Free speech? Do you really think public radio broadcasts are free? I doubt either you or I can just walk down to a radio station and express our rants over the radio. Hell, even Howard Stern will push the button on a caller to his radio station if the caller starts carrying on with expletives.
Also, is it conservatives who are the impetus behind the fines of Howard Stern? The man's radio stations were also fined under the Clinton administration, and I gather the Democrats have been far less tolerant of Stern's smut than conservatives. Didn't Stern even acknowledge that former President Bill Clinton brushed him off when he appeared at the 9/11 concert for the NYPD and FDNY?
As for as being "offensive" to homosexuals, hate crime legislation has already made words against homosexuals illegal. Even before the legislation, I saw University students expelled for expression that was "intolerant" toward homosexuality. Do you think Mayor Gavin Newsom would treat you well in San Francisco if you had anything publicly negative to say about his effort to support gay marriages?
I personally think Stern is misguided, and if he really wishes to wage war for "free speech", he should demand his company fight the war for him. They already have stated that they support Stern, and that should mean they should challenge the fines to whatever court that will hear their case. If the company caves, Stern should express disappointment with the company, not the government. It's just plain idiocy to think anything will change by electing John Kerry other than a lack of focus on terrorism, and a diminishing of US presence in the world.
Stern is a moron, and I suggest to you that defending him is just plain moronic.