Along with rights are responsibilities

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, May 24, 2001

I am writing in response to Jeannette McCarty’s April 23 letter (“Internet access: The issue isn’t porn – it’s censorship”).

She says every effort to keep minors from seeing online pornography should be made. Yet in her next statement she states that we don’t want to infringe on the rights of those who wish to view pornography.

I hear about rights all the time, but seldom hear about the responsibilities that work in conjunction with those rights. If a man views porn on the net, he’s responsible to make sure it is off the screen before he leaves the library. Too often, the porn stays on the screen and children can view it.

Our founding fathers did not fight and die for pornography. They fought for our right to air our grievances against our government without being arrested or jailed.

According to Roth versus United States, the First Amendment was to be applied to insure “unfettered interchange of ideas for the bringing about of political and social changes desired by the people.” Obscene material doesn’t enjoy the protection of the First Amendment, because it is utterly without social importance.

Fire, water, food and a host of other material objects are all wonderful when used for the purpose for which they were intended. But fire can destroy homes, water can flood communities and food can be used for gluttony. Sex is that way, too. If used for the purpose God intended, it’s a good thing. but used to pervert, degrade and abuse a human being, it is a wrong thing.

Marysville