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Blog-Filtering Dispute Erupts In Michigan
by Michael Martinez
Republican lawmakers in Michigan took heat this week over their decision to block state Senate computers from a liberal blog.
State Senate Republican leaders moved to restrict access to Blogging for Michigan, a liberal blog where their Democratic colleagues recently began contributing in a series of guest posts on a variety of issues. Access to the blog was restored after Democrats accused their rivals of limiting free speech.
In a statement, GOP State Senate Majority Leader Michael Bishop said that even though he agreed to no longer filter the blog, he still feels it is inappropriate for Senate employees to read it on public computers. He has called for a full review into the state Senate's acceptable use policies for the Internet.
"These blogs are of questionable content and employees who are paid to conduct the business of the people of Michigan should not be interacting with them during business hours," he said. "Senate Democrats seem intent on making this a debate on censorship and their right to view questionable political content during business hours."
State Senate Democratic leader Mark Schauer earlier in the week accused Bishop and his colleagues of trying to silence Blogging for Michigan. In a letter to Bishop, Schauer said that blogging is a legitimate way for lawmakers to interact with constituents and that the content on Blogging for Michigan was wholly appropriate for Senate employees to read on the job.
"Unfortunately, the seemingly evolving explanation from your staff as to the reasons for the censorship and the insinuation that further blogs may be targeted -- particularly ones that 'say bad things about you' as reported in one news story -- is cause for grave concern," he wrote.
Christine Barry, who runs Blogging for Michigan, also accused Republicans of pursuing bad public policy with respect to blogging. In a Wednesday post, she wrote that blogging is an innovative tool that helps lawmakers to communicate with their constituents.
"We need to get away from this idea that blogging is a waste of taxpayer time," she wrote "Sure, if you blog about your cat, that's probably not relevant to a senator's job. But [Blogging for Michigan] is not a blog about cats. It's a blog about Michigan policy and politics. That's what a senator's job is about."
A similar controversy erupted last year in Kentucky, when state employees were blocked from the liberal blog BluegrassReport. The author of that blog, who managed the 2003 gubernatorial campaign of now-Rep. Ben Chandler, a Democrat, accused the administration of GOP Gov. Ernie Fletcher of censoring the blogger for political reasons. He sued Fletcher's office in federal court and his lawsuit, which has been supported by the watchdog group Public Citizen, is still pending.
Man Who Inspired 'Jessica's law' Could Face Death
A Florida judge this week ruled that a man convicted in a landmark case of kidnapping, raping and murder a 9-year old girl is eligible for the death penalty.
Citrus County Circuit Judge Ric Howard has determined that John Evander Couey is not mentally retarded, and therefore eligible for capital punishment. Couey was convicted in 2005 of killing Jessica Lunsford, a case that inspired one of the nation's harshest state laws for tracking convicted sex offenders.
Couey, who had been convicted for a previous sex crime, was accused of burying Lunsford alive after he beat her and raped her. His lawyers tried to argue that he is mentally retarded, which would have prohibited the state from executing him.
Howard found that the most credible intelligence exam to which Couey was subjected still concluded that his IQ was above that which is considered to be the standard for retardation. Howard also said the crime was too sophisticated to have been orchestrated by a person who was not fit mentally.
"A person who is mentally retarded simply could not have planned such a sophisticated crime, and escape," he wrote, in a 16-page opinion, which was obtained by The St. Petersburg Times.
The Florida law that requires registered sex offenders to be monitored with electronic tracking devices was named "Jessica's Law." Dozens of states have adopted their own versions of the statute. A similar proposal was approved by Californians in November via a ballot initiative.
A sentencing hearing for Couey is scheduled to take place on Aug. 24. Mark Lunsford, Jessica's father, told the Times that he expects Couey will receive the death penalty.
Alabama Top Cop Prosecutes Medicaid Data Breach
The top cop in Alabama this week announced the arrest of woman who has been accused of trafficking the personal information of hundreds of the state's Medicaid recipients.
Attorney General Troy King has charged Kwantrice Thornton, a former employee at the private firm that processes Alabama's Medicaid claims, with illegally obtaining the names and personal information of nearly 500 participants in the program. According to prosecutors, Thornton took that information and sold it those who were looking to file fraudulent tax returns.
Thornton used to work for Electronic Data Systems. She faces up to 30 years in prison and $45,000 in fines. The stolen identity trafficking charge alone is punishable by a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
"I cannot overstate how important it is for Alabamians to be constantly on guard against the crime of identity theft," King said in a statement. "This case is about the theft of 498 identities from one company, by one person. It is a stark reminder that we are all targets."
King's office has offered free credit monitoring and identify theft assistance to those whose information was compromised. Potential victims also have received as much as $20,000 each in identity fraud expense coverage.
N.J. Governor Signs New Anti-Bullying Measure
New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine this week signed into law a bill designed to protect children from being bullied online.
The measure, A. 3803, requires schools to update their anti-bullying policies to include electronic forms of communication. School districts were directed to develop anti-harassment and bullying rules under a 2002 state law.
Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein, the bill's sponsor, said in a press release that lawmakers need to be aware of how children can use cellular phones, instant messaging programs and other devices to bully each other.
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