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DOPA DOA
Halli-freakin-leujah, DOPA is dead! This atrocious bill, passed in July by the House of Representatives, was an election year sop to suburban soccer moms scared of the Big, Bad Internets. In pursuit of the otherwise laudable goal of blocking online predators, this bill would have forced schools and libraries that receive federal E-Rate funding to block access to any website that allows the creation of a profile. In other words, millions of perfectly legal websites such as MySpace, Amazon, EBay, educational and research websites, discussion boards, social networking sites of all kinds, and practically every single blog in existence. And since further definition of what constitutes a blockable site would have been left wholly at the discretion of the FCC, it could easily have expanded. (For instance, most newspaper sites now require the creation of a profile featuring one’s name, email, and demographic information. Why not block them too?)
Remember, we’re not talking about blocking pornographic sites, which are already illegal for minors to access (and are covered under previous laws anyway.) We’re talking about blocking sites that are otherwise completely legal, and doing so, not based on the site’s content, but on its format. And putting a federal agency, consisting of unelected political appointees, in charge of deciding what should and shouldn’t be blocked. All this, from the “party of limited government.” What a joke.
When I heard about this incomprehensively idiotic bill back in August, I frothed at the mouth, as is my wont whenever news of greater than normal governmental stupidity reaches my ears. However, when friend and fellow librarian Chris pointed out that many of the bill’s sponsors were ejected from Congress in the Glorious Republican Rout of November 7th, I began to hope that the insanity would be averted. And yesterday, Chris sent me a link to an article noting that DOPA will indeed die on the vine, since the lack of Senate action last term means that it will have to be reintroduced this year, and several incoming Democratic committee heads are skeptical about its horribly overbroad nature.
I received several cool presents during the holiday season, but this entirely unexpected, tentative baby step back towards sanity on the part of our elected representatives may be the best one yet. My outlook on the universe has been measurably improved since November 7th. It’s so nice to finally have the adults in charge again.
Now, if we can just do something about Batshit Crazy Old Man John McCain and his War on Blogs…
