GOP Senator wants to regulate "decency" for Pay media...

Alright, here's a perfect example of how I will point out when a Republican is being a perfect A-hole. Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens wants to apply broadcast decency standards to cable television and subscription satellite TV and radio.

Look, I am a father of three and I really don't have much of a problem with the FCC trying to maintain some kind of standards for free media - broadcast TV and radio. But when a Senator advocates censorship for media that individuals pay for - which in most cases is to get the kind of material they can't get from the free media - that is WAY over the line.

Fortunately, there are cooler heads in the Senate:

Sen. George Allen, a Commerce Committee member and Virginia Republican, told reporters he would be "hesitant to expand it to those" services.

While lawmakers and some parents groups are anxious to wipe the airwaves clean of indecency after singer Janet Jackson bared her breast last year during the Super Bowl halftime show, President Bush has said parents are the first line of defense and can just "turn it off."

Sen. Allen, BTW, is a personal favorite of mine and someone I would support for the 2008 GOP nomination.

The Senator from Alaska, however, seems to be pursuing this with uncommon zeal.

Stevens said he disagreed "violently" with assertions by the cable industry that Congress does not have the authority to impose limits on its content.

"If that's the issue they want to take on, we'll take it on and let the Supreme Court decide," he said.

When members of the Senate make controversial public statements, it usually means one of two things: Either they are trying to make a national name for themselves to bolster their political ambitions or they are making a direct pitch to political donors.

Regardless of the case here, he's just plain wrong. And in the eyes of the voters, he's likely making a fool of himself. Stevens needs to back off - NOW. This is the kind of thing that raises the ire of more than just Libertarians.

UPDATE (12:12pm)
Ace of Spades weighs in with comments that are both laugh-out-loud funny and thought provoking.

Posted by: Gary at 09:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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