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Path: utzoo!utcsri!utcs!flaps
From: flaps@utcs.uucp
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: US Senate bill on computer-transmitted obscenity
Message-ID: <1157@utcs.uucp>
Date: Thu, 13-Mar-86 16:13:51 EST
Article-I.D.: utcs.1157
Posted: Thu Mar 13 16:13:51 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Mar-86 16:33:50 EST
References: <228@bu-cs.UUCP> <279@hadron.UUCP> <32@gilbbs.UUCP>
Reply-To: flaps@utcs.UUCP (Alan J Rosenthal)
Organization: University of Toronto
Lines: 22
Summary: 

In article <32@gilbbs.UUCP> mc68020@gilbbs.UUCP (Tom Keller) writes:
the full text of this bill, which includes
>To amend title 18, United States Code, to establish criminal penalties for the
>   transmission by computer of obscene matter, or by computer or other means,
>   of matter pertaining to the sexual exploitation of children, and for other
>   purposes.

Seems to me that they are trying to put 'obscene matter' and 'sexual
exploitation of children' into one bill, and get the first ruled illegal on the
basis of the second.  I believe this is quite common in law.  And in my opinion
quite immoral.  I think that certainly there should be criminal penalties for
encouraging the sexual exploitation of children, and that there should probably
be social education but not criminal penalties for obscene matter.  Of course,
my definition of 'obscene matter' is probably entirely different from theirs,
and besides this all presupposes the criminal justice system which I dislike
anyway...

But the important point here is: notice that this bill contains two unrelated
ideas!

Alan J Rosenthal
{linus|decvax}!utzoo!utcs!flaps, {ihnp4|allegra}!cbosgd!utcs!flaps