Then they came for your libraries.
It looks very real that there is going to be a ’round two’ in the battle over The Children’s Internet Protection Act – the law which sought to impose private filtering software on library computers. The aim of course is to steer young viewers away from sexual content on the internet. But it’s a rotten law that would have terrible results not to mention it’s just plain 100% unconstitutional. But I’m not really sure that argument holds much weight anymore.

I’ve gotten the node from my local representatives that they’ll be fighting the CIPA Act on my behalf, when it comes up again. Although, I did receive one letter back from a representative (who will remain anonymous) that he didn’t know ‘very much’ about the Act and ‘could I send him some materials’. It seemed like a sincere reply so I sent him about 30 links.

When I used to do some computer/tech teaching at the high school level awhile back both students and teachers giggled at the laughable filtering software the school was coned into purchasing. Students were unable to access the Star Tribune site and other “News” sites but were somehow still always able to get to the Cash Money Millionaires website. This always resulted in the printer belching forth pages and pages of Juvenile, C-Murder, and Lil-Kim lyrics. Some lyrics were so disturbing that I made it a point to read them aloud to the class. I remember a fellow teacher asking her students to do a a report on ‘Hate’ and the different types of ‘Hate Crimes’. Her whole class descended on the lab, took their seats, and then proceeded to swear at their computers as they learned that the word ‘hate’ met the qualifications of the filter. The research came to an abrupt stop and the teacher was going to have to reevaluate her choice of research topic. An unfortunate consequence of the dreaded “filter”.