Kids Should Be Obscene and Not Heard

Mario Cuomo, father of ABC TV newsman Christopher Cuomo, Monday accused his son of violating obscenity rules.

That accusation was actually prompted by a blessed event that Mario Cuomo was obviously delighted with.

The senior Cuomo, grandfather of a dozen granddaughters, was presented with a new grandson recently courtesy of Chris and his wife.

Chris named the child Mario. "When they asked him why," said his father in a radio interview Monday, "I think it would have been easy enough to say: 'Because I am very proud of my father, whose name happens to be Mario.'

"He didn't say that. He said the baby was born with an unusually large nose and I saw it and my wife saw it and we said: This is a Mario if we've even seen one.' Now to me, that is virtual obscenity," said the still-proud grandpappa.

Mario Cuomo was discussing the recent crackdown on indecent broadcast speech, which Cuomo thinks is unfortunate and unenforceable.