---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 17 Jan 1997 18:04:35 -0800 (PST)
From: Declan McCullagh
To: fight-censorship@vorlon.mit.edu
Subject: Enough is Never Enough -- pro-CDA alliances, from TNNN
[Attached are two excerpts from the article. For the rest, check out:
http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/textonly/1,1035,549,00.html --Declan]
********
The Netly News Network
http://netlynews.com/
Enough Is Never Enough
By Declan McCullagh (declan@well.com)
January 17, 1997
A broad coalition of conservative and anti-pornography groups and
individuals will file legal briefs next Tuesday in the Supreme Court
supporting the government's defense of the Communications Decency Act,
The Netly News has learned.
The alliance includes longtime supporters of the act, such as
Enough is Enough, Focus on the Family, and the National Association of
Evangelicals. Members of Congress will join a separate brief that the
National Law Center for Children and Families is preparing.
But a letter from the attorney representing the coalition asked
the ACLU for permission to file a brief "on behalf of" 59 plaintiffs,
including such unlikely participants as the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People, PBS, SafeSurf... and Netscape.
Netscape? The company that lobbied against the CDA? A firm with a
reputation of putting their balls on the chopping block when fighting
for Net-issues on Capitol Hill? Netscape was as shocked as I was to
learn about their participation. "It wasn't authorized by me or my
office. This is flabbergasting," Peter Harter, public policy counsel
for Netscape, said. "I'd be crucified if this happened."
[...]
In their brief, which argues sociological rather than legal
points, the groups hope to highlight the "dangers" of pornography
online. They plan to supply the court with "legislative facts" to
support the position Congress took when crafting the bill. The
document also will include statistics discussing the effects of the
Internet on children and the availability of material covered by the
law. (Marty Rimm, where are you now?)
Donna Rice-Hughes from Enough is Enough says: "It discusses three
primary areas of our concern: letting the court know the problems on
the Internet. Adult pornography, indecency, and child porn as well. A
section on the harms of pornography. And a section dealing with the
compliance issues: Is it feasible technically to comply with the CDA?"
[...]
Chris Stamper and Noah Robischon contributed to this report.
