It's For The Kids

I recently read an opinion piece about a recent judicial decision striking down elements of COPA (Child Online Protection Act) as unconstitutional. Now, on the surface, it's easy to get upset, because it struck down requirements that online porn sites essentially "card" their visitors, thus making it easier for kids to see porn.

The author, Cathy Ruse, a fellow at a Fundamentalist Christian "think tank", states that it's not unreasonable to put these burdens on porn site authors because the state has a compelling interest in protecting children from pornography.

What about the state's compelling interest in protecting children from ideology? Those kids who bombed the London subways did not do it in the name of Hugh Hefner. The 9/11 hijackers didn't do it for the greater glory of Larry Flynt.

But before we go making terrorism a Muslim thing, let's not forget our homegrown Christian terrorist organizations, such as the Army of God or the Christian Patriot movement. Nor can we forget Baruch Goldstein, the fundamentalist Jew who killed 29 Muslims and wounded 150 in an attack on a mosque.

But this isn't just about religion. We've got lots of political/nationalist ideology driving terrorism too. Remember the Chechen separatists who took 850 people hostage in a Moscow theater, or the Basque separatist group ETA, which bombed the Madrid airport in December 2006.

Basically, extreme ideologies, be they religious or political, often share three things: the belief that non-believers must suffer or die, the belief that violence is justified in furthering their causes, and that believers must seek out converts.

If some adult tried to show your kid porn and entice them into a porn lifestyle, he'd be arrested and carry the label of child molester for the rest of his life... and rightfully so. But if some adult tried to show your kid the Koran and entice them into the lifestyle of extremist Islam... that's not only legal, but he could hold himself up as doing God's work.

As much as I don't want my child seeing porn before I believe he's old enough to deal with it in a sane and mature way, I'm even more adamant that I don't want adults trying to sell him violent, condemning, angry ideologies. That includes fundamentalist religion of ANY flavor.

Why is it okay for preachers to try to steal my child from me in the name of Jesus or Allah or whomever? Why can political ideologues try to sell my kid on extremist political views? Why is it acceptable for these people to try to subvert my parental rights to raise my child the way I see fit and claim it's their right under the 1st Amendment, but the 1st Amendment doesn't similarly extend to producers of pornography?

So to the ideological extremists everywhere... the right wing politicians, the religious fundamentalists... I offer this deal. I'll help support laws to protect your kids from porn.

In return, I expect you to support laws to protect my kids from you.

Come on, it's for the kids.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 15th, 2007 at 6:24 pm and is filed under Dangerous Thoughts, Politics & Religion, Society.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.