I knew that there was something that bugged me about this article, KSL News: Some Say Internet Bill Violates Constitution, but I did not realize the significance until I re-read this quote from State Representative John Dougall of Utah in regard to parents being "overwhelmed by advancing technology":
"There is a technology gap between parents and kids. Kids are much more savvy about what's going on than their parents," Dougall said during debate on the House floor. "We're expecting (Internet) service providers to provide some option for protections. Government plays a critical role in that."
Let's allow credit for Representative Dougall's passion to protect children from the invasive and destructive nature of internet pornography...it is certainly good political resume material (the bill passed without a dissenting vote, others seem to like the bandwagon ride also). The reality of the situation is that Utah will not be able to regulate internet porn whether it is hosted in Provo or Pakistan. Placing the burden on ISP's (Internet Service Providers) is simply passing the buck and potentially killing the smaller providers by burdening them with the task of playing censor.
I may make light of this particular piece of legislation...bad legislation doesn't help anyone...(ok, perhaps it helps those who chose to work harder at re-election rather than the intended aspects of their respective elected positions). Internet pornography is a serious problem and it will require serious minds and serious approaches to protect those who neither want or need exposure...that leaves out far too many politicians.