Exactly why is it that some people oppose the concept of freedom and individual responsibility, is it because they fear with such freedom people will no longer be bound by the influence of some charismatic leader or demagogue, is it because they fear of loss of power and prestige, is it because their belief system is based on such a fragile foundation that any challenge to it will destroy that belief…why is that leftists and conservatives alike are constantly attacking the concept of freedom? The answer is: “all of the above.”

While politicians, activists, gurus and the like all claim to stand up for freedom and the principles enshrined in our founding documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, the reality is, when the chips are down, few of these so-called advocates stand for much of anything, especially freedom. Freedom for us depends on freedom for all. There is no justification to deny others their freedom of movement or expression or to deny others their ability to choose their own destiny, simply because their choices conflict with our own…enter the case of myspace.com the so-called “place for friends, has turned into a preying ground for the speech police.

An Illinois school system in Lake County has proven just how threatening internet sites like myspace.com can be. Their draconian authoritarian limitations on individual freedoms have raised the ire of many students and parents. This Chicago suburb has resolved to hold students “accountable” for the information posted on their myspace.com sites. Students must pledge to refrain from "illegal or inappropriate" activity on such sites. Since when have schools taken on the responsibility of law enforcement?

It is unclear what these schools consider “inappropriate,” perhaps insulting a teacher is inappropriate, perhaps any complaint about a school is equally off limits, no one can be sure exactly what the schools may come to view as inappropriate, though one can easily extrapolate the meaning of “illegal.” Nonetheless, by what justification do schools have the authority to dictate the behavior of students outside of school grounds?

Understandably, if students are involved in illegal behavior on myspace.com, or anywhere else, they should be held accountable (by law enforcement), but this is not the purview of your local school and it certainly is not their domain to judge the “appropriateness” of behavior outside of school.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0605230128may23,1,6311879.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true