Dissenting Judge Blasts Appeals Court Ruling on Obscenity

In a 2-1 verdict, the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday declared that "fleeting" obscenities were acceptable, citing instances in which President Bush and Vice President Cheney were caught using obscenities. The ruling may mark the beginning of a new trend of tolerance toward obscene language on TV-a trend that worried dissenting Judge Pierre Leval, who said the ruling would give broadcasters a "virtual free pass" for obscenities. Kevin Martin, Chairman of the FCC, seconded that view, saying, "If we can't restrict the use of the words 'f-k' and 's-t' during prime time, Hollywood will be able to say anything they want, whenever they want."

I'm no constitutional scholar, but I thought that was the point of the First Amendment-to be able to say anything you want, whenever you want, provided it has no potential to cause physical harm to anybody. And the whole idea that we need to protect our children from obscenities is asinine. Even with all the restrictions currently in place, children still discover the F-word and use it when their parents aren't listening. And there is no evidence that exposure to obscene language harms the development of children.