Ok, we know Redstate.com is batshit crazy but you know what they say about stopped clocks, et al. They're tearing John McCain a new one. and it appears to be deserved. It's about the "Stop the Online Exploitation of Our Children Act", that he's sponsoring.
From CNET:
After child pornography or some forms of "obscenity" are found and reported, the Web site must retain any "information relating to the facts or circumstances" of the incident for at least six months. Webmasters would be immune from civil and criminal liability if they followed the specified procedures exactly.
Internet service providers already must follow those reporting requirements. But McCain's proposal is liable to be controversial because it levies the same regulatory scheme--and even stiffer penalties--on even individual bloggers who offer discussion areas on their Web sites.
Note that "individual bloggers" last part.
So now at RS, they're going ballistic. They're not too crazy about the Strait(Jacket)TalkExpress ($1 to MD Patriot) in any case it seems...
We'd love it if, just once, John McCain's good intentions led to something besides massive government regulation of our daily lives.
Sadly, it is not to be.
<snip>
The more you dig out of this piece of legislation, the more frightening it becomes. Bloggers could be forced to pay fines for not regulating the amount of spam on their blog – any links that make it through the obscenity filters could spark regulation and punishment – and in addition, according to the smart folks at the Center for Democracy & Technology, any membership-based site that allowed a sexual predator to register could be subject to penalties:
The bill would also require sexual predators to register their email addresses and Instant Messaging ids with law enforcement, and social networking sites, blogs and other chat sites would have an obligation to monitor and prevent predators from becoming members of the site.
Let's translate: if you're a blogger who wants people to register on your site, you don't just have to keep an up-to-date spam filter or link blacklist, you have to actively block people from registering with your site based on the email addresses they've sent in to the online sex predator patrol.
Given the obvious problems of blog spam, why anyone would continue to use a commenting system if McCain's bill passed and risk a fine that could bankrupt most bloggers is a real question...
Please, Senator McCain – if you want to reach out clumsily to social conservatives, don't do it by making a bigger enemy of the internet than you already have. Don't treat us like we're stupid, and don't hire staff who do the same. And most of all, don't penalize individuals for having online message boards or blogs, or make us jump through ridiculous hoops or live in fear of your bankrupting fines just to express our opinions online.
And here's some of the comments that followed:
"Senator McCain, not content simply to arrest the man who yells "Fire!" in a crowded theater, now wants to arrest the theater manager who let him in the building."
***
"Odds are the good senator doesn't even grasp the legislation or its ramifications; odds are just as great he doesn't care. This is just the latest shiny thing for McCain to embrace to gain attention, which seems to be his philosophy about governance: if it attracts the spotlight, it must be good."
***
"I won't vote for McCain under any circumstances. And for once, this happens to have nothing to do with his policies or ideology (and that assumes he has one). This post has nothing to do with social conservatism, moderate Republicanism, or any other brand of politics or "isms." The man is simply unfit to be president of the United States, and the Republican Party had better come to grips with that reality soon."
***
"Every single time, every time I start to think that maybe I could support McCain, that maybe he wouldn't be so bad as President, and then he goes and pulls some stunt like this. Thank goodness McCain doesn't have the good sense not to keep unloading his clip into his foot."
And this knocked me for a loop:
Another example of how McCain could care less about the Constitution. If someone cannot accept at least some of the Constitution, they should be considered too dangerous for the office.
And this -- coming from Bush's cheerleadern caused milk to come out of my nose:
Once again, I will restate my deeply held belief that McCain is the most dangerous man in America.
McCain is considered to be a top tier candidate for the Republican nomination. This is a guy who has a good military record, 30 years ago, and since then, heh. He did nothing as a Representative, and until this decade his claim to fame as a Senator was being part of the Keating Five. He groveled his way out of that one.
He has no experience as an executive. None. His signature legislation would have to CFR. Then there's torture. Then there's the G14. Then there's his opposition to tax cuts. His Senate career is about as lackluster as John Kerry's. Yet he's a top tier candidate
Sooo...
- Looks like McCain is more unpopular with the GOP hardcore than Hilary is with us. The currently divisions among conservatives is only going to grow deeper. For six years, pundits have all been saying, "How can the Democrats win, without the South." By 2008, it's going to be "How can the Republicans win, with JUST the South?"
- When it comes to the internet, it seems Libs and Freepers can agree: HANDS OFF!
- McCain's march to the right continues unabated. Look for more pandering like this throughout '07 and '08.
- Judging from the comments, the 20 or 30 nutters who log on to RedState are seriously, seriously, bipolar. YearlyRedState , (being held in a Howard Johnson's off of Route 320 in Boise) is gonna be a hoot.
Anybody else care to weigh in?