Congressional plans to increase penalties.

Clear Channel, the U.S.'s largest radio network, agreed earlier this month to pay a record $1.75 million to settle complaints that it aired indecent comments by Howard Stern and other disc jockeys.

more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/economy/politics.html

[izzie]

1. Who will be the indecency police? Which Congress person?

We may feel good now that Ashcroft is not in Congress any more. Then we must get by Stevens who had to marry his last wife, or Hatch who sits on the right hand of God. I can not wait. Maybe DeLay?

[Freddie Stubbs]

6. The FCC will continue to enforce this

They simply voted to increase the penalties.

[leftistagitator]

2. 99-1, great, just great

Nice work there Senate Democrats. I guess that means Kerry voted for it too. Because we all know how scarred Americans were at the sight of that boob. Fucking middle america pantywaist "Won't somebody PLEASE think about the children" bullshit.

[Bo]

3. I agree, spinless dems at it again

99-1....and who will be the judge?
x( :puke:

[Bo]

4. Thats "spineless" dems are at it again

[Freddie Stubbs]

8. The FCC - same as now

[dusty64]

19. First we get the extreme American Taliban

outta power then we go for these corporate "Democratic" whores.

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. Everyone except Breaux voted agianst it

'Fucking middle america' is probably going to decide who wins the presidential election.

[leftistagitator]

9. We didn't gain a single vote by this.

There isn't an American stupid enough to vote for President based on whether or not Congressional Dems voted for an indecency bill to increase fines, at least none who would have voted for us. I bet no one except for us partisans and the Stern fans will even hear about it. We had a chance to stick up for our own, at no risk to us, and we acted like cowards, again. This is a huge slap in the face to Stern, who has been working hard to court the millions of independents who listen to him into voting for us. This wasn't just stupid, this was fucking stupid.

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. No, but we could have lost some votes on this

if Democrats had voted against it. It would have been somethin that Bush could have used to beat Democrats over the head with.

[sendero]

17. I really want...

... a Democratic controlled Senate, but not in the control of this bunch of utter simpering pussies.

Tom Daschle and his gang of Bush* enablers must go.

[Freddie Stubbs]

20. It wasn't just Daschle

Every Democrat in the Senate except one voted for this. do you think that they all voted for this simply because Tom Daschle told them to?

[sendero]

21. He..

... is the leader so he gets the heat. How can the senate ever get a spine when the leader is jellyfish?

[Freddie Stubbs]

24. Perhaps he and the other Democratic Senators actually believe in this

so if they had voted against it it would have been a sign of being 'spinelessness.'

[sendero]

26. In that case....

... change 'spineless' to 'moronic'

[Bo]

22. I agree 100%

Tom must go away, he a wimp.

[Freddie Stubbs]

25. Does that include Senator Kennedy?

He voted for this amendment.

[sendero]

28. At least he fights most of the time...

... the rest of them just bend over.

[indepat]

5. Does that include the indecency of pundits and Administration officials

lying to the American public? Or is that type of indeceny aok?

[Caution]

10. This was passed as a rider to the Military budget.

Did you really want dems to vote against a military budget they knew was going to pass and then have the GOP screaming "soft on terror! don't support the military!"

Seriously people, this one really pisses me off too, but don't jump to conclusions about things before you read more about it

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. They could have voted against this amendment

and still voted for the overall bill. They (all Democrats except Breaux) supported this amendment.

[leftistagitator]

14. OK, that's how the sneaky bastards did it

Well, I'm a little less pissed now at Senate Dems, vetoing the military budget would be a perfect attack point for the thugs to work with. It ought to be illegal, this has absolutly nothing to do with the military, how can this be a rider on it?

[Freddie Stubbs]

16. This vote was not a vote on the military budget

It was an amendment to the military budget. They could have opposed the amendment and later voted for the overall bill.

[MallRat]

13. Indecency bill was attached to defense bill. This was a no-win situation.

I hate these motherf*cking games they play with parliamentary procedure and bill drafting.

What the f*ck does broadcast decency have to do with DEFENSE SPENDING?!?!?!

-MR

[Freddie Stubbs]

15. They could have simply voted against the indecency amendment

and later voted for the entire bill. This 99-1 vote was ONLY about increasing the penalties for indecency.

[dusty64]

18. I can sleep better now

knowing that our nannies in Washington are looking out of us and deciding for us what is and what is not "decent". It is SO much better not to have to think about these things which could trouble our "beautiful minds" and have them do our thinking for us. Many believe speaking against our "leaders" is indecent and certainly hearing and seeing the bodies of those who have died in the mindless pursuit of our "leaders" agenda is obscene. I will certainly rest easy knowing that powell and his gang will be making these decisions for us (MAJOR sarcasm).

[smirkymonkey]

23. You know what's really indecent?

That a gang of criminals is running the country and wreaking death and destruction throughout the globe.

When do you think people will be outraged enough over THAT indecency to put a stop to it?

[NoBushLite]

27. Whither Free Speech

Couldn't the opposing senator have filibustered?

[Moderator]

29. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=638415