NationStates Jolt Archive

Did he go too far, or was he just exercising his right to free speech? Is this government intervention contradictory to the first amendment, or is it an attempt to "protect" the American public?

The FCC started cracking down on "indecency on the airwaves after the Janet Jackson Superbowl incident. Is this fair?

In the war against indecent behavior on radio and television, conservatives in Washington will have no trouble finding a fall guy. Howard Stern, self-professed king of all media, has been vowing to take on the Bush White House as it pursues its election-year agenda of cleaning up the nation's air waves. He will likely have his way as leader of the resistance. The question has always been whether Mel Karmazin, head of Viacom, which owns Infinity, will continue to stand behind Stern. We could well find out next week when the Federal Communications Commission is expected to levy a fine of $1.5 million against Infinity over Stern's on-air sex chatter.
Here is Stern talking to listeners about the coming fight.

On censoring his show . . .
"I firmly believe this company should no longer censor this program. I think we should do exactly what we have been doing for 10 years. Every time you hit the button, you are saying the FCC is right. Every time we hit the button, we are saying we're doing something wrong.
"And I suggest to you there is nothing wrong about this show.
"We are in a war. It's a cultural war. The Republican Party used to stand for -- and I supported this -- less government in your life, less intervention in your life, less control of your bedroom and your private life.
"They no longer stand for that. [Attorney General John] Ashcroft is out of control. He's looking to invade your bedroom. He doesn't want you watching porno. He doesn't want you looking at statues. He doesn't want you watching HBO. He doesn't want you to hear this show. It's absolutely out of control."

Indecency in our culture …
"Eight to 10 billion dollars a year is spent on porno in this country, and John Ashcroft is saying 'It's invading my life.' It's not invading your life. We're inviting it in. We like it.
"Why can't we admit that we're a country that likes outrageous humor. That likes to poke holes in society.
"Who are these people that are taking that away from us? It's Bush. It's Ashcroft. It's Colin Powell, Jr. They're winning. Fight them.”

On the future of his show . . .
"I am going off the air.
"I look forward to the day because those guys will make me bigger than life.
"Pass that Senate bill as quickly as you can. Do it now. Get me off the air.
"I am ready to be bigger than I've ever been. I'm ready to accept the responsibility."

-- Stern on "The Howard Stern Show," Tuesday, April 13, after learning that yet more fines were expected for his show.


He tells the truth and he preaches no hate. What's the problem?
Perhaps Rush Limbaugh should be taken off the air.

PROTECT FREE SPEECH!

~-_Cbass_-!~

he's on the freaking radio.
the only people who listen to him are the people who WANT to listen to him.
if you dont like what he has to say, dont listen
that he can be utterly vile has nothing to do with it. if im not in the mood to be offended, i dont turn to his show.

people know that howard stern says X and if they dont like it they dont have to listen. so the government should just F'uk off

Heh. Screw the FCC. I'll vote for whoever is for getting rid of the FCC.

Howard is the man.

Heh. Screw the FCC. I'll vote for whoever is for getting rid of the FCC.

Howard is the man.

Actually, the FCC -does- have a purpose beyond keeping dirty words and nipples from becoming public.

That is, making sure radiowaves and such-like don't start intersecting and screwing each other up.

hhmmmm......

We may find out if the Stern faithful are a larger voting demographic then the religous right if Stern can mobilize his audience to vote out Bush. When Bush I and Reagan went after art and rap I don't know that it had so much of an effect. That is "I don't know" in that I really don't know. I was only old enough to have an opinion on the matter, not enough to keep up on those kinds of numbers....

anyway, the point is that this time there is a more centralized audience. This will be interesting to watch.

Caveat: It is important to remember if you where going to vote for Bush and like what he's doing here, it's a null gain. You liked him before and still like him, no change. But the Stern faithful could have been Bush voters, this could change their vote. (In the quotes Stern alluded that he supported the republican party. It's far from a solid change of endorsement, but it is a possible change.)

Ja, fick die FCC. Die FCC ist invading on our bloody rights! They doch nicht hast die Right to determine Decency, also, that ist hard zu define legally. Also, this ist merely another Way that they bist showing that they bist intolerant auf other Opinions, und, erm, they kann nicht put ein radio Station out because auf this "Decency," und that ist because auf that Thing ich said before.

Um... ich kann nicht denk.... Heh... :P

Fear my pathetic grasp on German!

But really, the FCC was created to keep interference of airwaves from occuring. It was not created for "morality," and anywho, who's to define that, when not everyone will agree? I don't think that they should be able to take off Howard Stern for "indecency," nor anyone else. Personally, I think that the government should grow up, and realise that it is ultimately OUR decision to determine what is right and wrong on the airwaves, and thusly listen or not listen to it, NOT theirs.

i don't care to see a middle aged negresses bare breast, nor do i care to hear the degenerate rantings of a sex obseessed jew, but i believe that any censorship in america today is political censorship at its heart and only serves the interests of the paracites in control of this nation. therefore i oppose it, and defend the rights of degenerates hoping one day we will have a society that can do away with such ills in a positive and constructive way.

nor do i care to hear the degenerate rantings of a sex obseessed jew

Yeah, I stopped reading right there. That's offensive

nor do i care to hear the degenerate rantings of a sex obseessed jew

Yeah, I stopped reading right there. That's offensive

Pssh. You can't really expect anything less from him. His nation's name and flag is hint enough.

Personally, I think that the government should grow up, and realise that it is ultimately OUR decision to determine what is right and wrong on the airwaves, and thusly listen or not listen to it, NOT theirs.

Exactly. That's what makes this country a republic, not a democracy.

nor do i care to hear the degenerate rantings of a sex obseessed jew

Yeah, I stopped reading right there. That's offensive

okay i misspelled obsessed, sue me

nor do i care to hear the degenerate rantings of a sex obseessed jew

Yeah, I stopped reading right there. That's offensive

okay i misspelled obsessed, sue me

Im not going to discriminate based on your Nation Name but watch what you say. Please. And CAN u explain the name?

I thought Howard was funny in his own little offensive way. he was definatly practicing the right to free speech though, something the FCC should not have interviened in. Even though I support high levels of government involvment within society, I think there should be absolute minimums of censorship because the longer we (society) shelters kids and teens, the bigger the explosion is when it occurs. Look at the 60s for your example. There wasa high level of sexual repression within the 50s, the buttoned-up shirt era. Then, it exploded in the 60s and we had the era of free love and riots. If we want to prevent that from happening again (not that the free love was all that bad) we need to stop censorship.

nor do i care to hear the degenerate rantings of a sex obseessed jew

Yeah, I stopped reading right there. That's offensive

and the term "middle aged negresses" isnt?

nor do i care to hear the degenerate rantings of a sex obseessed jew

Yeah, I stopped reading right there. That's offensive

okay i misspelled obsessed, sue me

Im not going to discriminate based on your Nation Name but watch what you say. Please. And CAN u explain the name?

Initially established in May 1940 as SS Division (motorisierte) Germania, the title was altered only days later to SS Division (motorisierte) Wiking, being formed around a core of Reichdeutsche personnel fron the Germania Regiment, who had been transferred wholesale from the SS-Verfügungsdivision. To this core was added the two existing Germanic volunteer regiments Nordland and Westland. The first truly international division of the Waffen-SS, it numbered Germans (the majority), Dutch, Danes, Norwegians, Finns, Walloons, and Flemings among its personnel, together with a smattering of Volkdeutsche from the Balkans. The division first went into action in the southern sector of the Eastern Front, as far as possible from their countrymen fighting in the volunteer legions around Leningrad. It took part in the drive through th Caucausus and quickly earned itself a reputation for efficiency and dependability under fire. In late 1942, it was formed as a panzergrenadier division and played an important role in the ill-fated German armoured offensive at Kursk in July 1943. Although it suffered heavy losses, it achieved an excellent reputation, even earning the grudging respect of the Soviets in several battle reports for its pugnacious fighting spirit (Soviet commanders were always concerned to learn that thier troops were facing the soldier of the Wiking Division). In October 1943 the division was reformed yet again, and emerged as a fully fledged panzer division. The significance of this should not be under estimated. Considering the disdain shown for many of the foreign volunteer units by their German masters, the fact that a predominantly 'foriegn' division should be accorded panzer division status and equipped with the latest tanks was a tribute to the regard in which it was held. The 'Wikinger' were fast attaining an elite status to equal the best of the original Waffen-SS divisions. In February 1944, Wiking took part in the furious fighting around Cherkassy and suffered heavy losses, though its morale and espirit de corps remained high. Withdrawn into Poland, it took part in the defensive battles around Warsaw in the autumn of 1944 before moving south to assist in the attempt to relieve Budapest. When this failed the division was withdrawn into Austria, where it fought in the final battles to defend Vienna in 1945. The qualities of the Wiking Division as a combat unit are ably testified to by the number of Knights Crosses of the Iron Cross awarded to its soldiers. A total of 54 such gallantry awards were made, a figure surpassed only by the 73 of the Das Reich Division. The division was first commanded by SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner, one of the finest and most highly decorated soldiers of the Waffen-SS, who went on to command III Panzer Corps and the 11th Panzer Army. Steiner was followed by SS-Obergruppenführer Herbert Otto Gille, who was awarded the Swords, Oakleaves and Diamonds to the Knight's Cross for both his own, and his division's achievements in battle. The third commander was SS-Standartenführer Johannes M¸hlenkamp, who had already been awarded the Knight's Cross as commander of the division's panzer regiment, and was subsequently awarded the Oakleaves in recognition of his distinguished leadership of the division as a whole. Karl Ullrich, SS-Standartenführer and former Totenkopf Pioniere commander, was the last to command Wiking; he kept the divsion a formidible and equally high-moralled fighting force to the last. To the end the men of the division fought like tigers. In defeat they retained their pride in having given service above and beyond the call of duty, and to this day the phenomenal espirit de corps engendered within this elite division lives on through a thriving veterans organisation. The Wiking Division was without a doubt the finest of all the SS volunteer formations, and indeed of of the best units in the entire German armed forces.