From: jportale (jportale@gci-net.com)
Date: 06/10/01-04:09:01 PM Z
I'm walking into this a little late, but let me take a crack at it. Bob, many of the things that you cite are regulated at the state level. You mentioned switch blades, (push button knives). While these may be illegal in your neck of the woods, here in Arizona there is no such rule. You may even carry one as long as you have a conceled weapons permit or if you carry it in the open, say on your belt. Ditto for the high explosives. Any rancher or farmer, or YOU can sally into a feed store and buy all the explosives they need with a signiture. The cigarettes, porn and booze is a morality codes founded in state laws. The feds just jumped on the band wagon later on. What has all this accomplished? Nothing. Kids still get porn, booze and smokes. Ding-dongs can still buy explosives or get the info on how to make them at the local library, DDT is still being used on the otherside of the border and migrates up here, as far as creasote not being used, when was the last time you looked at a rail road tie being sold at Home Depot. These ties come from Mexico or Canada and they are soaked with the stuff.
SO what does this have to do with the topic? Everything. All of the above things when made illegal are merely driven underground. And in some manner become more attrative to looney-toons. My uncle who is a retired federal law enforcement agent said the fastest way to curb the use of illegal drugs in the US would be to legalize them. It would take the naughty glamore away.
What I'm trying to say is that you can not nor should you ban an idea or thought just because it is unpopular or represents something that is repugnant to our/your/cultural sensibilities. The whole point is that all opinions must be heard. It does not matter if these ideas are political, art theory, or simple babbling. By outlawing ideas, you become the demon, the arbitor of what is right and wrong. I can not speak for the rest of the world, but that is a job that I simply not qualified for.
And as far as the French, look at your history. Their outlawing of anything of nazi origins is due to a national embarrasment for the collaberations early on. When it comes to WWII, the French have very little to say. Too many French Jews, Gypsies and other "un-pure" people ended up in the camps with the full support of a large number of the population. The "heroic" freedom fighters of the movies were only about 2% of the population. And the anti-nazi sentiment only started after "regular" French citizins were shipped off for forced labor in the German war factories by the tens of thousands.
The quote: "I may not agree with what you are saying, but I will defend you right to say them", has special meaning in this world, nes pas?
Joe Portale
Tucson, AZ
----- Original Message -----
From: Robert W. Schramm
To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2001 2:36 PM
Subject: Re: I'll think of it in a minute...
We ban dangerous drugs. High explosives cannot be bought by the average person (i.e TNT).Push button knives are illegal. Creasote, certain pestacides cannot be sold. DDT is banned. Children cannot buy alcohol, cigarettes and pornography. Whats so wrong about banning a prooven highly dangerous idea and the symbols associated with it? Maybe the French have more sense than we do.
Bob Schramm
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