Empowering your neighbors (to censor what you read)

[elfs]

As most people know, I'm not one to get my dander up much. I know that the world is full of ridiculous people doing ridiculous things. The whole New Mexico High School censorship deal is a bit disturbing, but the ruckus and attention is healthy, the project will be a learning experience and, surprise, the idiots who tried to shut down the poetry class will learn a few things about the real value of freedom of speech-- and the kids might learn a few details about the power of the pursestring.

On the other hand, I do worry about things like this: a new bill that would empower anyone offended by material "harmful to minors" to sue in federal court and seek compensentory damages of up to $100,000. James Dobson's "Focus on the Family" says this will "turn parents into prosecuting attorneys fighting a wave of obscenity."

As some of you know, I read romance novels now and then, to see where that market is heading and how I can appeal to its readership in my SF. A lot of romance novels are signficantly sexually explicit, and those books are on the shelves at Target and K-Mart. A work is "harmful to minors" if it:

(A) depicts, describes, or represents, in a manner patently offensive with respect to minors, an actual or simulated sexual act or sexual contact, an actual or simulated normal or perverted sexual act, or a lewd exhibition of the genitals or post-pubescent female breast; and (B) a reasonable person would find, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, and scientific value for minors sufficient to overcome the pernicious effect of that material.

Even if the lawsuit fails, it's an expense and a waste of time for the retailer. Prosecuting obscenity is what prosecutors should be doing; empowering ordinary citizens to do what the government is supposed to be doing, and then deploying the force of the goverment behind those ordinary citizens, ought to scare the pants off anyone.

Comments

One-sided.

[lionman.livejournal.com]

I did some digging into the story listed above in the Editorial section of that website. I have a relative who lives in Rio Rancho, NM. When the case occoured last year, it made big news in the state. The reasons given by the Administration for firing the teachers in question was that after the poems and works had been displayed for more than a week on the walls, and they had not seen to give a ballanced view with both anti-war and pro-war, they were asked to remove the one-sided views from display. The teachers refused to do so. Thus, their employment was terminated for failure to follow instructions of their supervisor.

However, I'm of the mind that it's a disturbing article, nonetheless.

[rapier.livejournal.com]

You sicko.

LAZY PARENTS !

[flying-pegasus.livejournal.com]

'Dude' I was in 5 graded developed very early and was already have taken Sex Ed. I knew about sex already from my father. I got alittle bored with the Nancy Drew Books and The Hardy Boys. So I spent my allowances on 'Daniel Steels - Lovingly' book. I got that taken away from me by my 5th grade teacher, Mr. Higgins. (That Asshole!) Yet he's the one that taught me sex Ed, in detail. I mean,

"Boys and Girls, this is wear the male penis is injected in to the women virgina. This is how babies are formed. As the male Penis slowly caress the female reproductive parts."

They show diagrams where and how, we had sex. Oh, where did I go to school at? Paradise Hills Elementary, in San Diego.

That asshole took my Romance Novel, which didn't show anything Sexual pictures at all. Not like the sex Education I got.

Some Romance novels are way too much, that is up to the parents not to buy the books. Or let their kids near that Adult section. But the keep those out of stores, which is bunch horse shit.

What kind of parent are you or anyone, that can't monitor what your kids are reading or not. What do you consider a minor? Once you hit 15 years old `dude`, your not consider a minor, but young adult that has the right to emancipation. Hell when I was fifteen I had job, I bought romance novels...Sorry I totally, as a parent disagree with it. It's my responsibility to monitor what my kids buy. If those parents are too lazy to monitor their kids spending habits, it not the retailers faults or the AUTHORS, it the DAM LAZY ASS PARENTS!!!.

I have two questions/concerns

[jenkitty.livejournal.com]

1) Define "reasonable." What constitutes a reasonable person?
2) Shouldn't that be "lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors"? The way this law is written, it appears to be requiring all of the above in order for the work to escape scrutiny, rather than any one of them.

[woggie.livejournal.com]

So under those rules we can ban The Christian Bible, right? :)

Sad

[redhipple.livejournal.com]

Its a travesty. And an outrage. Is it any wonder why some Americans critize their governments when things like this occur? I'm very saddened by it and disappointed that people abuse their powers...