They fail to recognize the depth of guilt felt by parents who yearn for technology to help them guide and protect their children. They fail to measure the scope of Internet illiteracy in the general populace. They fail to understand the power and the passion generated by the fear of sex. Finally, there is the inevitable leadership vacuum in such matters. Elected officials want to be on the right side of this issue, meaning the side of values, decency and simple solutions.
Community leaders are slow to get involved and quick to compromise.
Religious leaders don't want to be seen as soft on porn. All of this allows the community to avoid the larger issues behind the campaign to regulate Internet content in the public library. This campaign is not just about pornography. It is also about hate speech, violence, feminism, New Age religion, alternative lifestyles, and other kinds of expression some find offensive or inimical to their view of the world. It is not just about the Internet.