Rantz: Democrats rejected a ban on child porn in libraries. Why?

Washington Democrats defeated Republican efforts to prevent library visitors from accessing child pornography online. One Democrat lawmaker claimed the effort didn’t fit the purpose of a bill to protect children online.

You’d think this move would be a no-brainer, but apparently, even keeping child porn out of libraries is too much for the Radical Left.

What the Bill Does—And What the Amendment Would Have Done

Democrats in the Washington State House just had the chance to do something incredibly basic—protect kids from pornography in public libraries. Instead, they outright rejected an amendment to House Bill 1834 that would have done exactly that.

House Bill 1834 (HB 1834) is supposed to be about “protecting Washington children online.” That’s a good thing, right? But Representative Michelle Caldier (R-Port Orchard) introduced an amendment that would have required libraries to install filters preventing children from accessing obscene material, including child pornography, on public library computers. Apparently this amendment went too far for Washington Democrats.

“The internet safety policy must include the deployment and use of a technology protection measure with respect to any of the library’s computers with internet access that prevents all library patrons from gaining access to visual depictions that are obscene or child pornography, and prevents minors from gaining access to visual depictions that are harmful to minors,” the amendment read.

The amendment wasn’t even radical. It allowed adults doing “bona fide research” (whatever that means in this context) to request the filters be turned off. But the core idea? Protecting kids from smut.

And Democrats killed it.

Rep. Cindy Ryu’s pathetic excuse

Why would any sane lawmaker oppose keeping child porn out of libraries?

According to Democrat Rep. Cindy Ryu (D-Shoreline), it’s because the amendment “affects access to content,” and this bill apparently wasn’t designed to do that. What?

Apparently “protecting Washington children online” did not tip off Democrats that limiting access to pornographic material depicting children might actually be part of that mission? Caldier pointed this out herself, saying, “The title of the bill … is broad enough to involve protecting [kids] from pornographic material.”

But Ryu wasn’t having it. She actually argued that stopping kids from seeing porn online should be handled in a separate bill—which, in Democrat-speak, means never.

That’s their trick. If they don’t want to vote for something that makes them look bad, they punt it to some imaginary future legislation that never actually happens.

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Heroes of the debate: Michelle Caldier and Chris Corry

Thank goodness Republicans Michelle Caldier and Chris Corry (R-Yakima) weren’t having it.

Caldier, who has actual experience dealing with this issue, pointed out the very real consequences of allowing unrestricted porn access in libraries. She recalled a case where a mother took her daughter to a library, only to discover a room where pornographic material was “readily available” for both adults and children.

Corry doubled down: “This is a great opportunity for us to do the right thing for kids and parents across the state.” You’d think Democrats would agree with that statement. You’d be wrong.

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Why Did Democrats Really Vote No?

Here’s the ugly truth: the modern Democratic Party has no problem with sexualized content being available to kids. That’s not an exaggeration. It’s the party with a growing minority embracing the moniker, “Minor-Attracted Persons,” while releasing sex offenders into your communities, so as not to stigmatize child sex perverts.

This is the same party that pushes sexually explicit books in school libraries, defends drag queen story hours with performers whose social media pages are dripping with R-rated content, and screams “book banning” whenever parents express concern about graphic depictions of sex in kids’ literature. In this case, it’s about literal child pornography and Democrats can’t be bothered to even feign an interest in tackling the issue.

This isn’t about “free speech” or “access to information.” This is about Democrats siding with fringe activists over protecting kids. And why? Because stopping kids from viewing porn isn’t a hill they want to die on. In fact, they seem weirdly invested in making sure kids can see it.

Washington Democrats don’t want to protect your kids

Democrats had the opportunity to block child pornography from public libraries, and they said no. They had the opportunity to protect kids, and they chose to protect perverts instead.

This isn’t a misunderstanding. This isn’t a procedural issue. This is who they are.

And the next time a Democrat pretends to care about child safety, remind them that when it actually mattered, they voted to keep child porn accessible in public libraries.

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