Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS) has joined with three other House members to introduce the Protecting Children from Indecent Programming Act, a bill which would clarify the FCC’s ability to fine a broadcaster for an act of indecency no matter how fleeting it may be. The bipartisan roster of co-sponsors includes Jim Matheson (D-UT), Mike McIntyre (D-NC) and Joseph Pitts (R-PA).
"As the father of five sons, I have a vested interest in what broadcasters present over the public airwaves. We do not want our children to grow up with the mindset that certain behavior and language is OK," Pickering said. "I speak for our families in Mississippi, as well as across the country – we deserve a peace of mind when watching television with our family and expect a level of decency in our programming."
The bill is basically a response to a court ruling earlier this year that shot down the FCC’s assertion that it could ignore its own age-old requirement that an indecency offense must be more than a fleeting, unintentional event to warrant punitive action. "We can continue to raise our children as respectable, responsible, and honorable individuals – who know right from wrong, and who know once is enough," Pickering concluded.
RBR/TVBR observation: With all the things that are going on in the world at any given moment, and we’re old enough to know if it isn’t a million things, it’s a million other things, it never ceases to amaze us that politicians have time to fret about the possibility that somebody might hear: a word. And frankly, we’re sick of politicians telling us they’re doing it to protect our children. Should we take Pickering at his word and believe that our children are NOT growing up to be "respectable, responsible, and honorable individuals" because of this poisonous allegedly media atmosphere? Maybe we should start taking statements like Pickering’s as a personal insult, because our children are doing just fine without his help. We don’t want Congress spending any more time on this idiotic speech-chilling windmill tilt.
