Associated Press: 'Court: California Can't Ban Violent Video Game Sales'

Source:Associated Press- Free speech still alive in the People's Republic of California.

"The Supreme Court says California cannot ban the rental or sale of violent video games to children. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Sacramento said the law violated minors' rights under the First and Fourteenth amendments. (June 27)"

From the Associated Press

I never got on the video game train (so to speak) or at least the wave that started ten years ago or so. But just because I'm not interested in these games, doesn't give me or government the right to deny other people from playing these games. This is strictly a 1st Amendment and a freedom of choice issue, something that should be left up to marketplace. If these games were considered horrible or disgusting or inappropriate, they wouldn't be nearly as popular and these company's wouldn't be making nearly as much money.

Clearly there's a conservative minority of people, especially the two Justices who dissented in this case and on the Christian Right, who believes these games are horrible, disgusting, dangerous, immoral feel free to throw in your own description. But these are also the same people who speak in favor of personal responsibility and family values and parents should be left to raise their own kids. And that government should stay out of the way in how parents raise their own kids. Fine, guess what, I agree with all of that but that only means something if you stand behind that. Otherwise thats just political rhetoric and a political slogan.

If you don't want your kids playing these games, step up to the plate and don't let them. Don't give them the money to buy them or allow them to play them on their computer or any other device. Censorship is undemocratic and anti-1st Amendment: the 1st Amendment clearly relates to more than just political speech. Thats just been our history, just look at how many censorship laws have been thrown out by our courts as evidence.

Conservatives also speak in favor of the free market, great but here's a case where the free market has decided that these game are appropriate and why these games are doing so well and making so much money. Because the free market the people, has decided these games are good.

Personal responsibility, freedom of choice is just that: they are self-explanatory. If people want to do something bad enough, they'll find a way to do it whether it's legal or not. Prohibition especially when it comes to prohibiting how people live their own lives, does not work. Just look at alcohol prohibition and how that worked out and how marijuana prohibition is working today. Regulation is the way to control these things and make them work better so they are safer not prohibition.