-Caveat Lector- First amendment issues are always touchy and there is always the question of what exactly should be considered free speech. A good example is a recent case in Boston where a 10 year old boy was brutally beaten and raped by two pedophiles. When the police arrested the two men and searched their apartment they found a wealth of pedophile literature including a magazine published by NAMBLA - North American Man Boy Love Association. One of the articles in the magazine described various methods on how to lure young boys into apartments or other structures and apparently, from their confessions, these two men used the methods described in the article to lure their victim into their apartment. The prosecutors of the case went forward and pressed charges against NAMBLA as co-conspirators in the child's murder. Immediately the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) rushed to NAMBLA's defense, claiming they had done nothing wrong but exercised their first amendment right. Now, personally I feel that if you publish an article targeted to pedophiles, on how to commit pedophiliac acts, in a pedophiliac magazine you stand as guilty as those committing the act. There's a big difference from writing "I think the age of consent should be lowered to 10 years old" and "Here's how to lure a young boy into your home for sexual intercourse. > ---------- > From: kl > Reply To: Conspiracy Theory Research List > Sent: Thursday, July 5, 2001 1:06 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [CTRL] (Fwd) LP RELEASE: First Amendment Survey > > -Caveat Lector- > > ------- Forwarded message follows ------- > > Chilling new survey: Americans want > more government censorship of media > > WASHINGTON, DC -- The First Amendment is in "intensive care," > Libertarians said today, after a new survey found that 46% of Americans > think the press has "too much freedom" and a whopping 71% say the > government needs to hold the media in check. > > "The First Amendment is in trouble," said Steve Dasbach, Libertarian > Party national director. "If this survey is accurate, then the First > Amendment is in intensive care and may be dying -- not of simple > indifference, but because of criminal negligence by the American > people." > > This past week, the New York-based First Amendment Center revealed > that a > startling number of Americans are willing or eager to give the government > more control over speech and the press. Of the 1,102 adults randomly > surveyed by telephone across the nation: > > * 46% said the press in America has "too much freedom to do what it > wants." By contrast, only 36% think there is "too much government > censorship." > > * 71% think it is somewhat or very important for the government "to > hold the media in check." > > * 39% agree "the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it > guarantees." That's up dramatically from just 22% who held that opinion > last year. > > * 64% disagreed that "people should be allowed to say things in public > that > might be offensive to racial groups," with 36% saying there should be > laws > against such speech. > > For a nation founded on the concept of "inalienable rights" and a > fierce devotion to free speech, this survey is disturbing, said > Dasbach. > > "Americans don't seem to understand that free speech is not something > you > can share with the government," he said. "Either the people have free > speech -- and are willing to fervently defend it against all encroachments > -- or else politicians have the power to control what we hear, see, and > read. There is no middle ground." > > Unfortunately, too many Americans appear willing to sacrifice their > freedoms to protect themselves against speech they find offensive, said > Dasbach. > > "Some people appear willing to relinquish free speech because they are > offended by vulgar music, obscene photographs on the Internet, violent > movies, or lewd dialogue on television," he said. "But that's making a > deal > with the devil. > > "If you give away your rights, politicians will eagerly take them. And > once > they have that power, politicians won't stop at simply censoring what you > find offensive. Eventually, politicians will go after speech that you find > indispensable. But by then, it will be too late." > > What's the solution? Americans need to renew their traditional > commitment to free speech, said Dasbach. > > "Don't let the history books record that this was the generation that gave > away its First Amendment rights," he said. "Remember: There's only > one > thing more tragic than a government seizing the rights of its citizens -- > and that's citizens willingly forfeiting their rights because they are too > apathetic, indifferent, or lazy to keep them. > > "And there's only one thing more tragic than letting power-hungry > politicians murder the First Amendment -- and that's allowing it to die of > criminal neglect." > > ------- End of forwarded message ------- > > -- > Best wishes > > In any dispute between a citizen and the government, it is my instinct > to side with the citizen. I am against bureaucrats, policemen, wowsers, > snouters, smellers, uplifters, lawyers, bishops and all other sworn > enemies of the free man. I am against all efforts to make men virtuous > by law. I believe that the government, practically considered, is simply > a camorra of incompetent and mainly dishonest men, transiently licensed > to live by the labor of the rest of us. I am thus in favor of limiting > its powers as much as possible, even at the cost of considerable > inconvenience, and of giving every citizen, wise or foolish, right or > wrong, the right to criticize it freely, and to advocate changes in > its constitution and personnel...the very commonest of common men has > certain inalienable rights. > -H.L. Mencken, Autopsy, American Mercury, September 1927 > > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> > DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER > ========== > CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing > propagandic > screeds are unwelcomed. Substance--not soap-boxin---please! These are > sordid matters and 'conspiracy theor-'--with its many half-truths, mis- > directions and outright fra-ds--is used politically by different groups > with > major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and > thought. > That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and > always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no > credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. > > Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. > ======================================================================== > Archives Available at: > http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html > <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of > [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> > > http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ > <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> > ======================================================================== > To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: > SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: > SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Om > > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
