Paul Levinson vs. Brent Bozell on the First Amendment

Brent Bozell, then President of the Parents Television Council, says he welcomes FCC fines for alleged "indecent" broadcasting, because such fines help create "a culture of responsibility". I say the fines violate the First Amendment, and are creating a culture of fear - in which, for example, many TV stations refused to air "Saving Private Ryan" on Veteran's Day 2004. See also http://paullevinson.blogspot.com/2007/07/flouting-of-first-amendment-transcri...

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Paul
• Levinson
• Brent
• Bozell
• Parents
• Television
• Council
• FCC
• Saving
• Private
• Ryan
• First
• Amendment
• Janet
• Jackson

[striken4pot]

ok, there should be no debates on this topic at all ever, the FCC should not even be a legal organization, because of the obvious reason that is in all of our faces, but we look over, THE 1ST AMENDMENT! Everything about the FCC COMPLETELY goes against the 1st amendment. I mean what has this country come to, people can't even follow the original amendments!! I believe if the founding fathers saw America today, they would just shoot them selves in shame.

[PLev20062006]

@striken4pot Yes, indeed - though the Supreme Court's decision yesterday (striking down California's ban on video games) suggests that, a long last, the Court may be coming around to respect the First Amendment.

[SSPenn]

I agree kids shouldn't watch Saving Private Ryan. That's why, if I had kids, I wouldn't let them watch it. But I wouldn't demand that my opinion be mandated on everyone. I would much less want my kids to watch one of Pat Robertson's hate rants, but I'm not demanding that he be taken off the air either. 

[PLev20062006]

@SSPenn Well said!

[a7xdudeluver1]

Pal Levinson is awsome =)

[PLev20062006]

@a7xdudeluver1 Thank you!

[r31ncarnat3d]

Refusing to air Saving Private Ryan is an outright disgrace.

Soldiers died during WWII. They were shot, dismembered, had their guts hanging out, bled to death, and died in almost every way imaginable. To deny our fallen heroes of their story is a disgrace to everything they died for.

How about next time, we censor Shindler's List because it talks about the Holocaust, where 6 million people were murdered. After all, murder is bad, right?

Damn oversensitive pussies.

[DrStrangeweird]

it's common knowledge that parents suck, but in all fairness, it comes with the job. but anybody who uses kids as an argument to limit everyone else's rights should automatically lose said argument. It looks like the parental control function is still alien technology to these cranky old fuckers. Blaming entertainment is the first sign of shitty parenting.

[JdmDRFTkid]

yeahhh there you go....lets shelter kids from the reality of what happened in the past and how the whole world was in a war, and seeing the everyday life of what was done to end it. Play the movie, parents use discretion.

[striken4pot]

@PLev20062006 Oh, that's great. You know, the difference between these two men is that Mr. Brent is an opinion type of person, and Mr. Paul is more of a fact type of person.

[jimmofosty]

@SonicFamilyGal People can say whatever they want about television. It's called Parental Control... Seriously, you can block television channels you don't want your kids to watch. But kids will be kids and adults will be adults. I just think it's wrong and condescending for people to look down upon others.

[SonicFamilyGal]

@jimmofosty Hell yeah! We all know it's better to be BRAVE, especially since we all know the vast importance of DILIGENCE being one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues and content supposedly gets GRITTIER and GRITTIER as we get OLDER!

[SonicFamilyGal]

@MrSeaners18 Hell yeah! Do people think that children will be bored to death when parents and teachers actually SPEAK face-to-face in front of them??

[SonicFamilyGal]

@r31ncarnat3d Hell yeah! Those two films are 100% EDUCATIONAL enough to be shown in HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES! That's right, PTC- R-rated films can be EDUCATIONAL, so TAKE THAT!!

[SonicFamilyGal]

@manny4life Hell yeah! That organization makes American teenagers CRY!!

[Debunka]

Wait, didn't Bozo say he was fine with Saving Private Ryan because of the "context"? And isn't his problem with the swearing and not the violence?