What should be done about pornography on the Internet? How can we keep such material away from our children? Is it even possible? Should we violate our first amendment rights and completely outlaw all types of pornographic matter?

It disturbs me greatly when I think of how easy the Internet has made it for children to come into contact with pornography. I certainly don't want my children to have easy access to pools of filth disguised as art or literature. They're already exposed to enough nonsense as it is. Sometimes it seems that if the gang violence doesn't get them then a sexually-transmitted disease will.

But the question remains, do we stand fast and protect our first amendment rights or do we let ourselves be scared into demolishing a pillar of our constitution -- freedom of speech?

Strange as it may sound, not everyone believes that pornography is bad. There are people who actually like the stuff. Are they sick, are they weird, are they mentally deranged? Maybe so, but it is within their first amendment rights to indulge their sickness.

I don't like pornography. I sincerely believe it is nothing more than a hatred of women disguised as art in books or movies. To me, hard-core pornography has nothing to do with the age-old story of human sexuality. It's smutty and sleazy and is nothing more than degradation and perversion. It's about treating people, especially women, as if they were nothing more than pieces of meat.

It sickens me to think material such as this is floating around within easy reach of any child. But I have to remember that not every parent feels the way I do. There are parents who are not alarmed that this material is so accessible. Some think of it as a healthy expression of human sexuality and do not mind if their children view it.

Think about how many parents allowed their children two watch a slew of slasher movies or suggestive videos on MTV. I remember being laughed at five years ago because I wouldn't let my children watch "The Simpson's". I thought the show was stupid and inane and my children didn't need any help in developing a smart mouth or bad attitude. They were doing that quite nicely on their own.

Yet, households all around me were letting their children sit glued to the television just to catch the latest episode. Kids were repeating and acting out Bart's antics everywhere you went. My children didn't have to watch the show, all they had to do was listen to the neighbor's kid at the bus stop.

But did anyone think to pull the plug on "The Simpson's" just because I thought the show glorified mediocrity and disrespect? Of course not, and it would have been wrong to do so. What I did do was make sure that my children didn't watch "The Simpson's". The show did and still does come on Sunday night -- I just made sure we watched something else.

The prerogative of freedom of speech can often seem like a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, it gives us the freedom to think, speak and read what material we want. On the other hand, it allows a forum for thoughts, ideas and beliefs we find offensive. I absolutely abhor hate groups such as neo-nazis or white supremacists.Their virulent rhetoric sickens me as much as pornography does.

But I will always defend their right, as stated in the United States Constitution, to have their say -- no matter how personally offensive I think they and their material are.

Folks, you can't have it both ways. You can't have the right to your preferred beliefs, ideals and reading material and then censor your neighbors. Oh, you can, but then you also don't have a democracy anymore -- do you?

I think there must be some other way parents can keep their children from being exposed to pornography on the Internet System. One way to prevent accidental exposure (no pun intended) might be a number which can be added to the user's access code. This would be much like the code cable users can have keyed in which blocks their television set from receiving MTV.

This code can in turn be read by the �Net and automatically block any ventures into an area where pornographic material is stored. This code could also be used to prevent the material from being sent to your terminal. Those who want access into those areas or don't mind exposure (pun intended) simply do not have the code added to their program. I think this would be a reasonable and relatively simple way to handle the problem.

Americans are a crafty and wise people. Surely we can come up with a solution to this problem without trashing our hard-earned inalienable rights.

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