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[Andrea Bartelstein]

Ronnie Morgan said:

> First, I do believe that the parents should take some, if not most, of  
> the responsibility of what his/her child views on the Internet, TV,  
> etc.  But, the information providers have to take some as well.  I can  
> leave my child in front of the TV, and feel pretty good that he won't  
> see some naked woman (although late at night, that may not be true).    

I'm always mystified by this attitude -- the average kid will have seen
countless rapes, murders, and other violent atrocities on TV (not to
mention movies, video games, etc.) by the time he or she reaches high
school, but somehow the sight of a naked woman is too much to handle.  But
this is exactly the point of why the "decency" amendment is so asinine
(not to mention unconstitutional):  you have every right to decide what
you want your child to see or not see.  My definition of "indecent" most
likely doesn't match yours, and that's exactly why I don't get to decide
what you and your family (or anyone else's) can watch on TV, read, see on
the internet, etc.  By the same token, the government shouldn't be in the
business of defining "indecent" either.  You are responsible for
monitoring your children's activities and talking with them about your own
values and beliefs; the government isn't. 

Andrea Bartelstein               University of Washington, Seattle
UWired Librarian                 andi at u.washington.edu   (206) 616-1969