Save the Children
By Byron LaMasters
In light of recent indecency on television, our congressmen are responding. Read this bill for a good laugh:
HR 3687 IH
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3687
To amend section 1464 of title 18, United States Code, to provide for the punishment of certain profane broadcasts, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 8, 2003
Mr. OSE (for himself and Mr. SMITH of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
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A BILL
To amend section 1464 of title 18, United States Code, to provide for the punishment of certain profane broadcasts, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 1464 of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by inserting `(a)' before `Whoever'; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
`(b) As used in this section, the term `profane', used with respect to language, includes the words `shit', `piss', `fuck', `cunt', `asshole', and the phrases `cock sucker', `mother fucker', and `ass hole', compound use (including hyphenated compounds) of such words and phrases with each other or with other words or phrases, and other grammatical forms of such words and phrases (including verb, adjective, gerund, participle, and infinitive forms).'.
That's our Congressman (well representing part of Austin now), Lamar Smith. It's amusing, but sad that these are the "problems" our congressmen are focusing on when so many Americans have lost their jobs, so many Americans are without health care and when American soldiers are dying daily in Iraq.
Posted by Byron LaMasters at February 11, 2004 08:06 PM
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This reminds me of Senator Jesse Helms "cultural wars" against the NEA. It's the politics of mass distraction. How better to divert the attention of the Nation from the the death toll in Iraq, the deficit, unemployment, etc. - the truly weighty issues of the day? Create and wage a "culture war!"
Back in Peoria, folks might not focus e.g. on the cause and effect relationship between relaxed FDA approval standards and products that may kill them, but damnit, they get riled about someone saying "cocksucker" on TV.
I wonder if Ashcroft has a blue curtain in mind for Janet Jackson. It boggles the mind that these people waste time and money on this during a war, in which a good many soldiers don't have adequate flack jackets, if they have one at all--one example. When soldiers are being used for target practice, when Ken Lay is still running around a free man, when there are serious issues about national security, the Patriot Act, etc. If only people got this riled up about Social Security! I am dumbfounded.
