There are times in everyone's life when they wished that they had some sort of public forum in which they could let the world know how they felt about one thing or another. It used to be that only place for the "common" man could go to let his voice be heard was the op-ed page of the newspaper. Times have changed. We now have the almighty internet. The fact That you are reading this right now is proof that anybody, anywhere can get his thoughts out for all the world to see. I'm not altogether sure that this is a good thing. For the most part, I believe the 'net is great. But, as we all know, there are some bad, bad people out there. People who hide behind their computer monitor the way flashers hide behind a raincoat. Perverts, freaks, degenirates and all around basic scum. I'm not naive enough to believe that these lowlifes can be stopped. But they can be slowed down. Law enforcement authorities are making greta strides in tracking down and prosecuting internet predators.

My kids think that I'm too strict when it comes to limiting their time on-line. I'm some kind of evil dictator because I insist on knowing where they surfed, who they chatted with and what they downloaded. But I contend that if more parents were like me, predators would have a lot less prey to hunt for. Privacy is a small price to pay for safety. Besides, I always tell my kids, "If you are not doing anything wrong, then you have nothing to hide."

Thank you for your time.