Let’s save First Amendment as well as ‘Ryan’

“HOW did a patriotic movie about young men giving their lives for their country turn into such a hot-button issue?

On Veteran’s Day, ABC decided to continue its tradition of showing the unedited version of Steven Spielberg’s passionate plaudit, “Saving Private Ryan.”

While ABC-owned stations, including KGO-Channel 7 in San Francisco, aired the World War II movie, 66 ABC affiliate stations owned by a variety of companies, including Cox Television (which also owns KTVU-Channel 2, the Bay Area’s Fox affiliate station), did not — out of fear.

Stations located in Atlanta, Dallas, Honolulu, New Orleans, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Orlando, Fla., Charlotte, N.C., and Portland, Maine, decided not to air the movie because they might get fined for the movie’s profanity.”

We are at war, so glad to see our priorities reflect that.