Free Speech on a roll

Senior U.S. District Judge Lowell Reed Jr threw out a 1998 law making it a crime to let children access objectionable material. As distasteful as it is, I agree with Judge Reed. I view this as a parental responsibility. I also like his phrasing,

Perhaps we do the minors of this country harm if First Amendment protections, which they will with age inherit fully, are chipped away in the name of their protection.

Well said.

In other news, the internet may prove to be the undoing of the, I think, unconstitutional McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill among other First Amendment Violations. Former NC Senator and Presidential hopeful John Edwards had been dogged by an internet ad showing him primping his hair to the tune of "I Feel Pretty." And, more famously, Hillary Clinton was skewered by an ad mimicking Apple's famous "1984" Super Bowl ad, this one called "Hillary 1984" (the title also shows an awareness of how You Tube searches work, if your looking for the controversial ad, you plug "Hillary 1984" into the engine. Making that the name of the ad gets the searcher right to the spot). What makes the Hillary 1984 ad so interesting is that it was clearly pro-Obama as it had "BarakObama.com" at the end, and that it was, initially, anonymous (leading to a mini Primary Colors fad where Phil De Vellis played the part of Joe Klein) and that, by being on the internet and not TV it was unregulated. Meaning Mr De Vellis did not have to reveal himself, nor would he theoretically be restricted by the "black-out" dates before an election.

I think its interesting that the internet, with all its pipes, is touted as the hope of free people in China, Iran, Russia, etc and that it may also bring this country back to its principles.