Mtpolitics says we probably won't be able to agree on whether PETA ads should run. But we may not be as far apart as he thinks.

First, kudos to Craig for (I think) breaking the story about the ads being pulled. Chalk up one for the blogosphere.

Second, I'm not sure the sequence of events suggested in my post is accurate either, and I say so in the post. In my story that will appear in next week's Outpost, station officials specifically deny that they were caving in to Stockgrowers' pressure. They say they were responding to viewer complaints. Outpost readers can swallow this with as many grains of salt as they deem appropriate, but the images in the ad were disturbing enough that it's a credible explanation.

Third, I wouldn't dismiss First Amendment concerns so lightly. Again, the public airwaves are a government-regulated monopoly. Anybody can start a newspaper (I'm Exhibit No. 1) but it takes government permission to own a TV or radio station. So when stations take actions that limit access to the airwaves of people with unpopular views, then that raises a First Amendment concern in my mind. And that's especially true when broadcast stations are increasingly in the hands of an ever-shrinking number of owners.

Fourth, I do, in fact, have serious concerns about McCain-Feingold. I was surprised that the Supreme Court gave it a pass. One of the these days I will get around to reading the decision and trying to figure out why the law passed constitutional muster.

Fifth, appealing as it would be to get rid of the FCC, it's not practical now. So long as the public owns the airwaves, some regulation will be necessary. I would certainly like a better FCC -- one, for example, that was less worried about indecency and more about media conglomerates.

Finally, I might still come around to Craig's view if someone can show me that PETA is engaged in or encouraging criminal activity. PETA denies that it does so. David Martosko of the Center for Consumer Freedom (see Craig's links) has plenty of nasty things to say about PETA but stops short of criminal allegations. Until that case is made, I would err on the side of letting PETA have its say.