Joe Barton’s Hypocritical Porn Stance

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Congressman Joe Barton, R-Ennis, has been the conservative we sent to Washington (oddly enough, when the Democrats are in control, he votes properly; when the GOP had control, he was a maniac), but his latest crusade against Internet porn is a bit hypocritical considering hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash come from major corporations with huge stakes in Internet smut.

It’s like Barton defending the Defense of Marriage Act when he himself divorced his wife over a rumored adulterous affair.

Barton pushes Internet porn bill

$400M proposed for providing FBI, others resources

U.S. Rep Joe Barton, R-Ennis, urged his colleagues in the House of Representatives Wednesday to vote in favor of a bill that will provide essential tools for the fight against the exploitation of children over the Internet.

“There are over three million images of child pornography on the Internet right now,” Barton said during House debate on the bill. “In the last Congress, as Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, under my direct request, the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee held nine hearings on the problem of child Internet pornography. And it’s more than a problem. It is a viscous, malicious virus that has the potential to destroy our children.”

The legislation on the House floor Wednesday, known as the PROTECT Act, takes steps in an effort to ensure these resources are met. Barton is the lead Republican sponsor of the bill, which went on to pass the House by a vote of 415-2.

Among other things, the legislation authorizes $400 million in increased funding to federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI that are at the forefront of investigating child pornography. The bill would authorize increased funding for forensic computer labs. Investigation of Internet child pornography is often hampered by a backlog at forensic computer labs. The legislation would also support the state Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces, helping these task forces receive needed support. Finally, the bill provides greater coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement by the creation of a new office within the Department of Justice to help these entities work together in investigating child exploitation crimes.

“We have to do something,” Barton said about the abhorrent problem of child Internet pornography. “This bill, the PROTECT Act, is a good first start.”

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