New York- This morning Howard Stern had Democrat Congressman Gary Ackerman of New York’s 5th District on in a phone interview. Both Ackerman and fellow congressman Jose Serrano who was on Stern’s show earlier in the week, www.adultfyi.com/read.aspx?ID=2585 pledged to fight a House bill that is attempting to level astronomical fines on the media with Stern allegedly being the veiled target by the FCC.

Stern said he’s never seen a set of bills getting through Congress and the Senate as quickly as the ones being pushed by Senator Sam Brownback and company. “You can’t get bills like on gun control for years,” Stern complained. Ackerman agreed that some things take decades to get passed. “This is being rushed through by the right wing, by the president and his group- the born again forces,” said Ackerman.

Ackerman said while he isn’t a “conspiratorialist”, this one is pretty well orchestrated. “They used nipplegate as an excuse to rush through a whole agenda that they’ve been pushing for awhile,” Ackerman said. It was also Ackerman’s opinion that Stern was being made “the poster boy” of the onslaught.

Stern said he was grateful for Ackerman’s call, that when Viacom head Mel Karmazin first went before Congress, no one seemed to be particularly disturbed about the Religious Right’s agenda to take over the country. Ackerman said there are people troubled by what’s happening and the fact that it’s one of the most significant events in American history.

“There used to be opponents in politics. You’re no longer an opponent, you’re an enemy,” Ackerman said. “You’re either with us or against us. If you don’t support exactly what they want you to support- we’re all against terrorists- you’re not bad, you’re evil. If it’s not their brand of patriotism, you’re regarded as a traitor.”

Ackerman said the vote was today and there was an attempt to impose a $500,000 fine. “Right now they’re going to try and make it personal,” Ackerman went on to say. “That any individual person or entertainer or commentator is responsible and personally liable. And that’s per incident. So if you’re on 300 stations times $500,000 grand you’re talking about a lot of money here. That’s not going to have a chilling effect, that’s going to have a freezing effect on Free Speech.” Ackerman said that could apply to anyone on the Stern show.

Stern said if that bill goes through and the president signs it, he will resign immediately. Ackerman called for a need to stand ground. Asked if there were any Republicans against the bill, Ackerman said it wasn’t known. “Usually we get a handful.” Stern said he’s never seen the U.S. government to act so quickly to take away peoples rights. “Bush has got to go- my audience has to back me up on this,” Stern continued. “The Religious Right is winning the cultural war. It is scary. Stem cell research is being threatened.”

As a by the way, Stern asked Ackerman how Colin Powell’s son got the job with the FCC. Ackerman didn’t believe that Michael Powell had to take a civil service test. “It was a pay back favor to Colin Powell,” Stern opined. “It was a patronage job.” Stern said Michael Powell is starting to sweat the bill that it will be perceived as an attempt to trample on peoples’ First Amendment rights. Ackerman said it was necessary to stop the bill in its tracks.

Ackerman was also of the opinion that Bush’s supporters can’t tolerate criticism. “They can’t stand up to the sunshine, the light.” Ackerman said Bush should be known as The Great Silencer. Ackerman asked where all the money is for the fight on poverty, AIDs or breast cancer. “It’s obscene that we’re not doing that.” Ackerman said 87 billion is going over to Iraq. “Where is that 87 billion here?”

Ackerman said that he wasn’t aware of The Fellowship which purportedly is supporting Brownback with subsidized housing among other things in a gross conflict of interest. “I’m telling you they’re nuts,” said Stern. “They’re going berserk.” Stern said he had no problem with people praying. “Just keep it out of government.”

Stern noted that Bush, up until he was the age of 40 was a Playboy, a drinker and bankrupted businesses. “Then he got religion, he found Jesus and now he’s going to put it all on me! He’s going to force me to shut my mouth because Jesus is telling him this is the right thing to do.”

Ackerman said the total irony of the Bush administration is that it portrays itself as enemies of Big Government, intrusive government. “And then as soon as somebody says something they don’t like, they have to interfere. They want to put government in your bedroom.”