I am sure it has been mentioned before, but it can always use some reinforcement. The goverment can ban whatever it wants, but it does not have the logistics to enforce the ban. Alcohol was banned, people still drank. Drugs are illegal, people still do drugs. All this does is take a form of entertainment and reduce it to the level of child porn. Hey, maybe for giggles they will set up sting operations? 'Casino America! 1000 percent sign up bonus, no WR!' Sign up, get pinched by the feds, get to be on the local news!
Are we really to assume that they are going to set up a room with 100,000 puters and 100,000 workers who will do nothing but watch internet activity and see which pages we are going to? Maybe snoop every puter in the US or make it a requirement that we allow them to spy? How would they do this? What US citizen would let them?
It's all smoke, 'saving our citizens from themselves'. Apparently, with the nuclear threat from North Korea, the nuclear threat from Iran, an army stretched woefully thin, a deficit of biblical proportions, etc..., they are merely trying to show that they can at least get SOMETHING done.
But, when it passes, and don't kid yourselves, it is going to pass...think of the new markets which will open up in encryption? Do we need it for credit card transactions? Hell no, we need it for AOL!
I love public forums, I can babble all I want!
What is going to happen when the legislation passes but they realize that they cannot enforce it? They will hand it out to the states and tell THEM to enforce it. New borders will be set and not by state boundries. You can visit the West Coast Net, which has active monitors to ensure you are not looking at tobacco ads, or booze, or porn, or gambling. Can pop onto the Network of Southern States where you can certainly look at anything you want, and gamble till you spew, but it costs 14 cents a minute and you need to send in a blood sample. You can always use the New England/Colony networks, but all you get there are religious ads and a CNN reporter telling you how good life is while he is surrounded by the National Guard.
It is a grim picture, but all this freedom of the internet stuff must stop! How are we supposed to control our population if they are not watching 187 channels of subsidized Three's Company?
Overall, I wouldn't worry too much about it. When the secret service starts kicking in your door due to your betting habits, I would maybe be a tad more concerned. We all know that the legislation is merely about the tax money they are losing and not about protecting anyone. But, the ramifications should be fun to watch. If you want to shut down gambling, try starting with State Lotteries. Shut down Vegas. Make it a blanket ban on all forms of gambling. You cannot call one safe while calling another immoral. This is not Cock Fighting!
), I think there is still too much to be done (in the process) for these bills to pass.
"Crack"ing 
