Rev. Al Sharpton's New Crusade

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MrsSpringsteen

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He sounds like a Republican :wink: How about just trying to get these rap people to behave like mature adults ?:hmm:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Rev. Al Sharpton, upset about violence in rap music, asked the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday to punish artists and radio stations connected with violent acts.

Artists connected to such acts should be denied airplay on radio and television for 90 days, he told reporters after meeting with FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and two other commissioners.

He also urged the agency to fine and review the licenses of radio stations "that encourage a pattern of this, including allowing employees to do on-the-air inciting of violence."

"The outrage of the pattern of violence that has occurred at radio stations requires some action," Sharpton said. "What has been absent is some kind of government move to stop these actions happening on federally regulated radio stations."

A spokesman for Martin declined to comment.

Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president of the Media Access Project, a public interest law firm, said Sharpton's suggestions could trample on free speech protections and may not fall under the regulatory jurisdiction of the FCC.

"They pose tremendous First Amendment problems," he said. "It's very hard to come up with a standard that works. The bottom line is this is not something the FCC was created or equipped to handle."

Sharpton has been especially vocal since a bitter feud broke out between artists 50 Cent and The Game last month. A member of The Game's crew was wounded during a shooting outside a New York hip-hop radio station while 50 Cent was on air criticizing The Game.

Grammy-winning hip-hop star Lil' Kim could face years in prison when she is sentenced in June after being convicted last week for lying about a shootout outside the same New York radio station.

Sharpton also met with Democratic FCC members Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein.

"We welcomed the opportunity to discuss media violence," Copps said. "The issue of violence in the media was one the commission ought to take more seriously."
 
Yeah, this stuff has been going on for years. There have been several killings. It's insane. You're going to have "egos and politics" problems no matter what group you're in. This is completely out of hand and someone's got to do something. Maybe Sharpton thinks he's the guy who can do something. But what can he do that other people can't do? You're always going to have egos and politics (i.e, power and status struggles, I'm not talking about partisan politics) in no matter what group you're in. You can't avoid it, it's part of being human. They've got to stop these killings. I think the killings are motivating him.
 
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He finally had to face the reality that Teresa Heinz Kerry wouldn't go out with him, so he had to find something to do

remember in a debate he said he wanted to go out w/ her, that's the explanation for my lame joke
 
nbcrusader said:
Sharpton's been around for a long time. Violence tied to the rap industry goes back 20 years.

Makes me :eyebrow:

Ehh...maybe more like 10-15 years with the advent of "gangsta rap." 1980s rap seems decidedly harmless.

I dunno. Maybe at the time, people thought it couldn't go away. Then it did. And now the violence is coming back. It's probably time to nip it before it really becomes a major problem again.

And reading this, I don't think this is about censorship, thankfully. I do not support censorship, but when you're physically shooting at people outside the radio station, this is no longer about "free speech." It clearly becomes criminal, and this is an interesting approach to dealing with it. Maybe.

Melon
 
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This isn't the first time Sharpton has lashed about rap music. If I'm not mistaken, he lashed out on Snoop when he still had the "Doggy" in his name.

I think the FCC has done enough as it is. It's not their job to "punish" violent behavior, that is the responsibility of law enforcement.
 
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