Kentucky may pass cyberstalking bill

Few criminals are more evil than the cyberbully.

I scoff at those who say we can't prosecute online harassment. Phone harassment has been illegal since probably Alexander Graham Bell's day, so why are Internet harassers mollycoddled?

Nationwide, there have been more than a few teenagers and others who were driven to suicide by online harassment. The laws in Kentucky though are too weak to effectively go after harassers.

Republicans like it fine that way.

Last year, a cybersafety bill that could have helped authorities bust such harassers passed the Democratic-controlled Kentucky House by an overpowering margin. Naturally, however, the Republican-controlled Kentucky Senate refused to approve the bill.

But now, the House is giving the bill by State Rep. Johnny Bell (D-Glasgow) another try.

If only there was a law like this a dozen years ago. But serial cyberstalkers considered any restrictions on their actions to be a violation of their True Free Speach Now (tm). This argument is absurd: It's exactly like claiming the phone harassment statutes are a violation of free speech.

In a society, there has to be standards.

(Source: http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2009/02/11/cybersafety-bill-slated-for-house-committee)