- Being One Of Millions Of Surfers Throughout The Internet, I See That

- Being one of millions of surfers throughout the Internet, I see that fundamental civil liberties areas important in cyberspace as they are in traditional contexts. Cyberspace defined in Webster'sTenth Edition dictionary is the on-line worlds of networks. The right to speak and publishusing a virtual pen has its roots in a long tradition dating back to the very founding of democracyin this country. With the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, Congress has preparedto turn the Internet from one of the greatest resources of cultural, social, and scientificinformation into the online equivalent of a children's reading room. By invoking the overboardand vague term "indecent" as the standard by which electronic communication should becensored, Congress has insured that information providers seeking to avoid criminal prosecutionwill close the gates on anything but the most tame information and discussions. The Communications Decency Act calls for two years of jail time for anyone c aught using "indecent" language over the net; as if reading profanities online affects us moredramatically than reading them on paper. Our First Amendment states, "Congress shall make nolaw respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridgingthe freedom of speech, or of the press...." The Act takes away this right. TheConstitution-defying traitors creating these useless laws do not they understand the mediumthey're trying to control. What they "claim" is that they are trying to protect our children from moral threatening content. This "protect our helpless children" ideology is bogus. If more government officialswere more knowledgeable about online information they would realize the huge flaw theCommunication Decency Act contains. We don't need the government to patrol fruitlessly onthe Internet when parents can simply install software like Net Nanny or Surf Watch. These programs block all "sensitive" material from entering one's modem line . What's more,legislators have already passed effective laws against obscenity and child pornography. Wedon't need a redundant Act to accomplish what has already been written. Over 17 million Web pages float throughout cyberspace. Never before has informationbeen so instant, and so global. And never before has our government been so spooked by thepotential power "little people" have at their fingertips. The ability for anyone to send picturesand words cheaply and quickly to potentially millions of others seems to terrify the governmentand control freaks. Thus, the Communications Decency Act destroys our own constitution rightsand insults the dreams of Jefferson, Washington, Madison, Mill, Brandeis, and DeToqueville. It's funny, now that we finally have a medium that truly allows us to exercise our FirstAmendment right, the government is trying to censor it. Forget them! Continue to engage infree speech on the net. It's the only way to win the battle.