The FCC and ritual warfare with the skin of a pig

Today’s blatherMission is to go to the FCC hearing in Seattle.  The hearing is on proposed rules that would allow more media consolidation.  This is a ruling that will affect, for many years to come, everyone who snatches their media from the air waves. 

The meeting will be held today, November 30th, at the Seattle Public Library from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Why bother?  Here are a couple of reasons.

First, if you live in the Washington 8th Congressional District, your Congressman, Rep. Dave Reichert, doesn’t know what “Media Consolidation” means.  He’s too busy investigating global warming or something.  From a recent debate:

PANELIST RYAN BLETHEN: Do you believe the FCC should push changes wanted by media conglomerates? If so, does Congress need to create laws that promote local and diverse ownership of the press and media?

DAVE REICHERT: That's an issue that I am not familiar with, and I will have to pass on that question.

So don’t expect much representation from your Representative.

The second reason is this.  A couple of Fridays ago, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Bush’s re-nomination of the Honorable Kevin J. Martin as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.  Martin was promoted to the FCC Chair following the resignation of Michael Powell in 2004.  Even though he doesn’t look a day over 17 years, Martin proved he is wise beyond his photogenically ascertained years by issuing a confirmation statement so bland, so generic that it could only come from either a lawyer or someone who has lost any sense of youthful challenge (or both).

Martin is widely recognized as a champion of censuring naughty language and prurient visual material from the public airwaves, and imposing huge fines for lascivious violations like the accidental exposure for 1.82 seconds of a 40 year old sagging breast on national TV in the middle of a ritual warfare contest.  Needless to say, Martin is also a free market zealot who believes the invisible hand of the market will result in God's media wishes being fulfilled to perfection.  By comparison, Martin’s predecessor, Michael Powell looks downright liberal.   Given the grip that the righteous righties have on the Commission (3 of 5 seats), a strong public showing of the opinion of the REAL majority is critical.

Speaking of ritual warfare contests in which each side fights over an object made of pig-skin (in clear violation of Leviticus 11, verse 8 in which God points out to Moses and Aaron, "Of their [pig] flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you"), did you catch The Reverend Ken Hutcherson yesterday on the KTTH 770 AM morning show?  The 30 minutes I caught was a hellfire and brimstone rant against porn on the internet and the outragesness of libraries refusing to block any site that might make your grandmother (or Hon. Kevin Martin) blush.  One caller even pointed out that the library is the perfect place to surf porn because there are lots of children wandering around to serve as objects of (additional?) fixation (as if people who look at nakedness on the internet are also pedophiles—which would pretty much imply that ninety-some percent of males who go on-line should be thrown in prison).

(I once tried to open up a friendly dialog with the robust Reverend.  Alas, all I’ve received in return are quarterly glossy postcard inviting me to "worship differently" at his Antioch Bible Church.)

In any case, if you missed the holy huddler hosting yesterday’s show, catch him this morning on KTTH 770 AM.  Amen.

Comments

[mercifurious]

All apologies for the side-track, but Bryan Styblehead just emitted the worst thing ever said on talk-radio (ever):

"I think Van Halen was a much better band with Sammy Haggar than with David Lee Roth"

BLASPHEMER! INFIDEL!

Oh that little turd is just BEGGING me to call in now

[Mercifurious is Dead]

Amazing how Blathering Mike and Mercifurious stated a few weeks agao that Styble was dead.

You guys are obviously know nothing IDIOTS!

[mercifurious reigns eternal]

All night I tell you. All night I hear Styblefans calling in. Believe me, I'll deal with you Styble-cretins. All in due time.

By the way, if you really do believe "he's back", click on his Stybleface here on KIRO.com

Hmmmmm... "DJ no name?" I wonder why that happened?

[joanie]

With so much ice, I wonder who will attend? I agree, Darryl, this one is important.

I will try to get there for whatever good it will do. I'm not sure they care what people think . . . sort of like going through the motions.

[Scrilla]

and what percentage of elected officials do you suppose have ANY knowledge of the phony market the FCC controls?
Just try applying the FCCs regulations to the FAA and watch that heavily regulated market collapse into monopoly.

[FREMONT]

Media consolidation and diversity in media are hot topics, Darryl. We recently heard NBC declare Iraq a civil war, Newt Gingrich proposing that a different set of rules may be needed to reduce terrorists' ability to use the Internet and free speech to recruit and get out their message,
Bill Orally accusing MSNBC of supporting the terrorists, and Olbermann accusing Bill-o of....being the worst person in the world. Consolidation is a frightful proposition! Please report back to us...

BTW, I found Martin's confirmation speech to be sagacious, articulate, and one of this century's finest works of literature! Bland? Like cottage cheese...

[mercifurious]

Bill Orally.

In Schwarzenegger's broken tongue:

"das a goot one"