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From: gsmith@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (Gene Ward Smith)
Newsgroups: net.legal,soc.singles
Subject: Re: Re: Commission on Pornography -- *sigh*
Message-ID: <16066@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Thu, 9-Oct-86 00:50:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.16066
Posted: Thu Oct  9 00:50:12 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 9-Oct-86 06:22:22 EDT
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Reply-To: gsmith@brahms.UUCP (Gene Ward Smith)
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In article <1587@mtx5a.UUCP> mat@mtx5a.UUCP (m.terribile) writes:

>As far as outcomes being predetermined: if the Commission was set up with
>as right-wing, righteous, and bible-thumping an agenda as some seem to feel,
>it obviously failed, indicating that it felt that there should be *no*
>restrictions on the ``written word'' (so long as it is non-pedophilic) and
>deploring the shoddy state of current research, relying as little as possible
>on it.

    What is the basis for this recommendation? It seems to me that the
compelling argument against pedophile material is that it must of
necessity involve the exploitation of children. This is not the case
for "the written word", or for drawings. On what basis would one allow
written depictions of rape, torture of unwilling victims, mutilation
and mayhem, but not of sex with ten year olds? One does not, after all
(or at least *I* do not) wish to even call into question the legality
of Lolita or the pedophilitic poetry in the Greek Anthology (i.e., if
someone wants to translate it, it should undoubtedly be legal, since
the Marquis de Sade would be).

   Another question is what sort of visual depictions are being outlawed.
Does "Show Me" count? I read it was popular pedophile material, but it's
just pictures of naked kids. Practically family photo album stuff!

ucbvax!brahms!gsmith    Gene Ward Smith/UCB Math Dept/Berkeley CA 94720
          "There are no differences but differences of degree 
            between degrees of difference and no difference"