roundtable: Re: Exon Prayer and Then Some...

roundtable: Re: Exon Prayer and Then Some...

Re: Exon Prayer and Then Some...

Stan Bernstein (sbernst@panix.com)
Wed, 28 Jun 1995 01:40:40 -0400 (EDT) 

Date: Wed, 28 Jun 1995 01:40:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: Stan Bernstein <sbernst@panix.com>
To: rehm@zso.dec.com
Subject: Re: Exon Prayer and Then Some... 
In-Reply-To: <9506271437.AA31054@slugbt.zso.dec.com>
Message-Id: <Pine.SUN.3.91.950628012343.4385A-100000@panix3.panix.com>


I am aware of the laudable efforts of many of the organizations you 
list. These certainly are not the target of my remarks. Nevertheless, 
we must face facts. Lack of objection to the Exon legislation as 
evidenced in the recent Senate vote was a phenomenon of left, right 
and center. I personally am well to the left of center but a tendency 
to feel that "politically incorrect" speech should (in apparent 
contravention of the First Amendment) be punishable by law because it 
is seen as either too violent, too sexual, or too something else is a 
mindset I regret I must strongly associate with my confreres from the 
political left.


All best wishes/SB
Stan Bernstein
sbernst@panix.com


On Tue, 27 Jun 1995 rehm@zso.dec.com wrote:
> 
> Stan,
> 
> > Anyone following the numerous technical discussions now taking place on 
> > the Internet with regard to end-user filtering options will understand 
> > that such technology is close at hand. Here is the real solution. Each 
> > parent, using these emerging technologies, will soon be enabled to block 
> > out what (s)he considers inappropriate for children. The Religious Right, 
> > though,exerting enormous lobbying pressures on our legislators, seems 
> > strangely unsatisfied with this sort of solution. I'm far from alone 
> > in my suspicion that their real agenda is to control what adults will 
> > say to one another, eventually possibly even imprisoning people for 
> > religiously or politically incorrect speech which these religionists 
> > would help to define. Many on the left, although with a different 
> > rationale, would also needlessly sacrifice First Amendment liberties 
> > essentially to silence speech they didn't agree with. 
> 
> What evidence do you have of your last statement in this
> paragraph, that "Many on the left....would also needlessly
> sacfifice First Amendment liberties"?
> 
> By my reading, much of the "left" (whatever that is) is
> supportive of the campaign to stop the Communications Decency
> Act.  In fact, here is a list of "Participating Organizations"
> taken from the Voters Telecom Watch at URL:
> 	gopher://gopher.panix.com/00/vtw/exon/alert
> 
> I don't mean to label any of these organizations necessarily
> "left", but certainly these organizations would not identify
> themselves as members of the "right".  
> 
> /eric rehm
> President, Seattle Chapter
> Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
> 
> ---------------
> 
> LIST OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
> 
> In order to use the net more effectively, several organizations have
> joined forces on a single Congressional net campaign to stop the
> Communications Decency Act.
> 
> 
> American Civil Liberties Union * American Communication Association *
> American Council for the Arts * Arts & Technology Society * Association
> of Alternative Newsweeklies * biancaTroll productions * Californians
> Against Censorship Together * Center For Democracy And Technology *
> Centre for Democratic Communications * Center for Public Representation
> * Citizen's Voice - New Zealand * Computer Communicators Association *
> Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility * Cross Connection *
> Cyber-Rights Campaign * CyberQueer Lounge * Dutch Digital Citizens'
> Movement * Electronic Frontier Canada * Electronic Frontier Foundation
> * Electronic Frontier Foundation - Austin * Electronic Frontiers
> Australia * Electronic Frontiers Houston * Electronic Frontiers New
> Hampshire * Electronic Privacy Information Center * Feminists For Free
> Expression * First Amendment Teach-In * Florida Coalition Against
> Censorship * Friendly Anti-Censorship Taskforce for Students * Hands
> Off! The Net * Human Rights Watch * Inland Book Company * Inner Circle
> Technologies, Inc. * Inst. for Global Communications * Internet
> On-Ramp, Inc. * The Libertarian Party * Marijuana Policy Project *
> Metropolitan Data Networks Ltd. * MindVox * National Bicycle Greenway *
> National Coalition Against Censorship * National Public Telecomputing
> Network * National Writers Union * Oregon Coast RISC * Panix Public
> Access Internet * People for the American Way * Rock Out Censorship *
> Society for Electronic Access * The Thing International BBS Network *
> The WELL * Voters Telecommunications Watch

[CNI Home Page]