(no subject)

[bananasinorbit]

Okay, but lj, I just have to tell you. In my working on my article, I came across the case Bahrampour v. Lampert, 356 F.3d 969 (9th Cir. 2004). In this case, a prisoner sues prison officials alleging violations of his first amendment rights because he was not permitted to have such dangerous materials as White Dwarf magazine and Green Lantern comic book. Green Lantern comic book was rejected because the prison claimed that it was "sexually explicit." Sexually explicit materials are not permitted because they might inspire "homosexual contact" and other horrible activities detrimental to the security and order in the facility, the court said that's fine, no real surprise there. What did surprise me, though, was that White Dwarf magazine was not permitted because of a prohibition on "role-playing or similar fantasy games or materials. Superintendent Lampert stated that the role-playing prohibition is intended to prevent inmates from placing themselves in fantasy roles that reduce accountability and substitute raw power for legitimate authority. He also noted that role-playing games often contain dice, which are prohibited gambling paraphernalia." The court said that was fine too.

Thank god our prisons and courts are not stopping with protecting society from the horrors of porn and gay sex but are also keeping us safe from the raw power of RPGs and comic books!

Okay, back to real legal analysis now...