The daily Stern: X day in Congress
: THE INDECENT BILLS: Congress is voting on its new censorship bills multiplying fines for indecency today and Howard Stern threatened to resign when Bush signs the legislation: “If he signs this, I will effectively resign that day.”
: STERN’S REQUIRED READING: Stern puts up a list of required reading on his site.
(Hey, Gary, you need a weblog. I’ll help you set it up!)
: POLITICAL F-BOMB: If John Kerry slipped and dropped an F-bomb (as he has been known to in print) would he be fined $500,000?
: FINE HIM II: This just in: A broadcast general manager slipped and used one of the seven dirty words (the S one) in a Congressional hearing hosted by the guy pushing the indecency bill. So should he be fined $500,000? Should C-Span be fined $500,000? If Howard Stern gets fined, why shouldn’t these guys; equal protection and all that. Where’s the line? How far does this go? Just asking. [via Lost Remote]
: CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT: Rep. Gary Ackerman (D, NY) called into the show this morning to offer his support.
He and Stern noted that it’s amazing how fast these bills have rolled through Congress. How long did it take to start a Department of Homeland Security after we were attacked and thousands killed? How long did it take to get this legislation passed after Janet Jackson exposed a metal-clad breast? Some people — namely, our legislators — have a damned skewed view of what it means to protect the American people. By this scale, a boobs are a more urgent risk than bombs.
“Howard Stern is not a threat to our democracy,” Ackerman said. “The people who are changing the rules are a threat to our democracy.”
: CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT II: The other day, Rep. Jos
