"Today, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said the use of the words 'fuck' and 'shit' by Cher and Nicole Richie was not indecent," declared Federal Communications Commission Chair Kevin Martin shortly after Monday's decision by the federal court.

"I completely disagree with the Court's ruling and am disappointed for American families," Martin continued in a statement published on the FCC's Web site. "I find it hard to believe that the New York court would tell American families that 'shit' and 'fuck' are fine to say on broadcast television during the hours when children are most likely to be in the audience."

Martin referred to the FCC's clock cleaning by the court, whose majority ruled on Monday that the agency had not properly justified its recent crackdown on so-called "fleeting expletives"- ”dirty words said off the cuff - ”such as Cher's "fuck 'em" and Nicole Richie's "cow shit" comments at the 2002 and 2003 Billboard Music Awards, televised by Fox.

The court found that the agency's new get tough attitude represented a "significant departure" from its prior policy of leniency towards impromptu potty talk, and that the Commission had not demonstrated any "reasoned basis" for the change.

Martin's colleague Michael Copps, a Democrat, warned TV networks not to break out the champagne.

"Any broadcaster who sees this decision as a green light to send more gratuitous sex and violence into our homes would be making a huge mistake," Copps warned. "The FCC has a duty to find a way to breathe life into the laws that protect our kids. That may entail an appeal of this decision. Certainly it includes strong enforcement action of the many indecency complaints before us that are untouched by today's decision."

Decency groups across the country condemned the decision; for some reason the location of the court in question featured prominently in their comments.

"The industry was able to forum-shop and find two federal judges in New York City to impose their will on the nation," declared Tim Winter, President of the Parents Television Council. "The Court's decision runs contrary to nearly 80 years of jurisprudence about the publicly-owned airwaves, not to mention the overwhelming sense of the nation. Community decency standards should not be decided by two judges in New York."

Amen, declared the American Decency Association, commenting on the decision by "this liberal court out of New York City."

"How it can be that men can be so well-educated and yet be so foolish is a regular theme of our day," concludes a statement on the ADA's Web site. "Being wise they became fools the Bible says. See Romans 1. If such persons had a fear of God, would they be able to draw such conclusions? You be the judge, but ultimately there is only one ultimate judge."

But in a shocking moment of intellectual honesty, Morality in Media President Robert Peters conceded that "Reasonable people may differ as to whether the FCC had adequately explained its change in policy regarding 'fleeting expletives'."

Peters' public statement suggested that the FCC could have done a better job in conveying why it changed its policies, and needed to provide evidence "that vulgarity has increased dramatically on broadcast TV (particularly during the prime time hours)."

"I would also suggest guidelines to enable broadcasters to better understand when an 'isolated expletive' may result in an indecency fine," Peters concluded.