Browsing Under the Influence, from the Netly News

[Declan McCullagh]

*********

http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/opinion/0,1042,1638,00.html

The Netly News Network (http://netlynews.com/)
December 16, 1997

Browsing Under the Influence            
by Tom Deerfield and Mark Dolley
                                             
        When Andre Khalifi and Chuck Haddad applied to open the
   CyberLounge in Fountain Valley, Ca., serving gourmet food with a cigar
   menu, Internet access and a full bar, they expected the community to
   enthusiastically embrace the proposal. Instead, their alcohol and
   Internet cocktail met with fierce opposition from local residents who
   saw the business as a potential threat to their safety.

       "How are we going to protect our women after these guys get
   liquored up, look at pornography and then roam the neighborhood late
   at night?" asked one resident at a public hearing.

        The Fountain Valley Police Department was worried too. Detective
   Sergeant Paul McGinnis -- a participant in the planning process -- was
   skeptical about "uncontrolled Internet access" from the get-go,
   according to Khalifi. McGinnis confirmed his concerns over the
   pornography question: "I've never actually been on the Internet, but
   my understanding is that you can get just about anything you want on
   there."

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