Commerce committee meeting on 1/19/06 -- will Kerry be there?

[beachmom]

Look, I just read a rip roaring post on www.buzzmachine.com:

http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/01/10/hearing-whom-not-us/

Jeff Jarvis, who I often don't agree with, but who is a champion for free speech, wanted to testify before the commerce committee on decency rules. He wants to talk specifically about how the FCC has tried to shut down free speech on broadcast stations, talking about Howard Stern, who was incessantly fined by the FCC over the years. Also read his op-ed link which I found very interesting. Sen. Lautenberg blew him off and he won't be allowed to testify (to be fair, maybe it was Lautenberg's staffers who only saw the fax).

I was just wondering if Sen. Kerry will be there that day, what his opinion on this issue is, and if there is any way to help out Jeff Jarvis. Jarvis is a liberal hawk who caters to the Right too much on media issues. Those are his negatives, but his positives are that he endorsed Kerry for president and he has an audience of Right and Left which makes his blog unique. He definitely is an anti-theocon, and finds the 700 Club "indecent". My fantasy would be that Kerry, if in agreement with Jarvis on this issue, could help him out, and then Jarvis would intermittently praise Kerry on his pretty high traffic blog. Any chance of this? Or is Stevens going to remain too pissy about ANWR to listen to Kerry on anything? And what IS Kerry's take on organizations like the Parents Research Council who are trying to censor everything with their false campaigns. How will he vote on this?

[TayTay]

1. I think Sen. Kerry is in Iraq that day.

However, according to C-Span today, the vote on Judge Alito's appointment to the Supreme Court is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 20th. Debate on said appointment on the floor of the Senate (as opposed to in the Judiciary Comm) starts next WEd.

Maybe he will come back early. I dont think he is going to that decency hearing though. I think he will still be in Iraq.

[beachmom]

2. Thanks for the info, Tay Tay

I didn't realize until I read Jeff's post, that there are 4 different decency issues to discuss (not just the child pornography). There is this very bad idea in Congress (I know McCain supports this) that wants to change cable to a la carte. This would, in effect, IMO lead to higher prices and a LOT of cable stations would go out of business. I have small children but I'm not freaked out about content on TV because I supervise my kids. But the religious right is interested more in censorship than really helping parents -- this actually may be the case where they go too far, because Americans are, well, a bunch of couch potatoes, and if they find out that their favorite shows are going to be pulled or censored, they will get mighty cranky.

Anyway, given Kerry's full plate, I suppose this isn't one of his big issues, but I am really curious how he feels about it. Of course, Hillary is probably for censorship, as she did that major speech on condemning violent video games. I'm a free speech gal myself.

[TayTay]

3. This is a much more involved subject

Go read the last three paragraphs from the thread about violence and gangs. This is where 'worlds merge.' There are significant arguments over where society encourages violence through the media and the discussion is open and broad and open to a lot of points of view. I anticpate this to only grow.

[beachmom]

4. I hadn't seen that thread, so thanks for the heads up

I am absolutely relieved to see that JK has an opinion on this I greatly admire. It's neither productive nor effective to condemn Hollywood for the violence on our streets. Instead, what works best is to watch the TV that makes us laugh or inspires us, and the ratings will follow . . . I actually am a pretty big free marketeer in regards to the entertainment industry (after all there is a flourishing independent film industry within it), and I can't understand why the so called free market Republicans aren't too. Some stuff does go too far, but that's where free speech works -- first and foremost by not watching or buying it and secondly, by voicing one's opinion about what was wrong with it, and why it's not appropriate for our society. But the religious right go beyond that by bullying the FCC into slapping people like Howard Stern and stations with huge fines, while the SBVT ads can run all they want. Nothing free market about that IMO.