Bush And Republican Congress Out Of Goosestep With The Times

The Associated Press is reporting today that the House of Representatives is debating a bill (S. 193), already passed in the Senate, where the FCC would be able to increase indecency fines ten-fold. Current violations cost broadcasters $32,500. President Bush is widely expected to sign the bill into law.

Here we go again.

While I fully agree that television, particularly reality television, is contributing greatly to the dumbing down of American culture, that's not what this bill aims to address. This is a morality bill, plain and simple. It's an attempt by a right wing dominated government to define American culture in conservative Christian terms. And American conservative Christianity as I've come to learn, has very little to do with the teachings and philosophies of Jesus. Conservative Christianity cares a great deal about exposed nipples, what consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedrooms and if the almighty f-bomb is dropped on television. Jesus on the other hand cared about things such as the dignity of each human being, the danger of being in love with money, and the embracing of individuals with values that might differ from his own.

Do these sound like the same movement to you?

If you're not sure, why don't you ask an African-American person in New Orleans, a single parent working two jobs, or a gay person in a long term relationship who doesn't have any rights in the care of a sick partner.