China tries to crack down on Web porn

The Chinese government is trying to clamp down on the explosion of Web porn infiltrating the country. They recently arrested the creator of the largest China-produced porn site and sentenced him to life in prison. I'm not sure how you're going to be able to stop porn on the Internet, but this should certainly scare folks there.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the prospect of creating a "red-light district" on the Web with a .xxx address was recently shot down by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and on Wednesday Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., dropped a bill that would create the .xxx domain.

There has been much debate, including among Christian groups, about the wisdom of having a permanent red-light district on the Internet. That, critics argue, will ensure that pornography will always stay on the Internet -- like how cities zone areas for "adult entertainment" rather than banning them altogether. Without a red-light district, there is still the chance that Internet porn could be completely outlawed. Of course, the surest way to get rid of porn is to not look at it and occupy that time with listening to, reading and watching good things, like these.

[UPDATE: Here's an excellent editorial on this issue from a recent edition of the National Catholic Register.]