When Florida lawmakers recently voted to ban all Internet cafes, they worded the bill so poorly that they effectively outlawed every computer in the state, according to a recent lawsuit. In April Florida Governor Rick Scott approved a ban on slot machines and Internet cafes after a charity tied to Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll was shut down on suspicion of being an Internet gambling front — forcing Carroll, who had consulted with the charity, to resign. Florida’s 1,000 Internet cafes were shut down immediately, including Miami-Dade’s Incredible Investments, LLC, a café that provides online services to migrant workers, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The owner, Consuelo Zapata, is now suing the state after her legal team found that the ban was so hastily worded that it can be applied to any computer or device connected to the Internet, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Miami Herald.
If you’re looking for an example of what a Teapublican Paradise might look like, Texas is always a good place to start. Another entertaining option is Floriduh, where common sense and critical thinking, if they’re thought about at all, are seen as obstacles to achieving the idiocracy the Tea Party seems to so desperately want.
What other state could, in a knee-jerk reaction to the horrors of Internet gambling, ban any device that connects to da Interwebs? Yep, the same state that brought us Stand Your Ground is now evidently trying to legislate Floriduh back to the Stone Age…which in this case may not be all that far away. Perhaps scientific researchers and financial institutions can go back to using the abacus?
Becuase the law is so broadly and sloppily worded, ANY computer or smart phone is illegal in Floriduh, because they have the ability to connect to the Internet, where (GASP!!! WHAT ABOUT THE POOR< IMPRESSIONABLE CHILDREN???) gambling can take place. The hearts- if not the brains- of Floriduh’s legislators may have been in the right place, but this is what happens when you let the Tea Party run the show.
BTW, if you’re in Floriduh and you’re reading this, you’re breaking the law. Go ahead and run; I just gave you a head start. You can thank me later…when you’re in Georgia or Alabama.
Welcome to our New Idiocracy ©….
