At 11:22 AM 7/5/2001 -0400, Declan McCullagh wrote:
[A followup to a cpunx thread, and a link to the statute.]
Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2001 11:15:01 -0400
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Declan McCullagh [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Ohio man convicted for obscene stories in his private journal
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
This is an unusual case. The Ohio law -- a 1970s version of which
Politech member Bruce Taylor successfully defended before a federal
appeals court -- applies not only to dirty pictures, but also to written
material:
http://www.moralityinmedia.org/obsclawlinks.htm#oh
No person, with knowledge of the character of the material or
performance involved, shall do any of the following... Create, reproduce,
or publish any obscene material that has a minor as one of its
participants or portrayed observers... Buy, procure, possess, or control
any obscene material, that has a minor as one of its participants...
Anyone who possesses such a visual or written description -- including a
diary entry or an erotic story -- is guilty of a felony. That means
Ohioans who have on their hard drive an obscene text file from
alt.sex.stories are felons.
Other coverage:
http://www.nydailynews.com/2001-07-05/News_and_Views/Beyond_the_City/a-117267.asp
http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/07/05/loc_tristate_a_m_report.html
What's the difference between the Russian Constitution and the American
Constitution? They both guarantee freedom of speech, but the U.S.
Constitution also guarantees freedom after the words are uttered.
Dmitry Perevozhkin, Anecdotes about Putin
