Parents should screen TV shows

Sen. Joseph Lieberman wants to pull the plug on MTV's "Jackass." The conscientious senator explained in a statement, "It is irresponsible for MTV to air these kinds of stunts on a program clearly popular with young teens, to air it at a time when many of them are likely to be watching and to do so without adequate warnings."\nLieberman asked the popular network to cancel the somewhat controversial show, saying it inspired a 13-year-old child to imitate program host Johnny Knoxville as he and his friends re-enacted the stunt in which Knoxville put on a fire-resistant suit covered in meat and threw himself over a barbecue pit, while friends squirted him with lighter fluid and lit him on fire. The boy suffered serious burns after imitating the stunt without wearing a fire-resistant suit.\nNow recall your rambunctious childhood years.\nThe Senate didn't give you a piggyback ride on warm summer days. The House of Representatives didn't teach you how to build a snowman on those cold December mornings. And the president certainly didn't make you a cup of hot chocolate to warm you up after building that snowman.\nParental figures do these things. And their efforts give them the right and responsibility to regulate what their children watch on television.\nThe government consistently uses its power to try to regulate television programming. According to the Federal Communications Commission Web site, the FCC passed revised TV guidelines in 1997 that require networks to show a rating for each television show to help parents decide whether a program is suitable for their children, much to the chagrin of many broadcast associations.\nA year later, the government introduced the V-Chip, a device that was developed "to block the display of television programming based upon its rating," according to the FCC Web site.\nLieberman, in support of both measures, said in a statement that "Jackass" specifically is overly offensive and inappropriate for TV.\n"I recognize the program is rated for adults and comes with general disclaimers," the senator continued. "But there are some things that are so potentially dangerous and inciting, particularly to vulnerable children, that they simply should not be put on TV."\nIn a counter-statement, MTV said: "It is made extremely clear through the show, through the use of written and verbal warnings, that none of the stunts featured should be tried at home." MTV also announced that it won't accept stunt videos from home viewers.\nThe outrageous stunts on "Jackass" are exactly that -- outrageous. The extremely crazy antics are comedic in nature, and viewers should understand that. \nMTV's refusal to succumb to the pressure of the senator is commendable. Parents should decide if a show is too offensive and dangerous for their children to watch. MTV has a right to air "Jackass" and families have the right to not watch it.