We are entering a new era of McCarthyism.

In Indianapolis, one radio station will no longer let the words “damn” and “urinate” air on Rush Limbaugh’s talk show. Radio station empire ClearChannel has fired Howard Stern for talking about anal sex. U2 pop-rock sensation Bono let one wayward “fuck” slip at last year’s Golden Globes and earned NBC a massive fine. And apparently timid America can’t handle the prurience of England’s “Masterpiece Theater” — U.S. viewers will no longer have the option of viewing the unedited British version.

Today’s fascistic purveyor of cultural Puritanism is Michael Powell, chair of the Federal Communications Commission (and son to Secretary of State Colin). He presides over a realm of cultural conservatism vacated fifty years ago by Senator Joseph P. McCarthy, who smothered First Amendment (and other) rights in his own, hectoring, anti-Communist way.

Looking back on the last two months, it’s a little unbelievable that Mr. Powell’s name was virtually unknown until Feb. 1, 2004, a date that will live on in history as the Sept. 11 of free speech in the media. It was on Feb. 1 that that vixen of traditional American values, Janet Jackson, bared her metal-adorned breast to the 90 million-strong Super Bowl audience and provoked a maelstrom of conservative backlash.

Since then, Congress, at the behest of Mr. Powell, has increased the fines for rule-breaking broadcasters eighteen-fold, from $27,500 to $500,000 per violation, and a speech-stomping chill has settled over the United States’ hegemonic media empires, a chill so cold it’s best measured in Kelvins.

But perhaps this should come as little surprise. After all, the culture wars that have been simmering in recent years began roiling as soon as President Bush took office. From stem cell research to gay marriage to “distasteful” speech, we are witnessing the beginnings of a new Republican Crusade to stomp “un-Christian” values, acts and ideas.

If you’re as unhappy about this as I am, tell Mr. Powell what you think. His e-mail address is Michael.Powell@fcc.gov. Let’s redefine “distasteful” speech for him.