Aug 20^th, 2008

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has refused to sign the state’s anti-cyberbullying bill until California’s legislature agrees to a budget for their new fiscal year. By doing so, he is turning a blind eye to bullying.

Caught up in Schwarzenegger’s blanket refusal to sign any bill that reaches his desk, the bill is in fact at risk of being vetoed. This particular bill needs to be an exception to Schwarzenegger’s self-imposed bill boycott. It is one thing to refuse to sign any bill that will affect the state budget when a budget isn’t in place, but this bill has no budgetary impact.

Unfortunately, though the monetary cost is zero, failure to pass this bill carries a very high emotional cost; one Schwarzenegger is making the victims of cyberbullying pay.

With the new school year looming, failure to sign this bill increases the risks to thousands of students by allowing cyberbullies to operate with relative impunity. The math is simple. California has over 6 million K-12 students, and research by Pew Internet & American Life Project indicates that about one-third of teens have already been the victim of cyberbullying.

The damage does not end with teens. Cyberbullying is not only increasing in frequency and viciousness, the age range of victims continues to broaden. Even seniors are experiencing serious cases of cyberbullying.

The first role of government is to ensure the safety and protection of its citizens. As a father of four, the protection of children and others unable to defend themselves from the onslaught of cyberbullying, -harassment and -stalking should be a top priority.

While this bill languishes, cyberbullies can safely threaten victims with the message “I’ll be back”.

What you can do

CyberPatrol has urged the governor to change his position, and they have encouraged each of us to do the same.

This is more than a worthy cause; this is standing up for the protection of victims of crime. Cyberbullies thrive in an environment where bystanders remain silent. End the silence by sending an email of your concerns, or by calling Governor Schwarzenegger today.

Linda