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Date: Mon, 08 Dec 1997 10:34:09 -0600 From: TruthMonger Subject: [Fwd: (Fwd) GILC on racism, Asian events, copyright, etc. (472 l (fwd)]

[B3.3] CDA's Younger Big Brother

Last week, in another attempt to clear the Internet of pornography, United States Senator Dan Coats (Republican from Indiana, former aid to Dan Quayle, and the originator of the failed CDA) introduced S. 1482, which seeks to prohibit commerical Internet sites from distributing material considered "harmful to minors" under 17 years old. Violators wil be imprisoned for six months with a $50,000 fine. Supporters of the bill say that it's newly focused, because it covers only material that's "harmful to minors," and not material that's "indenent." Coats's concern is over the free "teasers" (images of naked women and simulated sex acts) that most pornographic sites offer viewers.

This seems to me to be a step backward. Indecent at least has an implicit relationship with sex while harmful to minors does not. Does the bill make some notice that it applies only to sex and sex related issues or can this be applied to any subject matter that would be harmful to minors? This could impact all sorts information such as bomb info, ways to make booze, drug related sites, etc. ____________________________________________________________________ | | | | | We built your fort. We will not have it used against us. | | | | John Wayne - Allegheny Uprising | | | | | | _____ The Armadillo Group | | ,::////;::-. Austin, Tx. USA | | /:'///// ``::>/|/ http://www.ssz.com/ | | .', |||| `/( e\ | | -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- Jim Choate | | ravage@ssz.com | | 512-451-7087 | |____________________________________________________________________|