Re: Congress and the Internet

[tom whipple <twhipple@UNICOM.NET>]

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From:   Lachowsky, Richard[SMTP:LACHOWSKY@BHS.SCSC.K12.AR.US]
Sent:   Tuesday, December 12, 1995 3:55 AM
To:     Multiple recipients of list LM_NET
Subject:        Congress and the Internet

It would appear from all of the responses to the Congressional action
on pornography on the Internet that I am the only one who feels that
it is about time someone did something about this problem.  I'm sorry
if this is an unpopular stand to take given the profession that I am
in, but I feel strongly that something must be done to protect minors
from access to undesirable materials.=20


It is certainly true that access to the Internet entails possible =
contact with materials which are offensive. I presume from your message =
that you are mainly worried about sex, but those pictures of the =
atrocities in Bosnia were horrible. That holocaust museum is certainly =
something we should watch out for. Richard, we are not doing a good job =
of protecting children in the United States, but the Internet is not the =
problem. Here in Missouri, we already have laws against child =
pornography. We do not need to attack any problem which might involve =
the Internet with new felonies. For that matter, it is not that hard to =
direct student's Internet activities. A lycos search for "whale song" =
does not turn up any sort of pornography. A lycos search for =
"pornography" a couple of days ago turned up pages of rather dull =
censorship debates which would not have excited very many kids in my =
school district. In my internet classes, I used to make a point of =
showing the easy links to erotic pictures to the teachers so they could =
easily direct students away from them. Those links, like the one that =
used to be on Yahoo, have disappeared in the past year.

I don't think that "pornography" is nearly as interesting or as readily =
available on the Internet as some people seem to think. Probably we =
school people are a little bit sheltered. We must not subscribe to cable =
or visit Blockbuster. You can find some pictures of naked people if you =
look long enough, but, right now, you really do have to go looking. =
Granted, kids will go looking. Anything people are interested in is on =
the Internet, and people seem to stay interested in sex. On the Internet =
it is not pushed at them as it is everywhere else.=20

Tom Whipple
twhipple@unicom.net
Whittier Elementary
Kansas City, Ks