________________________________________________________________________________ Wired News Does Lieberman 'Tipper' Scales? by Declan McCullagh 1:10 p.m. Aug. 7, 2000 PDT WASHINGTON -- There's no question that Senator Joseph Lieberman is a traditional liberal on many issues: He's pro-choice, loves gun control, and opposes Social Security privatization. But when it comes to demanding federal action against sex and violence in videogames and on TV, Al Gore's new running mate is as strident as the most right-wing Republican. For years, Lieberman (D-Conn.) has been Washington's most indefatigable proponent of slapping labels on nearly anything he finds personally offensive -- not to mention pressing for V- chips and denouncing the "destructive influence of the entertainment media." In highly publicized campaigns, the Connecticut politician has linked arms with Book of Virtues author William Bennett to attack Hollywood: The duo tallied how many out-of-wedlock sexual references appeared on network broadcasts during "family hours" and successfully prodded computer-game makers to rate their software. They even pressured Time Warner into selling its Interscope rap label, which sold albums by Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre. Lieberman co-sponsored the Media Violence Labeling Act introduced in May. It would move the videogame and movie industries toward a single national rating system to be approved by the Federal Trade Commission. He said in June that websites would not be covered, but that his legislation "sets the stage" for such an effort in the future. Tipper Gore, Vice President Al Gore's wife, began a similar campaign in the 1980s against "porn rock" -- which led to Senate hearings over music content and accusations of censorship from some publishers. The prospect of the White House being occupied by a Gore- Lieberman pro-ratings combination seems to unsettle some free- speech groups. "In principle (Lieberman's) in favor of free speech," says Marvin Rich, program director for the National Coalition Against Censorship. "On the other hand, he wants the government to intervene in areas that are probably not subject to government intervention under our First Amendment." "In a number of areas, he and Tipper are side by side, arm in arm," Rich says. In June, Lieberman told a Congressional advisory panel that the U.S. government should consider creating a new top-level domain such as ".sex" or ".xxx." (Government auditors have said that only the Commerce Department can add new top-level domains.) "This idea, which would in effect establish a virtual red-light district ... has a lot of merit," Lieberman said. "For rather than constricting the Net's open architecture, it would capitalize on it to effectively shield children from pornography." Critics have said the idea won't work because different countries have different standards: Conservative Muslim countries could be exceptionally censorial, while the Netherlands is generally more laissez-faire. Even inside the United States, some artists have been convicted under obscenity laws for lewd cartoons. Lieberman has also: * Sided with dotcom firms on taxation, proposing in April 1998 -- with Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) -- a three-year moratorium on Internet sales taxes. This echoes what GOP nominee George W. Bush has said. * Joined Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle at an event last month to highlight a Democratic high-tech plan. The proposal includes restrictions on spam, more federal money spent on research, and a permanent R&D tax credit. Lieberman has introduced his own anti-spam bill. * Endorsed the idea of requiring libraries to use controversial blocking software as a condition of receiving federal funds. * Suggested at a hearing in March 2000 that more criminal laws might deter future hackers such as "the next Kevin Mitnick." The Republican Party platform adopted last week in Philadelphia has similar language. * Attempted to boost the security of government websites. Lieberman's bill requires outside audits and more training. * Asked government auditors to review -- in a report due by the end of the year -- how many federal websites follow reasonable privacy guidelines. A Wired News article in June reported many violated White House rules. Ever since being first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988 with a narrow 50-49 margin, Lieberman has acquired a record as a legislator who is principled -- he criticized President Clinton's shenanigans over Monica Lewinsky -- but generally moderate. "Joseph Lieberman is a good and decent man who is well respected on both sides of the aisle," said Sen. Christopher Bond (R-Mo.), who chairs the Senate Small Business Committee on which Lieberman serves. "However, it seems to be a mixed message when you have President Clinton's chief Democratic critic and his leading cheerleader sharing the same ticket," Bond said, in a reference to Gore. President Clinton on Monday called Lieberman "one of the most outstanding people in public life" and a "bold thinker." While in law school at Yale, Clinton volunteered on Lieberman's state Senate campaign in 1970. http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,38055,00.html ________________________________________________________________________________ no copyright 2000 rolux.org - no commercial use without permission. is a moderated mailing list for the advancement of minor criticism. post to the list: mailto:inbox@rolux.org. more information: mailto:minordomo@rolux.org, no subject line, message body: info rolux. further questions: mailto:rolux-owner@rolux.org. home: http://rolux.org/lists - archive: http://rolux.org/archive