Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Is It Unconstitutional To Protect Our Children's Innocence?

Michigan seems to think so.

A US District Court judge has ruled that a law in the state of Michigan banning the sale of violent video games to minors is unconstitutional.

Federal District Judge George Caram Steeh issued the ruling in Detroit and said in court documents that video games were protected under the US constitutional First and Fourteenth Amendments.
The law, signed by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm last year, imposes civil and criminal penalties for anyone who knowingly distributes violent video games to a minor.

Judge Steeh said in the ruling the state "lacked substantial evidence to show violent video games cause minors to have aggressive feelings or engage in aggressive behaviour".

The Entertainment Software Association, the Video Software Dealers Association and the Michigan Retailers Association filed suit in September challenging the constitutionality of law
Source

Well, what's next? Shall we start letting our children purchase porn? How about cigarettes? Alcohol? How about fire arms? Surely by disallowing the sale of these "products" we are inhibiting the companies from their "god given" right to do as they please! We really should just toss our morals out the window, because God forbid we stand in the way of the American dream - aka money, money, money!

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