Wednesday November 30, 2005

But If We Cancel The O.C., Won’t The Terrorists Win?

According to various news accounts, yesterday’s Senate séance on media indecency—I assume it was a séance; Jack Valenti was there—went off more or less as expected. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin cited statistics generated by his friends at the Parents Television Council while threatening to bring the content of cable and satellite broadcasts under the FCC’s watchful eye. Martin, PTC chief Brent Bozell, and others also lobbied for an à la carte programming tier for cable and satellite systems so parents can stop MTV from flowing, willy-nilly, into their children’s minds. The FCC previously rejected this idea, on economic grounds, and Bozell & Co.’s natural allies, the televangelists absolutely hate it, since nearly everyone would opt out of their sermons if given a chance. Just another day at the witch trials.

But one of the day’s more bizarre comments came from Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller, who also co-chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee. Apparently desperate to make the proceedings fit into his area of expertise, Rockefeller outlined the worst effect yet of broadcast indecency. It causes terrorism. Oh yeah. Here’s what he said:

It’s really quite amazing the effect that American television has on jihadists, or on young people around the world, and what a violation [it is] of their view of what life is and what a clear vision they seem to get from this of the way American life is. That’s something that should worry us a great deal, because I think the creation of jihadists who eventually want us is a many-layered effort, but I think the television that we make available is certainly one of them, as is the case with some radio.

Well, at least not all radio causes terrorism.

Posted by jim at 02:49 PM ||