Schram: 4 letters that sink the First Amendment

Schram: 4 letters that sink the First Amendment

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Story Published: Apr 30, 2009 at 9:51 AM PST

By Ken Schram

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SEATTLE -- [Bleep!]

That's one of the words that the U.S. Supreme Court says will get a television broadcaster in trouble.

In a ruling that surely has George Carlin spinning in his grave, the justices decided that the FCC can indeed slap a hefty fine on a TV station if a guest bursts forth with one of two fleeting expletives:

One of the words starts with an "F", the other with an "S".

The rule used to be that, because of the spontaneous unpredictability of live television, the FCC would overlook expletives unless they were used repeatedly.

But then Cher dropped the F-bomb on a music awards show and the regulatory gloves came off.

The FCC went after FOX Television, which in turn appealed and subsequently led to the Supreme Court ruling, the First Amendment be damned.

I suppose all puritanical do-gooders will applaud this return to moral superiority, at least until broadcasters start backing away from any and all live programming, including sporting events where some player or fan could cut loose with a word that starts with an "F" or "S".

I think the justices have their head up a place that starts with an "A"

And I believe they're treating the constitution like a piece of…[Bleep!]

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