If you can't legislate morality, take it to the courts.

The Federal Communications Commission unanimously decided that 159 ABC television affiliates did not violate indecency regulations when they aired the movie on Veterans Day in November, despite complaints about profanity and violence.

"The true colors are muddy brown and fire red and any accurate depiction of this significant historical tale could not be told properly without bringing that sense to the screen," said FCC Chairman Michael Powell, a U.S. Army veteran.

The movie included numerous swear words as well as an opening sequence depicting the landing of U.S. soldiers on the beaches of Normandy, with soldiers shot, maimed and killed.

The FCC noted its authority under the indecency statute did not extend to violent programing.

Warnings about the movie's content were aired throughout the broadcast. The ABC network, owned by the Walt Disney Co., ran the movie twice before and did not attract FCC fines.

So, Saving Private Ryan is not offensive, but Saving Ryan's Privates is. I particularly like the part where the FCC says that they can't really control violence because it doesn't fall under indecency. I'm pretty sure that the PTC really wants morality back into TV. There are two things that I think are wrong with that.

First, as with all programming you don't like, CHANGE THE DAMN CHANNEL. No one is forcing you to watch it. Oh, I can hear the tired argument of "what if a kid comes across the channel by accident". Well, if they are too young to understand war, they may be a bit to young to be controlling the TV remote without supervision! Also, with disclaimers and cable TV's info features, there is no excuse not to know what is on. BTW, cable is a private entity. You can't force the government to fine or control it.

Secondly, one group can't control the people's moral compass. With the information age, dogmatic notions of stringent moral followings no longer apply. Church's, religious sects, and "we know better" organizations no longer hold "absolute truths" for the populous. People will turn to CNN or FoxNews before they swallow anything wholecloth. A sense of self-reliance or libertarianism means that people want to develop their own morality, not have it dictated by a group that can't even be considered peers. Times change. Improvise, adapt, overcome.