Politech mailing list archives
FC: UK may ban tasteless joke book, seizes child porn
From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 02:01:27 -0500
The same article reports that UK religious leaders and Congresscritter-equivalents are demanding that the government censor a joke book. It makes fun of people who were raped. And: "Other targets include the disabled and black people, including the blind singer Stevie Wonder." The frenzied reaction: Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, is being urged to intervene by Peter Luff, Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire. [...] The Archdeacon of Aston, the Ven John Barton, questioned the kind of people who could find such jokes funny. The NSPCC said the book was "appalling" and contained the worst material it had heard of. Let's hope the politicos and archdeacons morality hounds don't get wind of alt.tasteless... -Declan ********** http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/99/12/10/timnwsnws01015.html?19 Computers seized in child porn sweep BY STEWART TENDLER, CRIME CORRESPONDENT Joke book is condemned POLICE launched their biggest operation against Internet child pornography yesterday, seizing computers in raids on 27 homes across Britain. Twenty forces from the north of Scotland to the West Country carried out the dawn sweep co-ordinated by officers from Greater Manchester Police. Within the first few hours officers seized computers or material in Durham, Exeter, Pudsey in West Yorkshire, Manchester and Ross in the north of Scotland. **********
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 10:14:04 -0800 From: Lizard <lizard () mrlizard com> Subject: Don't they have anything better to do in England? I love stories like this. Next time some Brit goes on about Americas pollution, crime, general shallowness, and corporate culture, I can turn about and say, "Yeah, well, at least WE can tell jokes about Stevie Wonder!"[1] (This story, BTW, is attached a probably more important study about Yet Another global kiddie-porn sweep. Please note that the targets of the sweep are not accused (yet) of actually abusing children, just of having pictures of them being abused. I can go into my local Borders, head for the 'True Crime' section, and feast my eyes on lurid photos of Actual Crimes Scenes, complete with dismembered bodies...but I can't own a picture of a 14 year old at a nudist colony, taken circa 1952. (Not that I'd want to, mind you, my tastes in women run to those of my age or older. I agree with Florence King:"I don't understand pedophiles. In order to abuse a child, you have to be in the same room as a child, and I don't know how the perverts stand
it."))
[1]Such as, "Did you hear about the blonde who gave Stevie Wonder tickets to a Marcel Marseu(sp?) concert?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology To subscribe: send a message to majordomo () vorlon mit edu with this text: subscribe politech More information is at http://www.well.com/~declan/politech/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current thread:
- FC: UK may ban tasteless joke book, seizes child porn Declan McCullagh (Dec 11)