We support free speech and its responsible use on the internet. That is, the right to send and receive any text or graphic that is currently recognized as legal. It is true that it takes a village to raise a child, that is why more than adequate controls exist for parents to block, control, or limit access to internet sites with tools such as CyberSitter, SmartFilter, and CyberPatrol from SurfControl. It is the responsibility of every parent to be aware, discuss, and if need be control, what their children access. Unfortunately, not all are permitted to exercise these rights, and even those that do may soon have them taken away. For more information, visit the blue-ribbon campaign for online freedom of speech, as well as the green-ribbon campaign for responsibility in free speech.

Two quotes might prove illuminating ...

In 1773 Samuel Johnson wrote, "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." Those that wrap themselves in free speech as a means to justify their own interests may indeed be scoundrels, but in the same way children's rights are the last refuge of the dogmatic moralist. No one denies the sanctity of children's rights, but those that guilefully cloak themselves in it serve only to absolve parents of all responsibility and justify their own limited vision of the world. In fact, all it does is simply justify their own existence. Without the mantle of children's right's, they would easily wither and die in an ugly sea of contrived jihads.

– Ginger Peppercorn, Thoughts and Minor Truths

First they came for the hackers. But I never did anything illegal with my computer, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for the pornographers. But I thought there was too much smut on the Internet anyway, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for the anonymous remailers. But a lot of nasty stuff gets sent, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for the encryption users. But I could never figure out how to work it anyway, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for me. And by that time there was no one left to speak up.

– Alara Rogers, Aleph Press