We only get 24 hours of democracy?

                    I guess we'll take what we can get.

I originally sent this as an e-mail to several senators and congressmen,
over two months ago, but since I received no replies, I can only assume
that no one read it. Hating to see it go to waste, I post it here...

I know that you are very busy in Washington, and I do not wish to be a
burden on your valuable time, but I do not often come across an issue about
which I feel strongly enough to write. I hope that you will listen
carefully.

Over many years, my voting habits have tended to drift toward the
Republican side. I respect the Republican Party for its attitude that the
role of government needs to be reduced. We have drifted away from the idea
that individuals are responsible for their own lives, and I see the
Republican Party as the only hope we have for reducing the role of
government in our lives.

That is why I am very concerned and disappointed in the amount of support
there is within the ranks of the Republicans in Congress for the so-called
Communications Decency Amendment. I am unable to resolve within my mind the
fact that the party which claims that our government has too large a role
in its citizens' lives, favors legislation which would have the government
deciding what I should be permitted to include or receive in electronic
communications.

I feel that it is time for Congress to realize what electronic
communication is. I am very concerned that so many of you seem to be so out
of touch with this powerful medium which is so rapidly becoming an integral
part of every American household. Most of our children are more aware of
computer technology than many members of Congress. It is something our
children (and many of your adult constituents) accept as second nature,
while it seems that the people we elect to office see it as some sort of
dark and evil magic.

There are unscrupulous people doing terrible things with this medium, just
as they have, for years, been using telephones and mail and magazine
advertising and going door-to-door. As a responsible parent, I have made
every effort to teach my child not to answer our door or telephone, and, as
she gets older, I will continue to teach her to be wary of what she reads
in the mail and in advertisements. Will our government next decide that it
should read all of our mail and listen to all of our telephone
conversations as well?

There is material on the Internet that I do not want my child to see. There
is material on television that I do not want my child to see. There are
things on the radio, and in some magazines and in some books and in some
movies that I do not think are appropriate for a four-year-old. That is
why, as a responsible parent, I make every effort to monitor what she
listens to, what she watches, and what she reads.

Fortunately, where the Internet is concerned, I have a great deal more
control over what my child is exposed to, than with other media. Currently,
my child cannot access the Internet on our computer. She sits with me while
we explore together, visiting many sites of interest. When she is older, I
will install one of the many software applications available which will
block her ability to access sites which I determine to have inappropriate
material. That is my right and my responsibility as a parent.

For parents who lag behind their children in computer technology, there are
options available. One option is not to get a computer. Another is not to
have a modem, or not to have Internet access. The most reasonable option is
to get with the program. If you are going to have a computer in your house,
you should know how to use it. Would you buy a car if you didn't know how
to drive? If you did, would you then turn it over to your children, and
complain that they didn't use it in a way you consider to be appropriate?

I would never consider the idea that the government should mandate that
every American citizen only be able to see material appropriate for a
four-year-old. I am baffled by the idea that so many people in Congress
would do just that, and downright stunned that the party claiming to be our
champion for less government would have any members whatsoever supporting
such legislation.

I am hoping for a strong showing among Republicans, that you truly want to
keep government a safe distance from our private lives, and that you will
prove this to us when the Communications Decency Amendment comes up for a
vote. Your actions will be remembered when the next elections come around.

Thank you for your interest in what one citizen has to say.

stanf@metronet.com

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