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From: rap@oliven.UUCP (Robert A. Pease)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.misc,net.motss
Subject: Re: Corrupting youth: Conservative [sic.] Campus Tabloids
Message-ID: <666@oliven.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 23-Oct-84 16:07:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: oliven.666
Posted: Tue Oct 23 16:07:01 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 26-Oct-84 03:22:55 EDT
References: <1039@bbncca.ARPA> <76@cadre.UUCP>
Organization: Olivetti ATC, Cupertino, Ca
Lines: 63

.

>I agree that from your article it sounds like some of these
>journals have fascist tendencies.  I haven't ever seen
>one of these papers, and would wonder if the examples
>you cited weren't one or two individual editors out of
>control, rather than some conspiracy.

I saw a documentary last Sunday  night  that  addressed  the
issues  these  groups  (the  radical right) are making a big
noise about.  It showed how the radical  conservatives  have
caused  censureship  of  school  materials,  the  firing  of
teachers for including books by Hemingway  and  Bradbury  on
their  reading  lists,  organized book burnings and more.  I
even saw one religious  leader  advocate  execution  of  gay
people.

It is not an isolated case it is  a  whole  movement.  These
people  are telling their members that they don't have to be
the majority to get their way, they  just  have  to  be  the
loudest  and the heads of these groups are religious leaders
like Jerry Falwell.

>The remedy, in any case, should lie in the civil courts and not the
>criminal ones, or worse, new legislation.  The first amendment
>guarantees of freedom of speech are far more precious than
>any damage that can be done by their abuse by any group,
>be it Nazi, KKK, etc. even if they make racial or relgious
>slurs.  Once laws are in place limiting the rights of
>free speech, they can be used by the State against whomever
>they choose, and usually they end up being used against
>dissenters and members of minorities by governments.
>Nothing could be more likely to make this country
>fascist.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what these groups are  trying
to do.  They have already destroyed the effectiveness of the
child abuse laws in one state not  by  legislation,  but  by
peer  pressure.  This  in  spite of the fact that 8 children
died due to child abuse in that state during the  year  that
these  groups  campaigned  against  that  states child abuse
laws.

>I think most students can recognize these people as
>lunatic fringe, and the most appropriate response is
>saying so and loudly.  If someone has been harmed
>directly, libel suits and other civil actions can
>tie up the editors in court and make things unpleasant
>for them.  The greatest need will be to find volunteer
>attorneys who will help file these suits, and 
>harmed parties who will take time to complain.
>
>			G. Banks

I do agree, but be careful.  I read some time ago about  one
group  that  beat  the  system  for a long time because they
harassed the publishers, editors and reporters of papers and
magazines that published articles accusing them of something
wrong.  This was a "religious" group!
-- 

					Robert A. Pease
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