[LINK] Helen Lovejoy Gets Her Way [Was: Why the IWF was wrong to lift its ban on a Wikipedia page]
David Boxall
david.boxall at hunterlink.net.au
Sun Dec 14 11:05:53 AEDT 2008
<http://newmatilda.com/2008/12/12/helen-lovejoy-gets-her-way>
>
> Research in criminology suggests that the criminal law is effective
> only as a device to reinforce existing community values, and that the
> legitimacy of a law is threatened when criminal prohibitions and
> sanctions on specific forms of conduct are not aligned with community
> norms, or lack common support. This is particularly so where the
> community views either the prohibition unreasonable or the penalties
> as disproportionate to the offence, or otherwise unreasonable.
>
> If respect for child pornography laws is lost, their legitimacy is
> diminished and the fight against child abuse becomes that much more
> difficult. The absurdity of this decision risks trivialising the very
> real problem of child abuse.
Do the hysterical child-porn extremists realise the harm they do?
--
David Boxall | The more that wise people learn
| The more they come to appreciate
| How much they don't know.
--Confucius
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