It Begins: FCC to investigate Colbert for homophobia, obsenity

[Abu Pepe]

The FCC has promised to investigate Stephen Colbert for Monday’s rant about Donald Trump. Many are calling parts of the joke homophobic and others calling it insensitive. Stephen Colbert is a late night host and his show is not within the 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. “safe harbor” zone.

“Sir, you attract more skinheads than free Rogaine,” Colbert joked in his Monday monologue. “You have more people marching against you than cancer. You talk like a sign language gorilla that got hit in the head. In fact, the only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin’s c--k holster.”

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai pledged to “take the appropriate action” even though he has been known to take a “lighter touch” on regulation. It appears that President Trump is strong arming Pai to, at least, speak out, against anyone who would dare make the man in the oval office the subject of an obscene joke.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/legalentertainment/2017/05/05/fcc-to-investigate-colbert-over-trump-joke-referencing-putin/#acefa4016969

[underpants]

1. Snowflake

[Abu Pepe]

2. a triggered one at that nt

[Coventina]

3. Political witch hunt.

As I posted in another thread about this......

I invite them all to kiss my sn@tch!!!

[eleny]

22. Well that oughta make 'em brand new!

[Laf.La.Dem.]

4. Investigate Colbert??

What about FOX "news" - see if they ever told the truth!!

[Wawannabe]

5. When I play with fire...

I know I run the risk of getting burned. Hopefully Colbert was "all in" and ready for any possible consquences.
I love his balls for those true remarks in the first place but will wait to see if he maintains them through the fire.
I wish him luck because we need all the anti trump we can get in the media!

[orangecrush]

13. Welcome

To D.U..

All this is going to do is call attention to the fact that Trump is a wannabe dictator.

I knew it was a good idea to contribute to the A.C.L.U. again this month.

We still have the courts to fight back with.

[annabanana]

18. Oh I think he's up to it..

rerun the Correspondent's Dinner:

worth another look

[Initech]

6. A correction to the article:

"President Trump's FANS do not like to see him be mocked and we might have to put up with them fighting back like this for the next few years. Because they have no sense of humor and take things way too seriously. Either that or they’ll have to lighten up a bit."

[LiberalFighter]

7. Ajit Pai is likely to find a way to fine Colbert.

Pai is the worst scum possible.

[onenote]

19. Very unlikely

Like most indecency complaints it will disappear.

[Ligyron]

8. Oh noes, a fine!

They tried this shit all thru the 70's and the networks gladly paid it.

[SoCalMusicLover]

9. Complete Joke

It's because Colbert is doing Much better in the ratings. Gotta get that government revenue somehow, so they can give that Big tax break to the super wealthy.

CBS will pay it, and it brings with it some free publicity, and maybe a few more tune in. It's not like there is an exodus among current viewers. Those complaining probably don't even watch, but saw these clips, and suddenly became OUTRAGED!!

[onenote]

20. CBS will fight any action by the FCC tooth and nail

If a fine is proposed they will fight it st the FCC and if the FCC still goes ahead CBS will take it to court.

[GeorgeGist]

10. CBS lawyers are gonna eat Ajit Pai's lunch.

[OnDoutside]

28. Absolutely, and make Colbert "The American Hero Trump

tried to silence". I bet Stephen is licking his lips at this attempt to interfere with his 1st amendment rights.

[rzemanfl]

11. It's an obscenity they would do that.

An obscenity if you get my drift. Here's a free "c."

[dalton99a]

12. Yeah, Trump is siccing his little lapdog Ajit Pai on media critics

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

14. You will not criticize Hair Fuhrer!

[6000eliot]

15. The word "cock" was bleeped.

They have no case.

[onenote]

16. The safe harbor is 10 pm to 6am

Not 6 pm to 10 pm as the article states and thus the show is in the safe harbor and the FCC can't do anything unless they find that the monologue was obscene taken as a whole. And under the constitutional standard for obscenity there is no chance such a finding could withstand judicial scrutiny.

[Cal Carpenter]

21. Yep, straight from the FCC:

Regarding the safe harbor period, Congress and the courts have instructed the Commission only to enforce the indecency standard between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., local time. - when children are more likely to be in the audience. As a consequence, the Commission does not take action on indecent material aired between 10 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. In this way, constitutionally-protected free speech rights of adults are balanced with the need to protect children from harmful content.

http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/oip/

[Alice11111]

32. Thanks for the post. Doesn't it come on at 930 PT?

Anyway, CBS bleeped what they wanted, so they will stand behind him.

[Cal Carpenter]

34. Actually you got me curious. Looks like it airs at 11:35pm Pacific Time

I'm pretty Eastern-Time-zone-centric, LOL, didn't even think about it. But it makes sense that they delay it since it is the "Late Show", not like a live sports event or something.

[Alice11111]

37. I'm MT.We get it at 1035. Clearly,CBS had plenty of time to edit it. Free publicity. Highest ratings

ever for Colbert and CBS. CBS knew exactly what they were doing. I'm betting the lawyers were all over it.
It doesn't mean our RW Sup Crt won't make a stupid ruling. I think it is still a win win for CBS. So they pay a fine, at worst...Cost of business.

[NutmegYankee]

42. Pay a fine on what?

It was bleeped out, both sounds and mouth movements. If bleeps are obscene, then every R2D2 scene in Star Wars is obscene.

[NutmegYankee]

17. There were no obscene comments broadcast - it was all bleeped out.

This is just the Trump administration working to crush free speech. If the FCC imposes a fine, we might as well stop the charade, pick up weapons and get on with a civil war.

[Baitball Blogger]

23. But he's an entertainer.

Not a good precedent to set if they shut him down. Free speech and all. I don't think Richard Pryor's albums would be approved by today's purity tests, and that's what is wrong about censoring.

[briv1016]

39. Pryor and Carlin are doing somersaults in their graves.

[Kimchijeon]

24. He's a comedian, get over it, who cares.

Who am I kidding, we are living in a fascist country.

Wah, wah, the big ole fat dictator's fee-fees wuz hoit! Boohoo, punish that man, he made me angwy!

[Princess Turandot]

25. Meh. If CBS was worried about this, they would have bleeped out more than they did...

They had several hours after the taping to do so.

I don't think that Colbert himself is at risk from the FCC, though. They go after the broadcasters, not the speakers, generally.

On the other hand, it would be a riot if the FCC fined CBS over this. It would have a reasonable chance of going all the way to SCOTUS, which is well overdue for a fresh look at the First Amendment vs the FCC rules. (Colbert's 12 minute long monologue might wind up in a SCOTUS opinion!) While I'm personally not very eager to see network television go the way of a YouTube comment stream, the '7 dirty words' decision is from 1978, when cable television and household internet services were a thing of the future.

[democratisphere]

26. Investigate drumpf!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

27. Are the complaints public? Can they be viewed? I think so.

They can probably be FOIA'ed.

[Alice11111]

29. I've seen Ted Nugent do far more graphic things than that.

Political...there is no level to which they will not stoop.

[Initech]

30. Funny how the anti-PC crowd suddenly cares about homophobia.

[Different Drummer]

31. Trumpster Dumpster *is* an obscene joke. n/t

[Crunchy Frog]

33. I've just changed my av and sig line to reflect my support for Stephen Colbert's

1st Amendment freedoms.

[moondust]

35. Let's be more like...Turkey!!!

Where they've arrested more than 47,000 (political opponents) in the past 9 months over a "coup" that I'm still not convinced wasn't staged by their dictator-wannabe. Our dictator-wannabe is just getting started.

[forgotmylogin]

36. His words were bleeped.

If you figured it out by context or lip reading, and it didn't go over your head, you already knew what it meant.

[JudyM]

38. Because the FCC doesn't have anything more important to do.

[pnwmom]

40. Yes the Rethugs are totally hypocritical on this issue. And so is any "ally"

who tries to justify using gay slurs against anyone, even DT and Putin.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029010750

[NutmegYankee]

43. It wasn't a gay slur.

Oral sex is both gay and straight. The implication of the joke is that Donald is in a submissive position while the dominate person is standing. I took it completely as a dominance joke.

[Skittles]

41. it is sickening what bothers repukes, and what does not

throwing tens of millions of Americans our of healthcare assurances? OK......making a joke about Trump? NOT OK!

[WinkyDink]

44. Since when is vulgarity at that time of night against the rules? (It WAS vulgar; I'm not saying not

funny or trenchant!0