Cable, satellite next in line for indecency fines?

[AlecWest]

Consider moving to Eastern Europe /Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia etc./.

Some of us are (grin). I particularly like the region of Croatia called Istria, with prices for housing and amenities just as you suggested. Ah, yes, I can feel a warm Western breeze off the Adriatic right now. And contrary to popular belief, a lot of people over there speak English (and Croatian, and Italian, and German, etc.).

Reminds me of a joke:

Question - What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages?
Answer - Bilingual.

Question - What do you call someone who speaks 3 or more languages?
Answer - Multilingual.

Question - What do you call someone who speaks only 1 language?
Answer - An American.

[paulw]

Any one seen the move A Handmaids Tale.?? See it and you will see where the US of A is heading. Quite frightening..

[AlecWest]

Any one seen the move A Handmaids Tale.?? See it and you will see where the US of A is heading. Quite frightening..

Interesting. A 1990 movie that completely missed my attention. I'd never even heard of it until you mentioned it ... and it sounds like something right up my alley (grin). Fortunately, my local rental store is still open for an hour or so ... so, I think I'll give it a go. If I like it, Amazon Marketplace has it going for $13.88. And Margaret Atwood is a damn fine Canadian writer, too ... with Amazon Marketplace selling a used copy of the novel for only $4.75.

Hmm... have you read the novel, too? Does the movie follow it well?

[AlecWest]

P.S. Just got back from the store. They didn't have "The Handmaid's Tale" for rental. But, they did have a new DVD of it on sale for $14.99 (cheaper than Amazon if the shipping is added in). So, I said what the Hell and bought it. If I don't like it (not likely), I can always donate it to my library and use it as a tax write-off.

[JohnnyCNote]

Reminds me of a joke:

Question - What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages?
Answer - Bilingual.

Question - What do you call someone who speaks 3 or more languages?
Answer - Multilingual.

Question - What do you call someone who speaks only 1 language?
Answer - An American.

What about an American who speaks 3 languages fluently, along with 3 others passably? I do appreciate the joke, however, as it explains why I haven't pursued a higher degree in Russian. I'd be lucky to find a job teaching high school if I did, and it wouldn't be teaching Russian....

[AlecWest]

What about an American who speaks 3 languages fluently, along with 3 others passably? I do appreciate the joke, however, as it explains why I haven't pursued a higher degree in Russian. I'd be lucky to find a job teaching high school if I did, and it wouldn't be teaching Russian....

The joke was told to me by a person of foreign origin (grin). But, in most cases it's true. I tried to learn Russian when I was younger but it was just too hard for me then. I might try again after I retire. And, I took a year of German in college ... and have forgotten nearly all of it. I suspect that to truly learn another language well, I'd have to be "immersed" in it on a daily basis. One of my possible retirement destinations may be in the region of Croatia called Istria ... where many people are multilingual (English, Italian, Croatian, German, etc.). That's the benefit to most American expatriates ... that, in most countries, English is usually spoken by some people. I think it would be a lot easier for Americans to move to another country and learn native language(s) by immersion that it would be for people who don't speak English to move to America ... where a lot of people are a bit snobbish about English.

FWIW, just the other day, a judge in a Tennessee court told a Spanish-speaking woman he might take her child away from her if she doesn't learn English:

http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=22413&pid=1260

[lumis]

in the future, when the parents television coucil has its way you will be restricted on what you can watch.

here is their list of approved shows:

7TH HEAVEN
AMERICAN IDOL THE SEARCH FOR A SUPERSTAR
Candid Camera Pax
DOC
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND
Extreme makeover: HOME EDITION
ITS A MIRACLE
JUST CAUSE
LIFE WITH BONNIE
LIKE FAMILY
LISTEN UP
MARRIED TO THE KELLYS
SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH
SEVENTH HEAVEN
STAR SEARCH
STEVE HARVEY'S BIG TIME
SUE THOMAS: F.B.EYE

all those shows suck.

http://www.parentstv.org

someone should start a "parents free speech council"

[AlecWest]

SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH

Some sticky beaks are more stuck up than others. PTV might find this show OK, but I'll bet it's on the hate list of Don Wildman and the American Family Association. BTW, I visited their site:

http://www.parentstv.org

and checked out their "Worst Clip Of The Week" link. It's an interesting clip from VH1:

http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/clips/SurrealLife2.wmv

What's interesting about that is, on the PTC homepage, they say they're OK with "Saving Private Ryan" (blood, guts, dismemberment, decapitation) ... but God help our kids if we show them (shudder) spanking!!!

Boy, the cops should go after the person who forced that PTC member (at gunpoint) to subscribe to VH1 and put them in jail.

[AlecWest]

P.S. I took my kid to see the first Harry Potter film when it came out. And Wildman and his American Family Association were out in force, holding placards denouncing the film as evil. I tried to get my kid to help me do a practical joke but he didn't want to do it, hehehe. After we came out of the theater, I wanted him to do a short "skit" with me within earshot of the protestors:

Son - Gee, Dad, when I grow up, can I be a warlock like Harry Potter?

Me - Sure, Son, as long as it's OK with your mom. Matter of fact, tell you what I'll do. Let's go to Waldenbooks. I'll get you a copy of the Satanic Bible and the Necronomicon to get you started.

Son - Gee, Dad, you're swell!

(both of us then running to my car for our dear lives, hehe)

[Gillies]

hooray for right-wing conservatism
i so love prudish christians. i cant beleive they censored "shit happens", it's one of the main parts of forrest gump. so what, does the sticker guy who says "whoa, u just stepped in a huge pile of shit" say "whoa, u just stepped in a huge pile of it" ? and such an insignificant word too... in Australia, shit wouldnt even register.

[fritzi93]

Oh, give the religion and politics a rest. I know it's hard, given the subject of the thread.

Ideologies (all kinds) make otherwise smart people think/say/do retarded things.

[EvilWizardGlick]

The Idiocy seems to be spreading.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1280150

Times
By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent

AN EVANGELICAL pressure group set up to fight the BBC demonstrated outside Broadcasting House in Central London yesterday with the symbolic destruction of a large widescreen television screen.

The Christian Congress for Traditional Values is demanding a stronger emphasis on the sanctity of marriage and family life in the corporation’s drama, documentary and news output.

The group, which is threatening a series of high-profile protests if its demands are not met, says that the BBC is failing to represent family life as experienced by the majority of people. It says that the corporation is instead obsessed with “alternative lifestyles”.

The new group’s protest was timed to coincide with the publication of the Green Paper on future funding of the BBC.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,173-1508599,0...

[BJ_M]

this pretty close to what most cable hbo shows will sound like

http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=sopranosparody

[AlecWest]

Oh, give the religion and politics a rest. I know it's hard, given the subject of the thread.

It's more than hard, it's literally impossible. It's a chicken or egg situation ... which came first, the programming or objections to the programming ... and of course, from whom did the objections come? Indecency constraints on video is a valid topic ... and to discuss it properly, the origins of these constraints ends up being fair game.

The TimesOnline story is a good example ... about a conservative Christian pressure group trying to dictate policy to the BBC. And as an argument, their leader used a 2001 census figure showing 42,000,000 citizens registered as Christian. I left a brief note on the TimesOnline site:

Just because 42,000,000 citizens registered as Christians in the 2001 census doesn't mean they also registered as stuck-up sticky-beaks. In your country as well as mine, I suspect most Christians are tolerant of viewpoints that differ from their own. It's only the fringe element, the squeaky wheels, that demand grease. If there was such an overwhelming disgust for programming among Christians, all 42,000,000 of them would be in the streets protesting. And, I suspect the protestors showed up in far, far fewer numbers. Let them squeak and ignore them.

Hope they print it. 8)

[fritzi93]

Alec, that makes two of the most intelligent posts I've seen, and in the same thread too.

When things take a turn towards overly wide generalizations about groups...well, it gets my goat.

[Gregg]

JohnnyCNote: Don't worry, Putin resides very far from the countries mentioned.
Oh, and just to remind you that all beaches are topless /by the way some women really shouldn't do it.../.

In the next 5 to 10 years I see G. Orwell's "1984" implemented far beyond his imagination. Expect chip implants /containing ALL the information about you including your DNA / to become mandatory since birth and be imposed on everybody. Excuses for that can be easily found and are already floating around.

Enjoy!

[Xylob the Destroyer]

...President Bush has said parents are the first line of defense and can just "turn it off."...

WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!!!
are you kidding me?
this guy is talking about crazy-ass hair-brained concepts like "personal responsibility" and "parenting"
where the hell does he get off???
you can't just expect American parents to actually take an active role in raising their kids. TELEVISION is supposed to raise kids dammit...
stupid Texan, what the hell was he thinking? i call for an impeachment

[Gritz]

A little common sense would go a long ways ... I say, fine the bast---- , or better yet .... fine the hell out of them for all the excess commercials! It's public airwaves .... and I'm public too .... If people want to wallow around in all the mindless trash I really could care less ... but I would like to see some consideration for the few of us who would like to watch a whole movie all the way through without hearing f--- you every 10 seconds, or having to wade through 10 commercials every 15 minutes. Jeeeez. DVD looks better all the time ....

[EvilWizardGlick]

JohnnyCNote: Don't worry, Putin resides very far from the countries mentioned.
Oh, and just to remind you that all beaches are topless /by the way some women really shouldn't do it.../.
Enjoy!

Mmm, topless eastern European women. Irma Bunt and Rosa Klebb shakin it.



God they all DO look alike.

[jntaylor63]

Guys, this isn't going to happen:

1.) Money talks and votes in the USA. (sad but true) The Sat and Cable companies will pitch a bitch-fit and scream that it will runin their business.

2.) Someone (Private or Business) will fight the bill and how it is against the 1st admen.

3.) High courts will rule that the FCC has no place to regulate private business that sells its legal content.

But, we should all do our part.

1.) Call your cable / sat provider and bitch about it.
2.) Contact your state rep. and remind they about that whole freedom of speach thing.
3.) If does pass, cancel your service! (Money talks and votes in the USA)

What really buggs me is that with these ultra right-wing, bible thumping nuts is that sex is bad yet violence is ok. What about that whole, Thou Shall Not Kill thing. How many shows do we watch where someone is killed by an other. Won't that polute my mind and soul and make me want to start killing?

[BJ_M]

i trust that you ARE joking right ?


because

1. it already didnt work and the big 4 companies that own almost all the tv and radio stations have already proven they will do nothign to piss off the fcc, the fcc is not swayed by votes nor money ....

2. already fought and lost - get over it, there is very little freedom of speech any longer - even reporters are required to show their sources -- further, the list gets pretty long , but im not going to trun this into a political debate ..

3. cant happen - already went there and lost ..


you can call your operator and bitch - that and a 1$ might get you a cup of coffee .. but every year they have to renew their lic, there is acually a way to then bitch then ....

you can contact your rep - that IS a very good idea ..

cancel your service -- if enough do it , good ..

[Phantom Of The Opera]

Consider moving to Eastern Europe /Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia etc./.

Reminds me of a joke:

Question - What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages?
Answer - Bilingual.

Question - What do you call someone who speaks 3 or more languages?
Answer - Multilingual.

Question - What do you call someone who speaks only 1 language?
Answer - An American.

Question What do you call someone who doesn't even speak one language well?
Answer Dubya.

[Gritz]

We've got English down pretty good, seems to work in this country anywhere you go ..... no need to go further!

[BJ_M]

english works pretty well around the world now -- more or less ....

[Gurm]

Of course what you're all overlooking is that the FCC doesn't have the authority to fine ANYONE, even the broadcast stations.

The FCC is an ADVISORY body, it has no regulatory power by charter.

[JimJohnD]

Maybe someone can develop a V-Chip to implant in the back of their necks. That way when they see or hear something "objectionable" their brains will tune it out. With our country sliding into bankruptcy one would think they would have more important things to worry about than something people can take of with an OFF SWITCH!

[AlecWest]

Maybe someone can develop a V-Chip to implant in the back of their necks. That way when they see or hear something "objectionable" their brains will tune it out.

That may have already happened (grin). Remember that CourtTV case where a woman was suing a male coworker because he used the word "penis" in her presence, causing her to faint? I saw a clip of this. She's either a heckuva good actress or, when the word was uttered, something really snapped in her brain ... causing her to faint. The judge threw the case out of court.

[zleepy]

In 1949,I came to a USA, when Presidents didn't have a Christmas tree because USAers saw it as giving $$ to the Jesus killers.

My neighbors would break windows of businesses that opened on Sunday, a Holy Day of rest.

Primary to hi schools were forced to constantly brainwash their students w/ "USA is the best because we're free." Some (very few) teachers added, "don't believe this. If you practice these freedom, bad things will happen to you."

fritz93 is ignorant of a group called most-Americans and how true broad generalizations can be.
Oh and the arrogance of the ignoramus:

Alec, that makes two of the most intelligent posts I've seen, and in the same thread too. thumbs_up!!!

When things take a turn towards overly wide generalizations about groups...well, it gets my goat. pinch!!! redface!!!

I can picture what happens to fritz's house in the 40's-50's after decorating it for xmas. You can take that generalization & do your usual thing with it.

[EvilWizardGlick]

In 1949,I came to a USA, when Presidents didn't have a Christmas tree because USAers saw it as giving $$ to the Jesus killers.

My neighbors would break windows of businesses that opened on Sunday, a Holy Day of rest.

Primary to hi schools were forced to constantly brainwash their students w/ "USA is the best because we're free." Some (very few) teachers added, "don't believe this. If you practice these freedom, bad things will happen to you."

fritz93 is ignorant of a group called most-Americans and how true broad generalizations can be.
Oh and the arrogance of the ignoramus:

Alec, that makes two of the most intelligent posts I've seen, and in the same thread too. thumbs_up!!!

When things take a turn towards overly wide generalizations about groups...well, it gets my goat. pinch!!! redface!!!

I can picture what happens to fritz's house in the 40's-50's after decorating it for xmas. You can take that generalization & do your usual thing with it.

Sounds like what is happening today.
Check this idiocy out.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4365999.stm
"Viewers at a US test screening judged films which contradicted religious descriptions of man's origins as "blasphemous", the New York Times said.

As a result science films were denied screenings in approximately 12 large-screen Imax cinemas. "

How sad and dark ages can the US go.

[fritzi93]

In 1949,I came to a USA, when Presidents didn't have a Christmas tree because USAers saw it as giving $$ to the Jesus killers.

My neighbors would break windows of businesses that opened on Sunday, a Holy Day of rest.


Primary to hi schools were forced to constantly brainwash their students w/ "USA is the best because we're free." Some (very few) teachers added, "don't believe this. If you practice these freedom, bad things will happen to you."

fritz93 is ignorant of a group called most-Americans and how true broad generalizations can be.
Oh and the arrogance of the ignoramus:

Alec, that makes two of the most intelligent posts I've seen, and in the same thread too. thumbs_up!!!

When things take a turn towards overly wide generalizations about groups...well, it gets my goat. pinch!!! redface!!!

I can picture what happens to fritz's house in the 40's-50's after decorating it for xmas. You can take that generalization & do your usual thing with it.

What's eating you? You don't know the first damn thing about me. I could make a generalization or two myself, but I don't think I'll bother.