🚀 go-pugleaf

>Date: Sat,  9 Dec 1995 11:02:16 -0500 (EST)
>From: "Declan B. McCullagh" <declan+@CMU.EDU>
>To: Fight Censorship Mailing List <fight-censorship+@andrew.cmu.edu>
>Subject: WP: Gingrich Wants to Narrow Bill's "Indecent" Definition
>
>The Washington Post
>December 9, 1995
>   
>Gingrich Wants To Narrow On-Line Bill
>
>   
>   
>   By Elizabeth Corcoran
>   Washington Post Staff Writer
>   
>   
>   House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and a colleague are trying to
>   narrow the scope of legislation that would make it illegal to make
>   "indecent" material available to children over on-line computer
>   networks, aides said.
>   
>   Earlier this week, House lawmakers working on final provisions of the
>   bill adopted a comparatively broad definition of what would be
>   illegal, rejecting a narrower test known as the "harmful to minors"
>   standard. Gingrich and Rep. Rick A. White (R-Wash.) now hope to get
>   the definition of "indecency" closer to the rejected standard, which
>   White contends is accepted in 48 states as the benchmark for
>   prosecuting those who publish sexually explicit material.
>   
>   Civil liberties groups say the indecency standard is overly broad and
>   could lead to a curtailment of freedom of speech. Many feel more
>   comfortable with the harmful to minors standard. But religious
>   conservatives and anti-pornography groups say the harmful to minors
>   standard is not tough enough.
>   
>   A staff member in Gingrich's office said Gingrich considers the issue
>   very important. Earlier this year, Gingrich expressed concern that the
>   indecency standard, as first proposed in a Senate amendment sponsored
>   by Sen. J. James Exon (D-Neb.), could infringe on free speech rights.
>   
>   Aides say Gingrich in particular hopes to write into law a definition
>   of indecency that would exempt from prosecution material considered to
>   have cultural, literary or scientific merit.
>   
>   Civil liberty groups also are trying to rally opponents of the
>   indecency standard. "We're declaring Tuesday to be a national day of
>   protest from the Internet," said Jonah Seiger, an analyst at the
>   Center for Democracy and Technology, a group that opposes the
>   standard.
>   
>   Staff writer Mike Mills contributed to this report.
>   
>
>
>
>
>--
><HTML><A HREF="http://www.eff.org/~mech/">    Stanton McCandlish
></A><HR><A HREF="mailto:mech@eff.org">        mech@eff.org
></A><P><A HREF="http://www.eff.org/">         Electronic Frontier Foundation
></A><P><A HREF="http://www.eff.org/A/">       Online Activist    </A></HTML>
>
David Smith               * "We truly believe that even though we live in an
evil 
bladex@bga.com            *  world, if you can stand up with a stronger
will, then you
President, EFF-Austin     *  can't be beaten down. This is the true spirit
of the
Board of Directors, CTCLU *  EFF-Austin member"  -- John Woo