[relaying article from Clint]
According to this article, the house is going to vote on a bill from CA rep Sanchez which will allow people to be placed in prison for up to two years for writing blog entries that “harass” public figures by criticizing them in a “severe, repeated, and hostile” manner.*
Look, basically, you have power over our lives, we write about the bad things you do in our blogs – which you don’t have to read – and you send us to prison? I’m sorry, but that’s just awful. Also kind of puts a dent in the 1st amendment. Sadly, I don’t live in Orange County any more, so I can’t write Sanchez and tell her how nuts I think she is. Well, I can, but she wouldn’t pay any attention because I don’t get to vote her out. Pity. But I can write my reps and tell them I disapprove, and I will.
I don’t like hate speech.. I pretty much hate Encyclopedia Dramatica, for example.. but I believe everyone should be free to post whatever they want on the interwebz. You don’t like it? Don’t visit the page. Censorship is bad, mmkay?
*** Update ***
Actually, apparently it applies to everyone – it’s a reaction to this – and a attempt to prevent cyberbullying. I don’t think laws are the right solution, I think educating people about the wonders of not browsing to a site where people are flaming them, educating people about how horrible/assish other people can be, and encouraging depressed 13 year olds to spend time with real people instead of myspace ones is probably the right solution. Anyway, I still don’t like the bill, but it also doesn’t look like it’s going to pass, hence, I’m not going to worry about it.
May 4th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Yea really!
Though I found out the text of the bill in the articles linked to that were changed to say “politician” instead of “person”. It’s really the Megan Meir Cyberbulling act. What was done to Megan was reprehensible, and the people should pay somehow (even if it’s vigilante justice becuase no real laws are applicable to the situation)….
…. but I still don’t think this law made in response to that is going to serve the public’s interest. It’s more like “look! a kid died! Let me wave the dead kid around with my left hand while my right hand subtly and incrementally takes away your constitutional rights”.
Politics as usual. Nobody’s pro-freedom it seems.
Thanks for posting.