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There's a story in today's Anchorage Daily News about how a state prosecutor who handles child pornography cases wants sexually explicit drawings of children, even computer-generated cartoons, to be as illegal as photographs of actual abuse. The idea is supported by the chair of the House Judiciary Committee and others in the State Legislature.
What's interesting, however, has been the reactions posted on the ADN website re this story. Most of the commenters think that the legislature, rife with political corruption and scandal, should be doing better things than this. Some commenters made comparisons between this proposed legislation and the thoughtcrimes from George Orwell's 1984.
Another commenter suggested that, using the logic espoused by these proponents, that every member of the Alaska State Legislature should be arrested and charged with public corruption, because of ongoing federal prosecutions of a few corrupt lawmakers.
Personally, even though I find the subject matter they're discussing personally distasteful, I think outlawing it and arresting the creators would be a slippery slope. If they're arresting pornographic artists one day, because their work might incite rape, how long before they're arresting mystery writers for possibly inciting murder?
What's interesting, however, has been the reactions posted on the ADN website re this story. Most of the commenters think that the legislature, rife with political corruption and scandal, should be doing better things than this. Some commenters made comparisons between this proposed legislation and the thoughtcrimes from George Orwell's 1984.
Another commenter suggested that, using the logic espoused by these proponents, that every member of the Alaska State Legislature should be arrested and charged with public corruption, because of ongoing federal prosecutions of a few corrupt lawmakers.
Personally, even though I find the subject matter they're discussing personally distasteful, I think outlawing it and arresting the creators would be a slippery slope. If they're arresting pornographic artists one day, because their work might incite rape, how long before they're arresting mystery writers for possibly inciting murder?
