The One We Call “Mom”

2:27 pm, 12/16/04

The One We Call "Mom"
Illinois parents, raise your children, or else Blagojevich will.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich plans to propose a ban Thursday on the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors, something other states have tried with little success.

Current Illinois law does not prohibit selling or renting video games to children, regardless of how violent or sexually explicit the games may be. Under the governor's plan, the proposed fine for violating the bans would be a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in prison or a $5,000 fine.

"We already place limits on alcohol, tobacco, even adult movies. It's just logical that video games, which are so heavily marketed to young kids but many of which contain adult images, should not be available to young people or to minors," Ottenhoff said.

The Illinois Retail Merchants Association blasted the governor's proposal as a way for retailers to become "the violence and sensitivity police for the state of Illinois."

"This is not just about video games. This is about the government asking their taxpaying, tax-generating and employing companies to do what parents should be doing. It's wrong," said David Vite, president and chief executive officer of the association, which represents about 23,000 stores statewide.

Other states, however, have tried similar bans with little success.

Last year, a federal appeals court struck down a St. Louis County, Mo., ordinance that required children under 17 to have parental consent before they could buy violent or sexually explicit video games or play similar arcade games. A similar ordinance in Indianapolis was struck down by a federal appeals court in Chicago.

"The courts have said that the statutes fail at all levels," said Gail Markels, senior vice president and general counsel for the Washington, D.C.-based Entertainment Software Association.

Ottenhoff said Illinois' proposal narrowly defines violent and sexually explicit video games to address concerns raised by federal courts.

Blagojevich isn't going to stop there, though: He's got to put up a website he can plaster his picture all over, because he's a super-star.

In addition to proposing the legislation, Blagojevich also plans to launch a Web site where parents could read studies about the impact violent video games have on children's behavior. The site also would give parents a venue to report video games they think are inappropriate for children and to report retailers that are selling violent and sexually explicit games to minors.

So, now parents with strong meddling instincts can report directly to der Blagojenfuhrer, thus allowing their tendencies to influence other children. Amazingly, Blagojevich says he was spurred to this decision after hearing about the game "JFK Reloaded", which is probably not exactly a big hit with teenagers. "I was outraged!" the Blagojenator did exclaim. Small wonder: He sometimes appears to try to style himself as a sort of a made-in-Taiwan JFK.

In other news, Blagojevich has slapped a gag order on the entire Illinois State Police department, forbidding them from communicating with the media without permission.

A state police spokesman maintains that the new orders do not prohibit officers from talking to the media, just that they need official permission. But the intent of the new directive is obvious to those state police sources who covertly helped us uncover misconduct in the governor's bodyguard detail. They believe the rules are meant to have a chilling effect on any officer who sees wrong and tries to right it.

I have a headache.

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