"Now, look! No one is to stone anyone until I blow this whistle! Do you understand? Even, and I want to make this absolutely clear, even if they do say 'Jehovah' — Ow!"
— from Monty Python's Life of Brian
The folks at the American Family Association are all lathered up again.
That's hardly news — it doesn't take much to get Don Wildmon's knickers in a twist. But what's newsworthy this time is the target of Wildmon's wrath — ABC television's Veterans Day broadcast of Saving Private Ryan. (See here for more context and commentary.)
AFA is urging its members to e-mail the FCC objecting to the broadcast of such anti-family smut.
"File an indecency complaint against ABC for 'f' word and 's' word," AFA says in its "Action Alert" for members. Private Ryan, apparently, has "at least 20 'f' words and 12 's' words." (Yes, of course the AFA counted them. That's what they do. They protect families by quantifying profanity.)
Because the film contains such vile language, AFA calls on members to, "File a formal complaint against ABC for airing indecent language during the November 11 ABC movie, Saving Private Ryan.."
But here's the fun part, the Action Alert goes on to include the following warning:
WARNING: Because your complaint MUST CONTAIN the actual language used during the broadcast of Saving Private Ryan, it is included in the email text box below.
Sure enough, follow the link to the ready-to-send astroturf e-mail page and the "formal complaint" the AFA has prepared for your use contains examples of the offensive dialogue from the film — including 7 'f' words and 4 's' words.
I am horrified that the AFA would repeat such language on an allegedly pro-family site.
I'm sure you share my shock and dismay. That's why I invite you to take action and file a formal complaint with the American Family Association.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In