Joe Biden: “This provision is very straightforward and simple. It is beyond me why it was taken out of the Senate version of the…”

“This provision is very straightforward and simple. It is beyond me why it was taken out of the Senate version of the language that was sent to the House. I have heard many colleagues stand up on the floor here and rail against pornography on the Internet, and for good reason. Even when we thought we had corrected the language that Senator Exon introduced to comport with the first amendment, I still hear in my State, and I hear of people writing about how so and so is promoting pornography on the Internet because they will not ban pornography on the Internet. Yet, in the bill, we came along--all of us here--and the genesis of this came from Senator Feinstein, when it was initially offered. The majority leader, Senator Hatch, and I had some concerns with this, and we thought the language to ban teaching people how to make bombs on the Internet or engage in terrorist activities on the Internet might violate the first amendment. Senators Dole, Hatch, and I worked to tighten the language and came up with language that was tough and true to civil liberties. It was accepted by unanimous consent. We have all heard about the bone-chilling information making its way over the Internet, about explicit instructions about how to detonate pipe bombs and even, if you can believe it, baby food bombs.”