Joe Scarborough Violates His Own Unconstitutional Code on Television

You know, it never fails. Those who preach their brand of "decency" the loudest, who see it as their appointed purpose to tell the rest of us how to think and talk, sooner or later turn out to be the worst offenders themselves.

Not that saying "fuck you," on television or in a song lyric, or in any medium, should be considered ipso facto an offense. But as Glenn Greenwald aptly detailed in his Salon article this morning, Joe Scarborough has been one of the leading crusaders on this sanctimonious, puerile issue, exhorting the FCC, in complete contradiction of the First Amendment, to be tougher with fines and punishments of television stations that dare broadcast such language.

And, wouldn't you know it, that's just what Joe said, without apology (until later prompted), on his MSNBC show this morning. It's in the YouTube video below. And while it is true that, presently, the FCC has not levied fines against cable television, they and their puritanical supporters in Congress have been chafing at the bit to do so.

So what are we to make of this, other than Joe Scarborough is not only a hypocrite but only human? It's that language is a part of life, and that includes salty language. The First Amendment was put first in the Bill of Rights for a reason - a free society cannot long remain free if it allows the government to tell its citizens and media how to speak. How about we - including the FCC, Joe Scarborough, and Congress - grow up as a society, and stop trying to police what is said on television?