Lawmaker defends imprisoning “hostile bloggers”

We read:

"Rep. Linda Sanchez responded Wednesday to Threat Level’s tirade against her proposed legislation outlawing hostile electronic speech. Her answer: ‘Congress has no interest in censoring.’ Sanchez, with the introduction of the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act, clearly has a great interest in censoring.

Still, the Democrat from Los Angeles makes several valid points that cyberbullying has lasting consequences on our nation’s youth. The 13-year-old Meier’s suicide is clearly a tragedy. But how she characterizes the measure is simply untrue. ‘Put simply, this legislation would be used as a tool for a judge and jury to determine whether there is significant evidence to prove that a person ‘cyberbullied’ another,’ she wrote in the Huffington Post. ‘That is: did they have the required intent, did they use electronic means of communication, and was the communication severe, hostile, and repeated?

So — bloggers, e-mailers, texters, spiteful exes and those who have blogged against this bill have no fear — your words are still protected under the same American values.’

But that’s not what the proposal says. It goes way beyond youth cyberbullying. As we said the other day, the measure seemingly outlaws logging onto the internet.”

Source

The intent of a law, the wording of a law and the interpretation of a law handed down by the courts are three different things so utmost caution is needed before a law creating new offences is passed. This one seems wide open to misuse.


Posted by John Ray.