Georgia's Videogame Bill

As a citizen of Georgia (Gainesville) I would like to express my apologies for those political figures that make us look like we are backwoods hicks that don't know our rights. Since I'm 21 I don't really have the same perspective as those that are 15 and want to pick up a copy of GTA3, but I was a part of this same 'fight' years ago.

Some people here may or may not remember the hoopla when Mortal Kombat first came out. It was THE game that garnered the attention of the media and therefore the government. Maurie Povich(sp?) and every other talk show host had a field day with this, showing supposedly violent kids that had been mentally scarred by video games and the politicians ran with it by finding every possible source of evidence linking games like Mortal Kombat to youth violence.

Eventually psychologists and others with clear minds set the record straight, violent video games do not make children violent, though children that are predisposed to violence (violent parents for instance) may have violent video games as 'triggers', but you can't blame video games for bad parenting. Thanks to Lieberman we almost had another fight like this a couple years back, but thankfully he ran for VP (and thankfully lost) so that he couldn't take up such a fight. Now, some liberal democrat from GA wants to start another fight. Its really sad, and its a good excuse for me to remind everyone to listen to radio shows like Rush Limbaugh and Shawn Hennidy if even for one show. At least it would give you an example of 'the other side'.

Anyways, what we (as young people) did was BUY THE VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES. We ate up Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter like it was going out of style. We told our parents that the government was trying to do their parenting for them. As young people you guys have one thing that is powerful (since those under 18 can't vote)...money. Lots of disposable income. Gaming companies know this and the government knows this. The gaming companies will fight this sort of thing through lobbying groups so that they can make the money and clear thinking politicians will vote against this because when you buy something you end up paying taxes (MOOLA). I wouldn't worry too much, lobbyists are pretty good at what they do and politicians don't often turn down a handout :)

If you are from GA please e-mail or write your politicians, especially Carolyn Hugley, and let them know what you think about this.

What saddens me is the kinds of comments I read in this message board. I don't expect Nobel Prize winners in here, but stuff like "those fuckers are acting like asses" is just lame and goes to show there there is actually some merit to what these people are doing. They are trying to save us from ourselves since people are obviously having a hard time doing it for themselves. This is a fight to save our rights as citizens of the US, as post-9-11 aware citizens it shocks me that people would be still ignorant at what is at stake. It may seem like one stupid little bill that keeps kids from buying DooM for their Gameboy, but it's actually stealing a slice to prepare to steal the entire pie. Don't let them steal YOUR right to spend YOUR money on video games.