Replies

You're right, Amazon has every right to refuse to sell the author's book. But that clearly is not the case here. Amazon WANTS to sell the book, and Ackerman wants to FORCE them not to, via the government. That IS censorship because it is using government force to prevent the spread of an idea. I don't buy the argument that somehow this book "leads to" child rape. This book doesn't physically force anyone to commit a crime, nor does it incite any specific act. In any case, this is not an argument to censor the book: it is at best, an argument to punish the author were it ever proved that this book directly caused a particular crime. I doubt this will ever happen, since this book is simply a general rant, not a list of boys' home numbers.
BTW, should we censor a book advocating that drugs should be legal? If yes, then you are insane, because you are essentially turning every single law and regulation into undebatable dogma, and petrifying society. If no, then how is different from Amazon's case, except that the subject material is more disgusting? The standard for restricting the first amendment should be very narrow. There is always more of a risk in censoring than in not censoring material.

I don't buy the argument that somehow this book "leads to" child rape. This book doesn't physically force anyone to commit a crime, nor does it incite any specific act. In any case, this is not an argument to censor the book: it is at best, an argument to punish the author were it ever proved that this book directly caused a particular crime. I doubt this will ever happen, since this book is simply a general rant, not a list of boys' home numbers.

First of all, homosexual pedophiles who have molested boys have in the past claimed they were encouraged to do so by NAMBLA literature - which is similar. Any moral person, if they thought there were even the slightest chance that aiding in the promotion of these ideas would encourage molestors to abuse boys, would immediately desist from encouraging the promotion of such. Clearly, there is some chance of that happening. It's exactly the same with shows like Jackass or pro-wrestling on TV, where many kids went out and got really hurt by imitating what they saw on TV. Any moral person would not put out shows that led to kids getting hurt. And if some kid is shown to have been raped as a result of this book, the blame rests foursquare with the author AND with Namblazon, for having sold it to thousands, knowing that some could be encouraged to do evil things to boys. And let's see - do you not think that there are potential pedophiles buying this book? Doing ANYTHING at all that has some chance of causing kids to be sexually molested or raped is highly immoral and unethical. Apart from that, it's just as highly unethical and immoral to give aid and sustenance to people who would promote child rape. If a man wanted to promote the rape of women by standing on a soapbox, and I gave him use of my property to do so at a fairground loaded with people, and he got up on the box and implored young men to consider the 'virtues' of raping women, we'd both have committed highly immoral acts. As for censorship, again, no one would deny this man his first amendment rights. Since the constitution does NOT speak to this issue, then Namblazon is bound by whatever laws legislatures pass. If such laws are applicable here, then I say force Namblazon to desist. Today, my kids are being forced to hear homosexual propaganda in school, their Boy Scout troop has been targeted by militant homosexual activists, who want to be my sons' scoutmasters on overnight camping trips, we've had two boys homosexually molested in our town (and one murdered), my Church is beset by literally thousands of teenage boy rapes at the hands of priests, and now we're all in a dither because someone might say that Namblazon's helping to promote homosexual child rape is not OK. You take your stand; I'll take mine. At the end of the day, some kid you know, or know of, will be sexually molested, and you'll say to yourself - I indirectly helped bring this about.