[WinMac] OFF-TOPIC: Who is Denny Hastert?
Dan Schwartz(expresso[at]snip.net)
Sat, 19 Dec 1998 17:10:43 -0500
Dear friends and colleagues:
This is an off-topic message, and if you don't live in the United States
you'll probably want to just hit the "Delete" button.
With today's historic events in our Nation's Capitol, the name of Denny
Hastert is being pushed for Speaker of the House.
This is where political dynamics and our jobs as computer industry
professionals intersect. Without my own opinion coloring the issue, I
recommend studying Speaker-elect Hassert's legislative agenda, as it may
affect the conduct of our jobs.
[More below]
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From <http://dennyhastert.house.gov/r102298.htm>:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, October 22, 1998
CONTACT: Doug Booth or Pete Jeffries at 630-406-1114 or visit Hastert’s
Website at:
dennyhastert.house.gov
HASTERT HOSTS INTERNET DEFENSE FORUM
SAYS CONGRESS IS TAKING INITIAL STEPS, BUT PARENTS ARE KEY TO PROTECTING
KIDS ON-LINE FROM PEDOPHILES & SEXUAL PREDATORS
As a parent and former high school teacher, Congressman J. Dennis Hastert
(R-Yorkville-IL) wants to protect children from pedophiles and other
predators hiding on our streets or lurking the information highway. Hastert
brought together local and state experts on child abuse for an
informational discussion open to the public known as the Internet Defense
Forum -- What your children know and you should.
"I know we all look forward to a day when young people are safe on the
Net," Congressman Hastert commented. "Fortunately, technology is evolving,
some of which is being developed right here in Illinois as high-tech
companies and law enforcement work together. A basic regulatory framework
is also beginning to come together to prevent and punish on-line child
predators, ban commercial smut which previously was free for kids to
access, and protect the privacy of kids on-line."
The 14th District Congressman discussed the Child Protection & Sexual
Predator Punishment Act, H.R. 3494, which recently passed the
just-completed Congress. It includes the "Boehle Bill," a provision named
after Deborah Boehle of St. Charles whose nine-year old daughter became the
victim of Internet abuse. The family’s problems with a sexual predator
became so bad when they lived in Joliet, they moved to Kane County in
Hastert’s 14th District. In turn, Hastert collaborated with Congressmen
Bill McCollum (R-FL) and Jerry Weller (R-IL) to include the Boehle
provision in order to set fines and prison sentences of up to five years
for facilitating the contact of a minor (16 years or younger) over the
Internet for purposes of illegal sexual activity. The legislation, awaiting
the President’s signature into law, also requires service providers to
report to law enforcement agencies any knowledge of the transfer of child
pornography and toughens penalties on perverts who attempt to entice minors
across State lines.
"Even though our children may be at home with the doors locked," Hastert
explained, "that doesn’t mean that they are safe. We must continue to be
proactive in warding off pedophiles and other creeps who want to take
advantage of our children...It’s not infringing on liberties, it’s about
protecting our kids."
Congressman Hastert also reported that Tuesday’s passed Omnibus Budget
Agreement included the Child Online Protection Act. This legislation
employs the constitutionally-tested ‘harmful-to-minors’ standard to stop
commercial distributors of pornography from offering free "teaser" pages
displaying explicit and obscene materials. By requiring the use of age
identification technology, it makes commercial, on-line pornographers
screen out minors before they distribute or sell certain material via the
Internet.
Finally, Congressman Hastert closed with an example of another pro-active
initiative to protect our children. He told the forum that he was pleased
to hear Security Software Systems of Sugar Grove, IL, tout their "Cyber
Sentinel" software at a recent Congressional hearing in Washington. Hastert
says this market-based solution "captures" or "freezes" a chat room
solicitation by a sexual predator, which is very useful to law enforcement
in catching Internet child abusers in the act and bringing them to justice.
Besides Congressman Hastert, other panelists included Bob Spence of the
Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Dan Guerin of the DuPage County State’s
Attorney’s Office, DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba, Officer Mike Sullivan
of the Naperville Police Department which has one of the nation’s leading
Internet Anti-Pornography Task Forces, and Judith Sotir of Waubonsee
Community College.
###
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PERSONAL COMMENTARY:
This may indeed affect our chosen profession, (hence the posting) because
we may be called upon, legislatively, to provide improved software for
Internet filtering and/or monitoring. Regardless of our personal beliefs as
to the desirability of the Speaker-elect's agenda (such as the former
"Blue-Ribbon" campaign), I wanted to issue this "heads-up" because we may
be called upon in our **professional capacity** to provide solutions to
legislated mandates.
Yours truly,
Daniel L. Schwartz,
Electrical Engineer.
Dan's Macintosh Consulting
Suite 1306
1840 Frontage Road
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-2205
609-795-8965
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