TV Smut Peddlers Days Numbered?

From Salon, and not suitable for family reading (unless you're a Clinton appointee):

A 2003 episode of the short-lived Fox comedy "Keen Eddie" features a woman described as a "filthy slut" who is hired to "extract" semen from a prize thoroughbred. "That's not natural," the prostitute protests. "Think of it as science," says the man offering to pay. Though the episode featured no actual extraction -- off-camera the woman lifts her shirt and the horse suddenly drops dead -- some Americans complained, finding the scene inappropriate for prime-time television.

The Federal Communications Commission disagreed. In the majority opinion, the commission decided the sequence was not intended to "pander, shock, or titillate." The decision, however, was not unanimous. Commissioner Kevin J. Martin, whom President Bush has since appointed FCC chairman, thought Fox stations should be fined. "Despite my colleagues' assurance that there appeared to be a safe distance between the prostitute and the horse, I remain uncomfortable," Martin wrote at the time.

As well he should. Fortunately, Martin held on after losing this battle and now appears likely to win the war, as the FCC will begin clamping down on basic cable and network offerings (panderings?), and provide parents the opportunity to break up basic cable packages so we don't have to let the discover-all-about-sex channels in with the Discovery Channel.

Look for legislation soon.

h/t Media Bistro