Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Cartoon characters are imaginary, even in porn. Really, they are.
Beyond a trademark violation, I still don't see how this can actually be illegal.
Former teacher pleads guilty to downloading 'Simpsons' porn
By KBOI Web Staff
Oct 13, 2010
BOISE, Idaho - A former middle school teacher in Meridian has pleaded guilty to
possession of visual representations of child sex abuse.
The U.S. Attorney's office said [he] had downloaded more than 70 animated cartoon pornographic images on his computer. Many of them depicted child characters from The Simpsons.
These are imaginary characters. They're not real. They're never going to be real or be hurt or ever feel anything.
How can this be a crime, with in this case, "a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000"? And the federal government is spending tax dollars prosecuting this? There's no other crime in Idaho to worry more about?
For the record, this type of comic art doesn't interest me at all. I also don't care about furries (but if you do, more power to you). I do care about free speech and justice though, and this is wrong.
I'm a member of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and I urge all my readers to join as well.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Post ombudsman follows up on censoring Non Sequitur
By Andy Alexander
Washington Post's Omblog October 12, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Post ombudsman on censoring Non Sequitur
Where was the 'Where's Muhammad?' cartoon?
By Andrew Alexander
Ombudsman
Washington Post October 10, 2010; A17
Monday, October 04, 2010
Washington Post runs scared, censors Non Sequitur
The Post also issued a 'No Comment' to its own blog -
'Muhammad' does -- and does not -- appear in today's 'NON SEQUITUR' comic By Michael Cavna, Washington Post Comic Riffs blog October 3, 2010.
The Post's strong tradition of censoring on its comics page what it would never consider in the news pages continues - click on censorship in the tags to see other examples.
Friday, July 09, 2010
Cavna on Doonesbury
Monday, June 14, 2010
One key difference between us and Japan - freedom of speech
(Mainichi Japan) June 14, 2010
We may have the First Amendment, but there's a law in the US that says possessors drawings of imaginary under-age cartoon characters (how is that even possible?) can be prosecuted for child pornography. Support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund today.
Here's a new interview with its head - Spurgeon, Tom. 2010.
CR Newsmaker Interview: Charles Brownstein Of The CBLDF.
Comics Reporter (June 13).
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Pulitzer Prize cartoonists' petition online at Cartoonists Rights Network
Now you can join the nineteen Pulitzer Prize winners who've created and signed a petition against censorship. Click through the link to add your name. It's up from seventeen signatories at the last time we looked at it, and has been generalized to be opposed to all censorship of cartoons, not just South Park's specific example.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Religious opinion on South Park and Mohammad cartoons in Saturday Post
At the blog I was able to find a few relevant articles, although not most of the ones quoted in the physical paper.
Sally Quinn. 2010.
Divine Impulses: Tariq Ramadan says Comedy Central is 'scared' of the Muslim reaction to South Park, Washington Post Divine Impulses blog (May)
Without freedom of expression, there is no democracy
Ex-Hindu monk, professor
Ramdas Lamb
On Faith blog May 6, 2010
Imposed or self-imposed censorship?
Professor, University of Mississippi School of Law
Ronald Rychlak
Washington Post On Faith blog May 7, 2010;
Monday, April 26, 2010
Post on South Park censorship
Comedy Central censors "South Park"
By Lisa de Moraes
Washington Post April 23, 2010
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Catching up with comics in the Post
Comic Riffs looks at a couple of dunderheaded decisions in the Style section –
Doonesbury shrunk by almost an inch in the latest redesign, but it’s back at a bit larger now:
The Post's 'Doonesbury' shrinkage: winning the Battle of Inch-On
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog October 28, 2009
and Frazz, which has been exiled to appearing sometimes on the Kid’s page is missing this week because of a Halloween story which has a naked kid in a tree - god, you just can’t make this stuff up. The kids flip past, in today’s paper “TV report on breast self-exam bares all” and “The Dark Side of Peter Pan” book review to get to the Kid’s page, and they’re then protected from cartoon nudity. Anyway, here’s the story with the rationalization “There was no way this could run in KidsPost so we decided to hold it out for a week.”:
Calling all comics readers: To save 'Frazz,' what strip should we send to KidsPost?
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog October 29, 2009
In yesterday’s Style section (not the trend here), there’s a TV report on how inappropriate Family Guy is, at least as far as Microsoft is concerned:
By Lisa de Moraes
Washington Post Wednesday, October 28, 2009
and a review of a play with an imaginary superhero friend:
By Celia Wren
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Iraq prison abuse photos likened to Danish Islam cartoons by Justice Dept. says NY Times
Obama About-Face Goes to High Court
By ADAM LIPTAK
Published: September 15, 2009
First the Justice Department decided it would not ask the Supreme Court to block the release of photographs showing the abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then it changed its mind.
The relevant paragraph reads:
In a book about the controversy surrounding the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, the publisher [Yale Press] decided not to publish the actual cartoons. The government’s brief, in fact, cited the reaction to the publication of the cartoons in a Danish newspaper as a reason to block disclosure of the images of detainee abuse.
I'd encourage everyone to read the original article and perhaps someone could look into the government's argument as well.
Meanwhile, one of the Post's (conservative) columnists editorialized against Yale's decision - "Chipping Away At Free Speech," By Anne Applebaum, Washington Post September 15, 2009.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Post calls kettle black
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Tintin Banned in Brooklyn
New York Times (August 20, 2009): A21. The story appeared on their blog yesterday as "A Library's Approach to Books That Offend, New York Times City Room blog August 19, 2009, http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/a-librarys-approach-to-books-that-offend/?ref=nyregion
Saturday, August 15, 2009
American Association of University Professors president condemns Yale's cowardice on Danish Islam cartoons
Here's what the book's author thinks - "Culture Vulture: Interview with Prof. Jytte Klausen," by Helen Epstein, ArtsFuse blog on Aug 14, 2009.
Post on surpressed Family Guy cartoon [UPDATED]
Oddly enough, a very similar story ran 2 days earlier by their TV reporter - "'Family Guy's' Look at the Lighter Side of Abortion,"
By Lisa de Moraes, Washington Post Wednesday, August 12, 2009.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Yale to publish book on Danish Islam cartoons without the cartoons
Normally I would buy a book like this as a matter of course, but I'm going to boycott this one. If Yale doesn't have the courage of their convictions, I see no reason to support them.
Washington Post joined in censorship of Tank
Washington Post pulls comic featuring Vick, Cheney
By CHRISTIAN BOONE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution August 10 2009
And for those of us who still subscribe to the Post - here's today's Tank.