Thomas Jefferson said, "The government that governs least, governs best." Jefferson no doubt would take issue with the current government in Washington that wants to govern more and more, increasingly incroaching on the liberty of its citizens. President Bush is hellbent on tearing down Jefferson's "wall of separation" between church and state. Personal phone calls are monitored for signs of "terrorist" activity. Emails are scanned and catalogued. Now the FCC is even getting on board the "Destroy Freedom" bandwagon.
The Washington Post is reporting that the Federal Communications Commission is proposing a new law to allow it the power to regulate violence content on cable and satellite television. As with most censorship programs, the excuse is protection of children. "For God's sake, think of the children!!"
Congress has already mandated a solution to protect the children. Every television sold in the country contains the V-Chip, which gives censorship power to the people in whose hands it belongs . . . parents. Not only that, but cable and satellite providers build in parental controls into their decoder boxes.
Every time a violent act shows up on the national news, the government uses it as an excuse to further get themselves into our personal lives. After the shootings at Columbine High School, there were cries from the neofascists to outlaw video games and music they didn't approve of. The attacks of September 2001 gave rise to the infamous USA PATRIOT Act. Now, with the senseless killings at Virginia Tech, we see a renewed effort to censor television.
Constitutional experts say it will be an uphill constitutional battle for the FCC, especially for cable and satellite. That is because people have to actively subscribe to get them, unlike over-the-air signals. Still, with the overstepping of government in the last few years into personal matters, I take nothing for granted. Otherwise, I fear for the possibility of my grandchildren living in a totalitarian fascist state by the time they are grown. Freedom is their legacy and their right; but the theocrats, neocons, dominionists, and John Birch Society types will not be satisfied until the jack boots are goosestepping down your street.
