Ron Paul on the issue of Indecency on TV

[SwooshOU]

What is the Ron Paul (or Libertarian) viewpoint of indecency on the air. Like how TV shows should be legislated (if at all) and what the consequences might be if someone decided to show porn or cuss a lot during primetime.

What is the libertarian/Ron Paul stance?

[bbachtung]

I think that Ron Paul best speaks for Ron Paul when Ron Paul wrote the following (thanks to the Ron Paul Library for easy access to the works of Ron Paul):



Congressional Indecency

Congress is patting itself on the back after passing legislation last week that expands the power of the Federal Communications Commission to crack down on broadcasters with heavy new $500,000 fines. Most politicians were all too eager to appease those demanding that Congress “do something” about racy Super Bowl shows and distasteful radio hosts, especially in an election year. It is clear that most members of Congress gave little thought to the legality or wisdom of the bill, caring only that they be seen as defenders of all things decent.

In doing so, Congress ignored a fundamental truth: government control over radio and television broadcasts is incompatible with a free society. FCC control of broadcast content, whether through licensing, regulations, or fines, is naked censorship that is utterly at odds with the plain words of the First Amendment. It could not be any clearer: “Congress shall make no law.”

The censors from both political parties argue that because the broadcast spectrum is publicly owned, the public has a right to control the content. But “public” ownership really means government ownership. And government ownership means the current gang of bureaucrats in power gets to decide what is heard and seen. Airwaves are far too precious to be owned or controlled by government- like other scarce and valuable natural resources, airwaves should be controlled by market forces. One mistake- nationalizing the airwaves- does not justify another. We should not violate the First Amendment today because of the sins of the past.

There’s nothing new about this latest congressional attack on expression. The political right wing has always embraced censorship, believing that government can foster and protect moral values through strict regulation of speech. But this curious attitude conflicts with the central tenet of conservatism, namely a healthy mistrust of government. Why do conservatives feel compelled to have a federal nanny state protect their children from indecency? Why do conservatives, who once questioned and resisted the growing involvement of government in our lives, now trust FCC bureaucrats to determine moral standards? Conservatives should know that a decent society is rooted in strong families, churches, and civic institutions, not government control of broadcasting.

The political left is no better when it comes to free speech. The left may be more permissive toward lurid or obscene material, but it has zero tolerance for political, religious, and social commentary that falls outside the bounds of rigid political correctness doctrines it created. Liberals are happy to restrict so-called commercial speech; happy to jail those who commit phony hate crimes merely by speaking their minds; and happy to impose speech codes on college campuses.

Conservatives must understand that the powers they grant the FCC today may one day be used against them. It is not hard to imagine a future where criticism of abortion is deemed hate speech against women, or criticism of affirmative action considered an unlawful attack on minorities. It is not hard to imagine President Hillary Clinton ordering the FCC to shut down Rush Limbaugh for using the term “feminazi.” Already a petition has been filed with the Justice department to investigate The Passion of the Christ for possible hate crimes against those who dislike the film’s theology! Big-government conservatives will learn that heavy-handed federal control of speech is far more likely to result in a rigidly secular, politically-correct society than a moral society imbued with Christian virtue.

The First Amendment is worthless if it does not protect unpopular, controversial expression. It is precisely when the sensibilities of many Americans are offended that the First Amendment is needed most. Many of our cherished religious, political, and legal traditions are rooted in once-radical ideas. It’s a short step from regulating words and images to regulating thoughts and ideas.

Ultimately, broadcasters air indecent material only if the market demands it. Congress cannot raise the moral bearing of the American people by edict, but it can destroy liberty in the process. When it comes to decency, the American people should stop looking to government and start looking at themselves.

[Churchill2004]

Leave it alone. The government has no business regulating speech over the airwaves, with the possible exception of when direct, violent threats are made. That is Ron Paul's stated position. As for the truly libertarian position, which I don't if Ron Paul subscribes to, the "public" airwaves are a legal fiction. They should be "homesteaded", whereby an organization/individual maintains and uses a set frequency slot for a set period of time, and it becomes their property, which they are free to sell or use as they please. That's the libertarian 'minarchist' position, a.k.a. small government libertarians.

If you want the "true" libertarian, as in anarcho-capitalist, (a.k.a anarchist libertarian), that would be similar to the minarcist position except that the process would be done entirely in the free market from the beginning, i.e. no government oversight or enforcement during homesteading.

[Ron Paul Fan]

If parents are worried what their kids watch on tv then they should control what they watch on tv. There's no need for the Federal Government to decide for us what is moral to watch and what is not. If you're personally offended by something that airs on tv, then don't watch it. It should be all about personal choices and parents controlling what their kids watch. Don't ruin it for the rest of us. It's like that stupid internet gambling ban the neo-cons snuck through Congress last year. If you don't like internet gambling, don't do it. But don't try and take it away from people who use it responsibly because you think it's immoral or kids are abusing the system.

[Kregener]

Why do these types of question keep coming up?

[quickmike]

Im pretty sure he would agree with Frank Zappa on this one.

Cool debate with Frank Zappa on Crossfire in the 80s on the subject of censorship. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ISil7IHzxc

[tsopranos]

Im pretty sure he would agree with Frank Zappa on this one.

Cool debate with Frank Zappa on Crossfire in the 80s on the subject of censorship. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ISil7IHzxc

Zappa definitely loved freedom, and he defended it well... like Hicks, and now Stanhope.

Check this one out...gets good at 2:30

Frank Zappa - PMRC Senate Hearing 1 of 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5b8FxF-bXw

[quickmike]

Zappa definitely loved freedom, and he defended it well... like Hicks, and now Stanhope.

Check this one out...gets good at 2:30

Frank Zappa - PMRC Senate Hearing 1 of 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5b8FxF-bXw

Funny, Stanhope started to run as a Libertarian, but after he found out all the BS he had to go through to be listed as a candidate, he said "screw that". Those werent exactly his words, but im sure you could imagine what he said.

[tsopranos]

Funny, Stanhope started to run as a Libertarian, but after he found out all the BS he had to go through to be listed as a candidate, he said "screw that". Those werent exactly his words, but im sure you could imagine what he said.

Yeah, I followed his short little run...I'd like to think I put it in Stanhope's head to run LP...
http://thatsridonkulous.blogspot.com/2005/08/doug-stanhope-responds.html

Hey, did you notice Novak in the video you posted?

[Akus]

What is the Ron Paul (or Libertarian) viewpoint of indecency on the air. Like how TV shows should be legislated (if at all) and what the consequences might be if someone decided to show porn or cuss a lot during primetime.

What is the libertarian/Ron Paul stance?

Turn off the TV if it offends you.
/thread

[SwooshOU]

I assumed that this was his viewpoint. I agree with it. I was just wondering.

Thanks for the info.

[quickmike]

Yeah, I followed his short little run...I'd like to think I put it in Stanhope's head to run LP...
http://thatsridonkulous.blogspot.com/2005/08/doug-stanhope-responds.html

Hey, did you notice Novak in the video you posted?

Yeah I noticed that. He was actually half fair to Zappa to my suprise. That John Lofton guy was a spooky little freak though wasnt he?

[Hook]

Funny, Stanhope started to run as a Libertarian, but after he found out all the BS he had to go through to be listed as a candidate, he said "screw that". Those werent exactly his words, but im sure you could imagine what he said.

Same with Howard Stern when he ran under the LP. When he found out he had to disclose his finances, he quit.

[quickmike]

Same with Howard Stern when he ran under the LP. When he found out he had to disclose his finances, he quit.

Yeah I remember that. He wanted to make the road construction crews work only at night so the traffic wouldnt get screwed up during rush hour. He actually had some great ideas. I dont care what anyone says, Howard is a good guy.

[UCFGavin]

Funny, Stanhope started to run as a Libertarian, but after he found out all the BS he had to go through to be listed as a candidate, he said "screw that". Those werent exactly his words, but im sure you could imagine what he said.

I would love to see a Stanhope endorsement. He isn't a huge celebrity, but he has a loyal following and a lot of contacts. He also has a lot of influence in those areas.

[quickmike]

I would love to see a Stanhope endorsement. He isn't a huge celebrity, but he has a loyal following and a lot of contacts. He also has a lot of influence in those areas.

Yeah, I imagine a large chunk of Stanhope fans are already RP supporters. I imagine that number will go up too when people start getting more into politics as the elections get closer.