Today’s POV blog

At a site such as Today’s POV, one can imagine the great importance of free speech. In the midst of our launch it seems as though our rights to free speech are perhaps more threatened than ever.

In spring 2009, the US Senate proposed a bill that would allow the White House to disconnect private-sector computers from the internet. Does that really mean that your and my computer would be disconnected in the event the president declares a cyber-security emergency? Yes.

Recently, CNET News obtained a copy of the draft bill. This document contains a revised, but very vague iteration of the initial draft.

In the CNET article, Larry Clinton, president of the Internet Security Alliance, is quoted saying, “I think the redraft, while improved, remains troubling due to its vagueness. It is unclear what authority Sen. Rockefeller thinks is necessary over the private sector. Unless this is clarified, we cannot properly analyze, let alone support the bill.”

The Internet Security Alliance has representatives of Verizon, Verisign, Nortel, and Carnegie Mellon University on its board — concern from such industry heavyweights should certainly raise caution amongst us, if not clear alarm.

On 5 August 2009, FOXNews.com reported on the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine running an ad campaign that compared what President Obama’s daughters eat at their private school to the lunches available at public schools.

The little girl featured in the ad is Jasmine Messiah, an 8-year-old vegetarian from a Florida public school. In addition to appearing in the ad, she wrote to Sasha and Malia Obama seeking their support in improved school menus.

In response, White House lawyers are said to have contacted the non-profit group’s president, Dr. Neal Barnard, seeking removal because the ad mentioned the names of the President’s daughters. Dr. Barnard reports that there was an implication made that legal action would be pursued.

On 28 August 2009, Computerworld magazine reported that a different physicians’ group and a social-policy think tank, are up for some legal action of their own as they sue for privacy and free-speech violations over a White House attempt to get people to email them with reports of health-care reform information they deem “fishy.”

The lawsuit, filed by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) and the Coalition for Urban Renewal and Education (CARE), is basically a cease and desist but goes one step further when it demands that collected information be destroyed.

The two organizations claim the White House has illegally used its power to collect information on political speech.

While the legal wrangling goes back and forth, those of us who value free speech should sit up and pay attention. Free vote follows closely on the heels of free speech.

For many of us it’s difficult to understand why a parent would forego calling their pediatrician in favor of prayer, but a recent case prompted the judge to hand down a verdict that read in part, “Americans aren’t necessarily hostile to the concept of faith healing. In fact, there is openness to its possibilities. The [Oregon] trial may have been less about faith healing and more about the way we view the responsibilities of parents. There was a sense among jurors that the parents were doing what they thought was right. As a society, we have to give parents the latitude to do that.”

At Today’s POV when visitors were polled for their position, 100% of the voting visitors indicated that they believe parents should be prosecuted for following religious beliefs instead of seeking medical treatment when their children face a life-threatening illness.

In a February article, Time Magazine online ran the story of 11-year-old Kara Neumann of Weston, Wisconsin. Kara died of diabetes when her parents sought prayer instead of medical help. Shortly thereafter, the state’s attorney charged the parents with reckless endangerment. The parents each face up to 25 years for their adherence to their religion. Mr. and Mrs. Neumann were convicted for failing to seek medical help. Marathon County Circuit Judge Vincent Howard set Oct. 6 for sentencing for both parents.

According to the Adherents‘ web site, Christianity is practiced by the vast majority of Americans with only a handful of religions that counsel against modern medicine. Unfortunately, children are the most visible casualties of their parents’ convictions.

In the Oregon ruling, Digital Journal online reported that on July 23 the jury acquitted two parents, Carl and Raylene Worthington, in the pneumonia-induced death of their 15-month-old daughter. Though Oregon had previously tightened its laws to make parents more responsible with regard to using proper medicine for their children, the jury seemed to have sympathized with the parents’ use of prayer rather than medicine to save the baby’s life.