Bully police restricting internet.

• Position: YOUR LIFE - Cyber-bullying - Brief article

The Internet, home of no-holds-barred political blogs, democratic forums on every subject, and Wikipedia, often is hailed as an untouchable bastion of free speech. However, bills passed earlier this year in Missouri make "cyber-bullying" a criminal offense. The legislation was in response to the October 2006 suicide of Megan Meier, a Dardenne Prairie teen who hanged herself in her closet after receiving hurtful messages on MySpace from who she thought was a boy she met online. A first-time offense could mean up to a year in prison. Adults 21 or older who repeatedly bully a minor online could face up to five years in jail.

One outspoken school psychologist is condemning the bills as a threat to freedom of speech. About the legacy of the Columbine shootings (the ninth anniversary was in April), Izzy Kalman asserts, "Instead of teaching our children how not to be victims, it has led to the most...