[ExI] RES: age of mockery

[F. C. Moulton]

On 10/17/2012 09:09 AM, Charlie Stross wrote:
> 
> On 17 Oct 2012, at 16:14, "Henrique Moraes Machado" <cetico.iconoclasta at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> If one defends the right to publish child pornography that would be free
>> speech. Publishing child pornography would not, since any form of child
>> pornography is a crime. 
>> This was not a good example.
> 
> On the contrary; the criminalization of child pornography is a *perfect* example of why we don't actually have free speech in the west.
> 
> (A case can be made that photographs of child abuse are evidence of a crime being committed. But what about cartoons, or textual descriptions? One of which is explicitly, and the other of which is implicitly, illegal in the UK?)
> 

To elaborate a bit on Charlie's point; a great deal of caution is needed
when discussing 'child pornography'.  The definition varies depending on
legal jurisdiction; do not assume that when you hear the words 'child
porn' that those words necessarily involves some dirty old man video
taping the rape of a child; the term might being used to refer to
something entirely different.  Unfortunately persons who want to push
particular political agendas can utilize this confusion.  Consider the
sexting practice among teens; that is a legal mess and new laws are
being proposed.  In the mean time a lot of people are harmed by
prosecutors who appear to me to be more interested in climbing the
political ladder than really being concerned about those person who are
prosecuted.  Consider this news items from a couple of years ago:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-6552438.html

Fred