Bush's war on porn...Yeah, I feel safer
- Thread starter LUX
- Start date
If you can show me where I called Hillary a cunt then I'd love to see it. I think you are making this up.
kosar said:
That would be me :kiss: and she will remain so untill she makes CIC then I will just think it .
I am disappointed nobody caught my Video industry joke ...dosent anyone pay attention to politics here ??
For those that dont know Hillary is going to ride the "Todays Video Games are ruining our Children" right to the top office . Hillary is doing her best to appear centrist and plans on using an attack on video games to help her get elected in 2008 . She has a long history of being disgusted by PS2 games all the violence and sometimes sexual content ... Her campaign manager has suggested she make this the center piece and ride it to the top for 2008 . Although it will appear as Conservative ideal one can only hope it will piss off the 18 to 35 yr old gamer and backfire .
For those that dont know Hillary is going to ride the "Todays Video Games are ruining our Children" right to the top office . Hillary is doing her best to appear centrist and plans on using an attack on video games to help her get elected in 2008 . She has a long history of being disgusted by PS2 games all the violence and sometimes sexual content ... Her campaign manager has suggested she make this the center piece and ride it to the top for 2008 . Although it will appear as Conservative ideal one can only hope it will piss off the 18 to 35 yr old gamer and backfire .
I like how now that she is running for president she's desperately trying to appear more conservative. Noticed how she distances herself from the other liberal crybabies in Washington now? Just more proof that America is a conservative nation and Hillary knows that she can't win an election if she is true to herself and her true liberal ways. Put lipstick on a pig and it's still a pig.
Palehose said:
No, apparently you don't follow along too closely. She started in on the video games when it was shown that games meant for children actually had porn embedded in it's software. I guess she just didn't see the reason why games meant for 12 year olds had porn hidden in there.
Also, i'd love to see where her campaign manager 'suggested' that she makes this her 2008 campaign centerpiece. Has she even announced that she's running? No. And that would be the most ridiculous 'centerpiece' in history.
Kosar I am sorry but you are you stoned or just desperate?
You accused me of calling Hillary a cunt then when I ask you to proove it you posted a quote from someone else. That's pretty weak.
:mj14:
You accused me of calling Hillary a cunt then when I ask you to proove it you posted a quote from someone else. That's pretty weak.
:mj14:
Last edited:
kosar said:
Appearently your the one not paying attention ...but alas when you do you cant figure it out anyway .
Hillary vs. the Xbox: Game over
Senator, would your probe of video games also take a look at the substantial benefits they can provide?
By Steven Johnson, Steven Johnson's "Everything Bad Is Good For You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter" was published by Riverhead Books in May.
Dear Sen. Clinton:
ADVERTISEMENT
I'm writing to commend you for calling for a $90-million study on the effects of video games on children, and in particular the courageous stand you have taken in recent weeks against the notorious "Grand Theft Auto" series.
I'd like to draw your attention to another game whose nonstop violence and hostility has captured the attention of millions of kids ? a game that instills aggressive thoughts in the minds of its players, some of whom have gone on to commit real-world acts of violence and sexual assault after playing.
I'm talking, of course, about high school football.
I know a congressional investigation into football won't play so well with those crucial swing voters, but it makes about as much sense as an investigation into the pressing issue that is Xbox and PlayStation 2.
Your current concern is over explicit sex in "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas." Yet there's not much to investigate, is there? It should get rated appropriately, and that's that. But there's more to your proposed study: You want to examine how video games shape children's values and cognitive development.
Kids have always played games. A hundred years ago they were playing stickball and kick the can; now they're playing "World of Warcraft," "Halo 2" and "Madden 2005." And parents have to drag their kids away from the games to get them to do their algebra homework, but parents have been dragging kids away from whatever the kids were into since the dawn of civilization.
So any sensible investigation into video games must ask the "compared to what" question. If the alternative to playing "Halo 2" is reading "The Portrait of a Lady," then of course "The Portrait of a Lady" is better for you. But it's not as though kids have been reading Henry James for 100 years and then suddenly dropped him for Pokemon.
Another key question: Of all the games that kids play, which ones require the most mental exertion? Parents can play this at home: Try a few rounds of Monopoly or Go Fish with your kids, and see who wins. I suspect most families will find that it's a relatively even match. Then sit down and try to play "Halo 2" with the kids. You'll be lucky if you survive 10 minutes.
The great secret of today's video games that has been lost in the moral panic over "Grand Theft Auto" is how difficult the games have become. That difficulty is not merely a question of hand-eye coordination; most of today's games force kids to learn complex rule systems, master challenging new interfaces, follow dozens of shifting variables in real time and prioritize between multiple objectives.
In short, precisely the sorts of skills that they're going to need in the digital workplace of tomorrow.
Consider this one fascinating trend among teenagers: They're spending less time watching professional sports and more time simulating those sports on Xbox or PlayStation. Now, which activity challenges the mind more ? sitting around rooting for the Packers, or managing an entire football franchise through a season of "Madden 2005": calling plays, setting lineups, trading players and negotiating contracts? Which challenges the mind more ? zoning out to the lives of fictional characters on a televised soap opera, or actively managing the lives of dozens of virtual characters in a game such as "The Sims"?
On to the issue of aggression, and what causes it in kids, especially teenage boys. Congress should be interested in the facts: The last 10 years have seen the release of many popular violent games, including "Quake" and "Grand Theft Auto"; that period has also seen the most dramatic drop in violent crime in recent memory. According to Duke University's Child Well-Being Index, today's kids are less violent than kids have been at any time since the study began in 1975. Perhaps, Sen. Clinton, your investigation should explore the theory that violent games function as a safety valve, letting children explore their natural aggression without acting it out in the real world.
Many juvenile crimes ? such as the carjacking that is so central to "Grand Theft Auto" ? are conventionally described as "thrill-seeking" crimes. Isn't it possible that kids no longer need real-world environments to get those thrills, now that the games simulate them so vividly? The national carjacking rate has dropped substantially since "Grand Theft Auto" came out. Isn't it conceivable that the would-be carjackers are now getting their thrills on the screen instead of the street?
Crime statistics are not the only sign that today's gaming generation is doing much better than the generation raised during the last cultural panic ? over rock 'n' roll. Math SAT scores have never been higher; verbal scores have been climbing steadily for the last five years; nearly every indicator in the Department of Education study known as the Nation's Report Card is higher now than when the study was implemented in 1971.
By almost every measure, the kids are all right.
Of course, I admit that there's one charge against video games that is a slam dunk. Kids don't get physical exercise when they play a video game, and indeed the rise in obesity among younger people is a serious issue. But, of course, you don't get exercise from doing homework either.
She been on this rampage for quite a while and Is going to use this to help win the conservative vote . How come it dosent suprize me you know nothing about the person you will vote for ???
Washington, DC press conference Thursday will see the New York Senator call for a Federal Trade Commission inquiry into the San Andreas mod.
Tomorrow in the country's capital, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) will call on the Federal Trade Commission to launch an inquiry into the "Hot Coffee" mod, sources have told GameSpot.
Clinton, a vociferous critic of violence in the media, will be joined by David Walsh, president and founder of the National Institute on Media and the Family; Mary Bissell, fellow at the New America Foundation; and Kiersten Stewart, director of public policy for the Family Violence Prevention Fund.
Clinton is expected to call on the FTC to determine who is responsible for the Hot Coffee mod, a modification that unlocks sexually explicit minigames in Rockstar's recently published PC version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
While the game is rated M, and therefore not readily sold to those below the age of 17, the mod is easily available online.
A statement distributed by the Senator's office this afternoon sets the scene, stating that "following recent reports revealing that the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has graphic pornographic content which may be unlocked by following instructions on the Internet, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will hold a press conference to discuss legislative solutions to keep inappropriate video game content out of the hands of young people." The statement makes no mention of asking the FTC to step in, but sources tell GameSpot that this request will be the centerpiece of the Senator's plea tomorrow.
Although there are far more outspoken politicians when it comes to regulating game content inappropriate for children, this is not the first time Clinton has looked into the issue. On her official Web site, Clinton lists "fighting the culture of sex and violence in the media" as part of her platform, and in March, she joined with Senators Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Sam Brownback (R-KS), and Rick Santorum (R-PA) to cosponsor legislation seeking $90 million over five years for research into how viewing different types of media (television, video games, and the Internet in particular) affects children's development.
Clinton plans on holding the press event at 10am in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building.
By Curt Feldman, Brendan Sinclair -- GameSpot
POSTED: 07/13/05 05:49 PM PST
Washington, DC press conference Thursday will see the New York Senator call for a Federal Trade Commission inquiry into the San Andreas mod.
Tomorrow in the country's capital, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) will call on the Federal Trade Commission to launch an inquiry into the "Hot Coffee" mod, sources have told GameSpot.
Clinton, a vociferous critic of violence in the media, will be joined by David Walsh, president and founder of the National Institute on Media and the Family; Mary Bissell, fellow at the New America Foundation; and Kiersten Stewart, director of public policy for the Family Violence Prevention Fund.
Clinton is expected to call on the FTC to determine who is responsible for the Hot Coffee mod, a modification that unlocks sexually explicit minigames in Rockstar's recently published PC version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
While the game is rated M, and therefore not readily sold to those below the age of 17, the mod is easily available online.
A statement distributed by the Senator's office this afternoon sets the scene, stating that "following recent reports revealing that the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has graphic pornographic content which may be unlocked by following instructions on the Internet, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will hold a press conference to discuss legislative solutions to keep inappropriate video game content out of the hands of young people." The statement makes no mention of asking the FTC to step in, but sources tell GameSpot that this request will be the centerpiece of the Senator's plea tomorrow.
Although there are far more outspoken politicians when it comes to regulating game content inappropriate for children, this is not the first time Clinton has looked into the issue. On her official Web site, Clinton lists "fighting the culture of sex and violence in the media" as part of her platform, and in March, she joined with Senators Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Sam Brownback (R-KS), and Rick Santorum (R-PA) to cosponsor legislation seeking $90 million over five years for research into how viewing different types of media (television, video games, and the Internet in particular) affects children's development.
Clinton plans on holding the press event at 10am in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building.
By Curt Feldman, Brendan Sinclair -- GameSpot
POSTED: 07/13/05 05:49 PM PST
Senator Clinton Announces Legislation to Keep Inappropriate Video Games Out of the Hands Of Children
Calls On FTC to Investigate Source of Sexually Explicit Content on Grand Theft Auto Game
Washington, DC ? Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) today announced that she will introduce legislation to help keep inappropriate video games out of the hands of children. She also called upon the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take immediate action to determine the source of graphic pornographic and violent content appearing on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game. Recent reports have revealed that this graphic content can be unlocked by following instructions widely available on the Internet.
?The disturbing material in Grand Theft Auto and other games like it is stealing the innocence of our children and it?s making the difficult job of being a parent even harder,? said Senator Clinton. ?I am announcing these measures today because I believe that the ability of our children to access pornographic and outrageously violent material on video games rated for adults is spiraling out of control.?
Senator Clinton announced that the legislation she will introduce will put some teeth into video game ratings by instituting a financial penalty for retailers who fail to enforce the rules. It will prohibit the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors and put in place a $5000 penalty for those who violate the law.
Recent research has confirmed links between exposure to violent video games and aggressive behavior in children and a groundbreaking new study by researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine show that playing violent video games triggers unusual brain activity among aggressive adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders. Senator Clinton noted that this is just the latest piece of evidence that confirms the potentially damaging impact of these games on children. Senator Clinton also noted that the current, industry enforced system is not yet working as it should and is not acting as a deterrent to kids accessing inappropriate video games, underscoring the need for today?s action.
In calling for the FTC to launch an investigation, Senator Clinton urged the FTC to determine whether an Adults Only (AO) rating is more appropriate than the current Mature (M) rating for the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game given this new, alarming content. She also requested that the FTC examine the adequacy of retailers? rating enforcement policies.
According to research by the National Institute on Media and the Family, games rated M, which means they are appropriate only for people aged 17 or older, are relatively easy for teenagers and even children as young as age 7 to obtain. In the National Institute?s recent study, 50 percent of boys between the ages of 7 and 14 successfully purchased M-rated video games, and an astonishing 87 percent of boys play M-rated games. Furthermore, nearly a quarter of retailers in the study don?t even understand the ratings they are supposed to enforce, and only half of the stores train employees in the use of the ratings.
?No wonder these games are falling into the hands of our children and no wonder so many parents feel everyday like they are fighting this battle with their hands tied behind their backs,? said Senator Clinton. ?We need to do better. We need to do everything we can to make sure that parents have a line of defense against violent and graphic video games and other content that go against the values they are trying to instill in their children.?
The following is the text of Senator Clinton?s letter to the FTC:
Deborah Platt Majoras
Chairwoman
Federal Trade Commission
Washington, DC
Dear Chairwoman Majoras:
Recent reports have revealed that the video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, has graphic pornographic content which may be unlocked by following instructions widely available on the Internet. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) has given this game a Mature (M) rating, which means it is appropriate only for people age17 or older. In all likelihood, this revelation means the game deserves an Adults Only (AO) rating. Alarmingly, it seems that no one yet knows the source of this content. The ESRB is investigating this matter and I am hopeful its investigation will be vigorous and thorough. But the public has a strong interest in learning the answer quickly. We should all be deeply disturbed that a game which now permits the simulation of lewd sexual acts in an interactive format with highly realistic graphics has fallen into the hands of young people across the country. I therefore urge you to take immediate action to determine the source of this content and the appropriateness of the M rating in light of its vast accessibility, and to make your findings public. Parents who rely on the ratings to make decisions to shield their children from influences that they believe could be harmful, should be informed right away if the system is broken. Parents face an uphill battle just understanding the ratings system. They cannot and should not be expected to second guess it.
I also ask that you conduct a careful examination of the adequacy of retailers' rating enforcement policies. According to research conducted by the National Institute on Media and the Family, M games are relatively easy for teenagers and even children as young as 7 to obtain. In the National Institute's recent study, 50% of boys between the ages of 7 and 14 successfully purchased M-rated video games. Furthermore, only 76% of retailers in the study said they understand the ratings they are supposed to enforce. And only half of the stores train employees in the use of the ratings. The National Institute has determined that 87% of boys play M-rated games and 78% list an M-rated game among their favorites. As a Senator, I hear from parents all the time about the frustration they feel as they try to pass their own values onto their children in a world where this type of material is readily accessible. There is no doubting the fact that the widespread availability of sexually explicit and graphically violent video games makes the challenge of parenting much harder. I will be exploring legislation to help parents with this challenge when it comes to purchasing video games soon and I hope you will work with me to ensure that the ratings system - the best tool parents have to filter this material - is meaningful. Sincerely,
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Calls On FTC to Investigate Source of Sexually Explicit Content on Grand Theft Auto Game
Washington, DC ? Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) today announced that she will introduce legislation to help keep inappropriate video games out of the hands of children. She also called upon the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take immediate action to determine the source of graphic pornographic and violent content appearing on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game. Recent reports have revealed that this graphic content can be unlocked by following instructions widely available on the Internet.
?The disturbing material in Grand Theft Auto and other games like it is stealing the innocence of our children and it?s making the difficult job of being a parent even harder,? said Senator Clinton. ?I am announcing these measures today because I believe that the ability of our children to access pornographic and outrageously violent material on video games rated for adults is spiraling out of control.?
Senator Clinton announced that the legislation she will introduce will put some teeth into video game ratings by instituting a financial penalty for retailers who fail to enforce the rules. It will prohibit the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors and put in place a $5000 penalty for those who violate the law.
Recent research has confirmed links between exposure to violent video games and aggressive behavior in children and a groundbreaking new study by researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine show that playing violent video games triggers unusual brain activity among aggressive adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders. Senator Clinton noted that this is just the latest piece of evidence that confirms the potentially damaging impact of these games on children. Senator Clinton also noted that the current, industry enforced system is not yet working as it should and is not acting as a deterrent to kids accessing inappropriate video games, underscoring the need for today?s action.
In calling for the FTC to launch an investigation, Senator Clinton urged the FTC to determine whether an Adults Only (AO) rating is more appropriate than the current Mature (M) rating for the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game given this new, alarming content. She also requested that the FTC examine the adequacy of retailers? rating enforcement policies.
According to research by the National Institute on Media and the Family, games rated M, which means they are appropriate only for people aged 17 or older, are relatively easy for teenagers and even children as young as age 7 to obtain. In the National Institute?s recent study, 50 percent of boys between the ages of 7 and 14 successfully purchased M-rated video games, and an astonishing 87 percent of boys play M-rated games. Furthermore, nearly a quarter of retailers in the study don?t even understand the ratings they are supposed to enforce, and only half of the stores train employees in the use of the ratings.
?No wonder these games are falling into the hands of our children and no wonder so many parents feel everyday like they are fighting this battle with their hands tied behind their backs,? said Senator Clinton. ?We need to do better. We need to do everything we can to make sure that parents have a line of defense against violent and graphic video games and other content that go against the values they are trying to instill in their children.?
The following is the text of Senator Clinton?s letter to the FTC:
Deborah Platt Majoras
Chairwoman
Federal Trade Commission
Washington, DC
Dear Chairwoman Majoras:
Recent reports have revealed that the video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, has graphic pornographic content which may be unlocked by following instructions widely available on the Internet. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) has given this game a Mature (M) rating, which means it is appropriate only for people age17 or older. In all likelihood, this revelation means the game deserves an Adults Only (AO) rating. Alarmingly, it seems that no one yet knows the source of this content. The ESRB is investigating this matter and I am hopeful its investigation will be vigorous and thorough. But the public has a strong interest in learning the answer quickly. We should all be deeply disturbed that a game which now permits the simulation of lewd sexual acts in an interactive format with highly realistic graphics has fallen into the hands of young people across the country. I therefore urge you to take immediate action to determine the source of this content and the appropriateness of the M rating in light of its vast accessibility, and to make your findings public. Parents who rely on the ratings to make decisions to shield their children from influences that they believe could be harmful, should be informed right away if the system is broken. Parents face an uphill battle just understanding the ratings system. They cannot and should not be expected to second guess it.
I also ask that you conduct a careful examination of the adequacy of retailers' rating enforcement policies. According to research conducted by the National Institute on Media and the Family, M games are relatively easy for teenagers and even children as young as 7 to obtain. In the National Institute's recent study, 50% of boys between the ages of 7 and 14 successfully purchased M-rated video games. Furthermore, only 76% of retailers in the study said they understand the ratings they are supposed to enforce. And only half of the stores train employees in the use of the ratings. The National Institute has determined that 87% of boys play M-rated games and 78% list an M-rated game among their favorites. As a Senator, I hear from parents all the time about the frustration they feel as they try to pass their own values onto their children in a world where this type of material is readily accessible. There is no doubting the fact that the widespread availability of sexually explicit and graphically violent video games makes the challenge of parenting much harder. I will be exploring legislation to help parents with this challenge when it comes to purchasing video games soon and I hope you will work with me to ensure that the ratings system - the best tool parents have to filter this material - is meaningful. Sincerely,
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
And of course something to back up my comments !!!
how come I never get this from you morons ????
Clinton burnishes hawkish image
Senator calls for bigger Army and a crackdown on video games
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., calls Wednesday for increasing the size of the Army by 80,000.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
FREE VIDEO
? Sen. Clinton seeks video game probe
July 14: Simulated sex was found in a modified version of the video game ?Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" and it has parents and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., asking how. NBC?s Chip Reid reports.
Nightly News
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By Tom Curry
National affairs writer
MSNBC
Updated: 6:20 p.m. ET July 14, 2005
Tom Curry
National affairs writer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
? Profile
? E-mail
WASHINGTON - In media events Wednesday and Thursday on Capitol Hill, Sen. Hillary Clinton burnished her image as the nation?s leading Democrat who is both tough on national defense abroad and tough on cultural depravity at home.
Clinton called Wednesday for boosting the Army by 80,000 soldiers over four years, and was back in front of television cameras again Thursday calling for a new law to punish video game retailers who sell violent or pornographic games to teenagers and children.
The senator?s legislation would impose a $5,000 penalty on retailers who sell to underage consumers video games that are rated ?M? (for mature) or ?AO? (adults only) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, an industry group.
She told reporters that her legislation would not, at least not initially, give federal authorities the power to get an injunction to stop a retailer from selling violent or smutty games to minors.
'A line of defense'
?We need to do everything we can to make sure that parents have a line of defense against graphic and violent video games and other content that goes against the values they?re trying to instill in their children,? Clinton said.
Story continues below ↓
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
advertisement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She portrayed video games as part of what she called ?this overwhelming culture? which assaults children and teenagers with depraved images of violence and sex. She accused violent and pornographic video game makers of ?stealing the innocence of our children.?
Asked about the difficulty of using federal powers to enforce rules on tens of thousands of retailers across the nation, she said the government could police video game sales ?the same way we police cigarette and alcohol sales to children. We don?t get everybody who makes money off of selling harmful products to children, but we send a clear message that to do so, violates the law.?
With her stand on video games, Clinton has taken on the mantle of previous Capitol Hill cultural critics such as Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., who has long assailed violent rap lyrics and video games; Tipper Gore, who campaigned in the 1980s against obscene and violent rock lyrics; and former Vice President Dan Quayle, who charged that the television show ?Murphy Brown? was legitimizing unwed motherhood, to the detriment of the children of those mothers.
On Thursday, Clinton urged the Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation of a video game called ?Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.?
Horrified by 'pornographic content'
The New York Democrat said she was struck with ?absolute horror? when she read a report that the game had ?pornographic content that can be unlocked by following instructions widely available on the Internet.?
Last March, Clinton joined Lieberman and conservative Republican senators Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Sam Brownback of Kansas in calling for $90 million in federal funds for research on the effect of the Internet, i-Pods, and other electronic media on children.
This week the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics issued a report saying that Clinton led all senators in first-quarter campaign fundraising from 14 out of the top 50 industries ranked by campaign giving.
The report found that Clinton's Senate re-election campaign was the top recipient of donations from the music, television, and entertainment industry, raking in nearly $800,000 from the industry so far in the 2005-2006 cycle.
On Wednesday with her frequent ally Lieberman again at her side, Clinton helped unveil a bill requiring an increase in the size of the Army from its current authorized strength of 502,400 to 582,400 by September 2009.
Lieberman is the principal sponsor of that bill.
?Our army is under unprecedented stress,? Clinton said. ?When an army unit returns from service in Iraq or Afghanistan, it barely gets a breather before it begins training for its next deployment. This intense operation tempo is not only tough on soldiers and their families ? it also hurts the readiness of our Army and our entire armed forces.?
Even as Clinton runs for her second term in the Senate, many reporters and pundits expect her to run for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
If Clinton runs for president
If she runs for president, it?s not clear whether she?ll do so as a conservative, pro-military ?Lieberman Democrat? ? a strategy which did not work for Lieberman himself in 2004 ? or as a candidate who shatters the usual ideological categories and unites all factions within the party.
The non-partisan National Journal, which compiles ratings of all 10 senators based on 60 roll call votes on social, defense, and economic issues, ranked Clinton as more liberal than 71 percent of all her colleagues in 2004. Lieberman was rated at 69.8, with the most liberal senator being Hawaii Democrat Daniel Akaka at 94. National Journal?s least liberal Democrat is Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, at 51.2.
Asked to comment on Clinton?s announcements this week, Thomas Basile, a spokesman for the Senate exploratory campaign committee of Ed Cox, a Republican who is planning to run against Clinton for the New York senate seat next year, said, ?As she focuses less and less on New York, and more and more on running for president in 2008, she is going to be under pressure from her party to change her position and set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. People who believe she is tough on national defense should look a bit deeper.?
? 2005 MSNBC Interactive
how come I never get this from you morons ????
Clinton burnishes hawkish image
Senator calls for bigger Army and a crackdown on video games
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., calls Wednesday for increasing the size of the Army by 80,000.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
FREE VIDEO
? Sen. Clinton seeks video game probe
July 14: Simulated sex was found in a modified version of the video game ?Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" and it has parents and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., asking how. NBC?s Chip Reid reports.
Nightly News
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By Tom Curry
National affairs writer
MSNBC
Updated: 6:20 p.m. ET July 14, 2005
Tom Curry
National affairs writer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
? Profile
WASHINGTON - In media events Wednesday and Thursday on Capitol Hill, Sen. Hillary Clinton burnished her image as the nation?s leading Democrat who is both tough on national defense abroad and tough on cultural depravity at home.
Clinton called Wednesday for boosting the Army by 80,000 soldiers over four years, and was back in front of television cameras again Thursday calling for a new law to punish video game retailers who sell violent or pornographic games to teenagers and children.
The senator?s legislation would impose a $5,000 penalty on retailers who sell to underage consumers video games that are rated ?M? (for mature) or ?AO? (adults only) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, an industry group.
She told reporters that her legislation would not, at least not initially, give federal authorities the power to get an injunction to stop a retailer from selling violent or smutty games to minors.
'A line of defense'
?We need to do everything we can to make sure that parents have a line of defense against graphic and violent video games and other content that goes against the values they?re trying to instill in their children,? Clinton said.
Story continues below ↓
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
advertisement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She portrayed video games as part of what she called ?this overwhelming culture? which assaults children and teenagers with depraved images of violence and sex. She accused violent and pornographic video game makers of ?stealing the innocence of our children.?
Asked about the difficulty of using federal powers to enforce rules on tens of thousands of retailers across the nation, she said the government could police video game sales ?the same way we police cigarette and alcohol sales to children. We don?t get everybody who makes money off of selling harmful products to children, but we send a clear message that to do so, violates the law.?
With her stand on video games, Clinton has taken on the mantle of previous Capitol Hill cultural critics such as Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., who has long assailed violent rap lyrics and video games; Tipper Gore, who campaigned in the 1980s against obscene and violent rock lyrics; and former Vice President Dan Quayle, who charged that the television show ?Murphy Brown? was legitimizing unwed motherhood, to the detriment of the children of those mothers.
On Thursday, Clinton urged the Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation of a video game called ?Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.?
Horrified by 'pornographic content'
The New York Democrat said she was struck with ?absolute horror? when she read a report that the game had ?pornographic content that can be unlocked by following instructions widely available on the Internet.?
Last March, Clinton joined Lieberman and conservative Republican senators Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Sam Brownback of Kansas in calling for $90 million in federal funds for research on the effect of the Internet, i-Pods, and other electronic media on children.
This week the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics issued a report saying that Clinton led all senators in first-quarter campaign fundraising from 14 out of the top 50 industries ranked by campaign giving.
The report found that Clinton's Senate re-election campaign was the top recipient of donations from the music, television, and entertainment industry, raking in nearly $800,000 from the industry so far in the 2005-2006 cycle.
On Wednesday with her frequent ally Lieberman again at her side, Clinton helped unveil a bill requiring an increase in the size of the Army from its current authorized strength of 502,400 to 582,400 by September 2009.
Lieberman is the principal sponsor of that bill.
?Our army is under unprecedented stress,? Clinton said. ?When an army unit returns from service in Iraq or Afghanistan, it barely gets a breather before it begins training for its next deployment. This intense operation tempo is not only tough on soldiers and their families ? it also hurts the readiness of our Army and our entire armed forces.?
Even as Clinton runs for her second term in the Senate, many reporters and pundits expect her to run for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
If Clinton runs for president
If she runs for president, it?s not clear whether she?ll do so as a conservative, pro-military ?Lieberman Democrat? ? a strategy which did not work for Lieberman himself in 2004 ? or as a candidate who shatters the usual ideological categories and unites all factions within the party.
The non-partisan National Journal, which compiles ratings of all 10 senators based on 60 roll call votes on social, defense, and economic issues, ranked Clinton as more liberal than 71 percent of all her colleagues in 2004. Lieberman was rated at 69.8, with the most liberal senator being Hawaii Democrat Daniel Akaka at 94. National Journal?s least liberal Democrat is Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, at 51.2.
Asked to comment on Clinton?s announcements this week, Thomas Basile, a spokesman for the Senate exploratory campaign committee of Ed Cox, a Republican who is planning to run against Clinton for the New York senate seat next year, said, ?As she focuses less and less on New York, and more and more on running for president in 2008, she is going to be under pressure from her party to change her position and set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. People who believe she is tough on national defense should look a bit deeper.?
? 2005 MSNBC Interactive
