Cyberbullying Outlawed in Missouri

The latest events in the Megan Meier MySpace suicide case took place
Monday, when Missouri governor Matt Blunt signed into law a bill which
revised the the state's already existing harassment law to include
telephone and electronic communication.

Those under 21 would face only a misdemeanor, but for adults, this is a felony, with a sentence of up to four years in prison.

The
Megan Meier case caught the attention of the nation when it brok. A
teenage girl committed suicide after a MySpace romance went bad. The
romance itself and the boy involved were in fact fictional, perpetrated
as a vindictive prank by the mother of a former friend who lived down
the street.

The suicide occurred in October of 2006, though her
parents did not find out the truth until months later. In November of
2007, Megan's home town, Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, unable to find an
applicable law to charge anyone with, created one which bans Internet harassment.

The new law extends protection across the entire state.

Lori Drew, the adult perpetrator of the "prank," has been charged
with one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected
computers without authorization. The charges each carry a maximum of 5
years in prison.

Megan's mother, Tina Meier, believes more should be done nationally.

"This
is certainly not the end. Bullying and cyberbullying is something that
takes place every day. This is not just one case with Megan."

And why not? Why isn't there a federal cyberbullying law?  Readers, what do you think?