Posted: 05/07/09 22:22, Edited: 05/07/09 22:26
by Dave Mindeman
Rep. Pat Garofalo (Farmington) sends out a periodic e-mail newsletter which he calls "The Inside Scoop". It has a basic synopsis of what's going on at the legislature...at least from his perspective. And it always contains a lot of snarky references to bills or state actions he doesn't like.
For instance, to quote his newsletter:
An official with the MN Dept. Of Public Safety has ordered 11 Internet Service Providers to block access from Minnesota to 200 gambling related web sites. Whether you like gambling or not doesn't matter. Controlling what web sites people visit on their own personal computer is NOT a proper function of government. I have no idea how this could be constitutional.
Government intrusion you say? How about government making decisions for women's choice? How about the government deciding who you can marry? Isn't that also "intrusive"?
But you can argue about that point forever. The most important point to make is this;
Minnesota law presently prohibits internet gambling. See Minn. Stat. Ann. §§ 609.75 subd. 2 & 5, 609.76 (1987 & Supp. 1998)
As a recent article in Minnesota Lawyers indicated:
Moreover, any person making a bet is guilty of a misdemeanor. As a result, a Minnesota resident could be charged with a crime for merely making a bet out of curiosity. the law also allows prosecutors to seize the instrument of the crime meaning the bettors computer. Making such a bet may result in a jail sentence of up to 90 days and $1000 fine.
I guess the only assumption to gather from Rep. Garofalo's snarky comments is that he (A) doesn't think the law should be enforced, and (B) that illegal activities on a computer are personal and not subject to law.
Hmmmm.....
One has to wonder how he feels about government intrusion into, oh, let's say.... website child pornography?
