LETTERS: INDIVIDUALS MUST TAKE INTERNET RESPONSIBILITY

To the editor:

I think it's a travesty that in the past few days, because of the recent incident of a junior high student making a bomb, that the Internet has been portrayed as some sort of forum for child molesters and terrorists who tell small kids how to make bombs and kill people.

Information on making a bomb is easily attainable through books and libraries. If our community thinks a document describing how to make a bomb is so terrible, go to Kent Library or the Cape Girardeau Public Library and take a gander at some of the books describing satanic rituals in detail, instances of rape and torture of small children and other cult rituals.

People need to open their eyes and quit using new technology accessible to our schools as a scapegoat. As with any place where people are allowed to exchange ideas and information freely, there are always going to be certain ideas and topics that are not intended for certain audiences.

I have had access to the Internet through Central High School, and the entire time I have been on the Internet I have never been allowed to view topics that are inappropriate for a school atmosphere or not intended for educational purposes.

Responsibility lies with the person using the Internet, not with the school or the Internet itself, to make the right choices with the information available. People need to grow up and take responsibility for their own actions and not blame the Internet for their stupidity.

NICK COZBY, Central High School Student

Cape Girardeau