U.S. Wrong to Strike FCC Indecency Policy

By: American Decency Staff

I was asked on an MSNBC news show interview shortly after the Janet Jackson Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunctionâ€Â whether I thought the FCC should involve itself more aggressively in enforcing the FCC standards for indecency. My concern then is the same as now.   In our local communities the police prevent our communities from becoming lawless.  Without their intervention, basic patterns of human civility would be tossed out the window. The FCC is given the responsibility of enforcing established decency standards to safeguard time-honored standards of decency.   Many of us have watched with great concern the degrading of American airwaves since the 1960s. If only it was just merely a pet peeve and nothing more.   But, it’s tragic and concerning to see the filth and profanity that is piped over our airwaves. We are losing America (if we haven’t already) in part because we have allowed reprobates to win control of our airwaves.  These “entertainment mogulsâ€ÂÂ  learned to manipulate the legal system to open the airwaves to sexual immorality, pornography and indecency –  desensitizing our nation’s eyes, ears and moral sensibilities with little to no concern for the children, families and morality of this country. I say all of this to report the following via Pat Trueman, former head of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Enforcement Section at the Justice Department.   His press release (below) reports yet another attack upon standards of decency.  If this ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2^nd Circuit (liberal) is ultimately upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court the “F wordâ€Â could become commonplace over the public airwaves. Press Release: U.S. Court Wrong to Strike FCC Indecency Policy Contact Patrick A. Trueman p.trueman@verizon.net 703-938-1776 For Immediate Release Washington, DC (July13, 2010) = “A ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for 2^nd Circuit today declaring unconstitutional the Federal Communications Commission’s indecency policy seems foolish on it face,â€Â said Patrick A. Trueman, former chief of the U.S. Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in Washington, D.C. “How is the American public to understand that federal judges don’t know that use of the “F-wordâ€Â is indecent during prime-time television?â€Â  This ruling only increases the public’s belief that government is out of touch with the public and out of step with the U.S. Constitution, Trueman added. The court found that FCC policy was, "unconstitutionally vagueâ€Â and creates a “chilling effectâ€Â on broadcasters. Trueman said, “There is nothing vague about federal indecency law which has been in effect for decades and has always been though to prohibit the “F-word on primetime television. Trueman predicted that there will be no chilling effect on broadcasters if the U.S. Supreme Court upholds this bad ruling. “Broadcasters will have a green light to pump indecent language and perhaps much more into the homes of families at will.â€Â “Rock singer Bono has no more right to shout, "f***ing brilliant" in the homes of unsuspecting American families than we would have in his,â€Â Trueman said. “He made himself an uninvited guest of those families that believed honorees at the Grammys would respect the norms of civilized discourse on broadcast television. Similarly, the indecent comments of singer/actress Cher and actress Nicole Richie are out of place in the homes of those families who thought that network television represented a safe haven for family viewing. Trueman represented the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family in filing a “friend of the courtâ€Â brief in this case; Fox Television Stations v. Federal Communications Commission. He is currently heading up the War on Illegal Pornography, a national coalition effort to get federal laws against illegal adult pornography enforced. His websites include http://pornharms.com and http://www.youtube.com/user/PornHarms. The opinion in Fox Television Stations v. Federal Communications Commission may be found here: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/indecency.pdf ================================ Your support is important to our ability to make a difference: donate online at:  https://secure4.afo.net/ada/donate.php American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph: 231-924-4050 www.americandecency.org www.twitter.com/billwjohnson

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