From: grimlok@hubcap.clemson.edu (Mike Percy)
Subject: Laws work against you (was Re: Hitler's 'Mein Kampf')
Organization: Clemson University
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 21:48:49 GMT

libwca@emory.edu (Bill Anderson) writes:

>work then.  You can't fight ideas that aren't acknowledged.  
>Not to mention that the folks who decide what is unacceptable
>aren't always going to be on your side.  Anti-pornography feminists
>in Canada thought they had won a great victory recently when they
>got a censorship law passed; the first item banned under the new
>law was a feminist/lesbian magazine...
 
This thread started with questions about what effect banning books has.
I'd like to bring something up about prohibitive and/or invasive laws
and how they work against the very people who thought they were such a
good idea in the first place.

Example 1 is in the quoted section above.  When laws defining ideas or
activities portrayal of which constitute reason for the work in
questiont o be banned will always end up banning things unintended.  The
proposed Porography Victims Compensation Act (or whatever it's called)
will surely be able to provide basis for vicitms of criminals who claim
Biblical influence to sue Bible publishers; also murder mysteries with
sexual overtones (e.g., Silence of the Lambs) would surely end up accounting
for some lawsuits.

Example 2.  The Citadel (a state-run all-male military college in South
Carolina) was sued by some female veterans to force the Citadel to admit
women into the day classes (women can take night classes).  Instead of
integrating, the Citadel shut down the veteran's day classes.  Hardly
the intent...

Example 3.  Women are entitled to various sports programs and equivalent
levels fo funding for men's and women's programs under Title X (I think
that's the one).  After some schools were sued for having under-funded
women's programs, they simply shut down the men's programs.  Now they
were equally funded!

Example 4.  When the Supreme Court decided last year that Mississippi
was not doing enough to desegregate it's school systems (in higher
education), the state has decided to combine some redundant programs at
smaller colleges -- by eliminating a predominantly/historically black
college.  Much to the dismay and anger of the black students who will
now have to attent largely white universities close-by.
 
I suspect that if school prayer and religious training in schools were
to become the law of the land again, the Fundamentalist Christians who
are the most vehement supporters of such things would not like to find
that the government appeals to the majority religion, which is not
likely to be the one the FCs want.  In a few years, Islam may be the
majority religion in this country.  Or that in the spirit of
equal-time/pluralism, the government was forced to allow Satanist
prayers...

When laws are written, laws can be twisted.  Eventually it will be
twisted back to point at you...

Mike Percy             | grimlok@hubcap.clemson.edu  | I don't know about
Sr. Systems Analyst    | mspercy@clemson.clemson.edu | your brain, but mine
Info. Sys. Development | mspercy@clemson.BITNET      | is really...bossy.
Clemson University     | (803) 656-3780              | (Laurie Anderson)