Dan Coats: “We do see the Internet, the World Wide Web, as one of the most extraordinary invasions in the history of mankind. It can…”

“We do see the Internet, the World Wide Web, as one of the most extraordinary invasions in the history of mankind. It can provide access to information that can revolutionize our world and provide opportunities for people who heretofore have not had those opportunities for knowledge and for learning that are extraordinary. At the same time, there is a dark side to the Internet. As with most new technology, it can be used for good; it can be used for evil. Unfortunately, the Internet is no exception. None of us want to put ourselves in the position of being a censor. We decry that material. We don't think it sends the right kind of moral message. We wish we didn't have it. Yet, as a country dedicated to the freedom of speech, enshrined in its Constitution, we have to accept certain types of material that some of us consider offensive, but doesn't necessarily meet the obscenity test that the Court has laid out, which is a pretty stringent test. By the same token, surely--surely--we as a society can address the issue of how we protect the innocence of our children and whether we can use reasonable means to give parents tools to protect that innocence. That is what this amendment is about.”