Massachusetts Video Game Legislation Resembles Failed Bills From Utah, Louisiana
Massachusetts Video Game Legislation Resembles Failed Bills From Utah, Louisiana
April 11, 2007
In January, GamePolitics broke the news that the Massachusetts legislature would consider a video game violence bill in 2007.GP also reported that the Massachusetts bill would be based on anti-game attorney Jack Thompson's unsuccessful strategy that seeks to define violent games as "harmful to minors" in the same manner as pornography.
Lynne Lyman, a spokesperson for Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (left), told GP that the Massachusetts legislation was patterned after a video game bill then under consideration in Utah. Massachusetts officials, at that time at least, felt the Utah measure had the best chance to succeed.
As events would later prove, the Utah bill failed when the legislature concluded it was not likely to withstand legal challenge. Thompson's Louisiana video game law had already beed ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge in November, 2006.
Despite the setbacks experienced by similar measures, the Massachusetts bill, HB 1423, has now been placed before the State House. No less than 21 individuals are listed as sponsors, including Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, whose office initiated the push for the legislation. Menino was also a key figure in last year's move to ban ads for M-rated games on public transit in Massachusetts.
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Posted 11/07/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:26pm
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:18pm
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
Posted 11/07/09 at 03:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:05am
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:03am
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:56am
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:45am
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:37am
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:36am
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:32am
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:30am
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:44am
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
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Comments
I mean reading what someone else posted how he wanted to ban something to protect the "innocent". I also think it is funny to see how they are willing to waste tax payers money by trying to push this through... I mean if the people of Boston were more informed of how this bill was declared unconstitutional in other states and is going to take their money... I am sure this guy and others would loss some votes.
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/movies/BO48755/
Go figure...
@Greg
"You don’t like Menino? Tell the people of Boston to stop voting for him. I wish you more luck than I’ve had with it."
If they won't listen to a fellow citizen of Boston, why would they listen to us? What did they tell you when you urged them to stop voting for him anyway?
I dont think the morons will ever give up after all it is for "the children"
Lets just watch and see this bill go down in flames
Utah managed to take note that similar stuff had failed and consequently let their bill die in committee, but that's pretty much it for legislative figures paying attention to the writing on the wall.
Criminals are getting illegal guns, so Menino wants to ban the sale of legal guns to non-criminals.
People are getting fat, so Menino wants to ban the sale of trans-fats. (His main objection was how to enforce it)
People are giving themselves lung cancer, so Menino bans smoking in Boston workplaces.
College kids are getting drunk and stupid, so Menino considered a ban on late-night parties (as if anything's open late at night in Boston)
A bunch of drunken idiots rioted after the Red Sox finally won a game, so Menino tried to ban alcohol sales during the world series.
Another bunch of idiots put little electronic boxes in structurally sensitive places, so Menino wants a ban on Guerilla marketing.
Now he wants to ban video games because he thinks kids are becoming violent idiots. It's just how he does things. It allows him to look like he's doing something without actually having any responsibility for actually doing anything.
You don't like Menino? Tell the people of Boston to stop voting for him. I wish you more luck than I've had with it.
teh children.
*sigh* sarcasm is so hard to pull off on the interweb...
Is this cycle ever going to stop? [i]Surely[/i] someone, at some point, is going to keep an eye on the success or failure of the other legislation that their own bill is based on?
"close your mouth! Think of the children!"
Go figure.
F***ING POLITICIANS DAMN THEM!!! As a minor I feel... insulted, degrated, and disrespected!!! Banning violent videogames is one of the stupidest things that anyone could do!!! Videogames are one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S.A. and stopping the sell of violent videogames would cause an economic recession, not a big one but even a small recession right now would be a very bad thing... i.e. the war and the gas prices have already caused a 30 year low in the American economy!!!
Video Games are a staple of our economy, and banning violent video games would just be the tip of the iceberg, next they would ban movies with violence, then violent music, the politicians are trying to take away our rights as americans by taking away our free will and by doing that they are causing people of other nationalities to call americans in general dumbasses because our politicians don't want violence or sex in games, movies, or music. Whatever happened to the rating system that video games have. Parents should know that their six year old doesn't need to be playing Grand Theft Auto or God of War because those games are rated M for MATURE!!! When I have kids I will tell them you can't play that game because it is too mature for them, and not be a dumbass and listen to my kid say it is a good game when I already know the ratings system, I like the video game rating system it works its just the parents who don't pay attention to the ratings system, that cause most of the problems. Stores need to ask for I.D. when someone wants to buy a M rated game. Some games are rated AO because they are too violent or have too much sexual content for kids, or minors who are not mature enough, to even think about playing them. Parents need to pay attention to what their kids are doing, because the politicians believe that the games are to blame, but it is the parents themselves who are to blame for kids becoming violent, well maybe if the kids respected their elders, they wouldn't be little assholes and try to kill things!!!!
Thank you for listening to my raving about the stupid shit that politicians try to feed parents who need to show some backbone to their kids instead of giving them time out. If I disrespected my parents they slap the shit out of me for disrespecting them, time out for them meant taking a break from showing authority.
Thank You again.
OK so these politicians believe that video games cause violence in kids, but what about the families that can't afford to have video games because they want to buy food. Tell me that video games caused the poor kid who never played a video game in his life to kill his best friend.