the case of christopher handley
So this is crossposted to all of my journals so that everyone can give me their opinion. I already posted a brief entry a while back on this case on another journal, but this is simply getting out of hand.
So to recap, Christopher Handley from Iowa was arrested in 2006 for possessing manga. He ordered manga from Japan and some postal inspector decided it was too obscene. A search warrant was then issued and four different law enforcement agencies began seizing his collection of DVDs, artbooks, manga, etc. Because of this, he's facing up to 20 years in prison. I don't know about you, but that's a really long time for something that doesn't even hurt anyone. Once he gets out, he also has to register as a sex offender for possessing what they have called "child porn."
There is still very little information on what kind of manga it was that was considered to be some obscene. There were speculations that it was either yaoi or some sort of loli, but it hasn't been confirmed by any sources. It could be something as simple as a skirt flying up and if you know your manga, that happens really often. Also, it should be noted, that most of his manga collection isn't focused on anything specific thing. He was just a manga collector facing charges from the PROTECT Act.
I had hopes that this case would be dropped on accounts of it being unconstitutional and clearly going against the 1st Amendment, but checking up on this case, it seems that Handley has pleaded guilty. No. There were cases such as this before and he should've taken it up to the Supreme Court. He really needs a different lawyer.
I'll try and keep this nice and sweet. Try. Most of you know how my rants get. THESE ARE LINES ON A PAPER. No matter what you say, it's a form of art and no child or any other person was harmed in the making of it. Handley was going to read these in the comforts of his own home and surely that's not against the law? And if it was, hell, half if not more of the people on my buddy list and then some--myself included--should be awaiting our 20 years in prison. Why, oh why, does our government get more stupid by the day? My god, if I could, I would torch all of them.
Also, do I really need to even mention South Park? I mean, seriously. How about all the American movies and shows that depicts teenagers having sexual relationships? Does that not count? Shouldn't people who own and watch such movies and shows also be sentenced? Especially in the world of anime and manga, unless specifically stated, you can only guess what the ages of the characters are. Even then characters that are specified as being over 18 still looks young. However, being mere drawings and of a fictional nature, I still don't see the reason to arrest him.
Also, don't anyone dare give me "He looks at child porn and therefore he must, or will want to someday, go after real children." One, it wasn't proven that it was child porn as we have no idea what images were depicted in those mangas besides the fact that it's "obscene" and even then, without knowledge of what it is, I'm not going to lay judgement. Two, that is a very slippery slope. That's the same thing as saying we watch people get killed in movies, in games and even in American comic books and we therefore must want to commit murder. Please don't even go there unless you want to be torched.
There is so much more I want to say, but I probably need to get my thoughts straight first so it doesn't seem like a scrambled mess. Not that it isn't already a scrambled mess. I might add more to this later. Maybe after I kick a few things down and torch some random strangers on the street.
So to recap, Christopher Handley from Iowa was arrested in 2006 for possessing manga. He ordered manga from Japan and some postal inspector decided it was too obscene. A search warrant was then issued and four different law enforcement agencies began seizing his collection of DVDs, artbooks, manga, etc. Because of this, he's facing up to 20 years in prison. I don't know about you, but that's a really long time for something that doesn't even hurt anyone. Once he gets out, he also has to register as a sex offender for possessing what they have called "child porn."
There is still very little information on what kind of manga it was that was considered to be some obscene. There were speculations that it was either yaoi or some sort of loli, but it hasn't been confirmed by any sources. It could be something as simple as a skirt flying up and if you know your manga, that happens really often. Also, it should be noted, that most of his manga collection isn't focused on anything specific thing. He was just a manga collector facing charges from the PROTECT Act.
I had hopes that this case would be dropped on accounts of it being unconstitutional and clearly going against the 1st Amendment, but checking up on this case, it seems that Handley has pleaded guilty. No. There were cases such as this before and he should've taken it up to the Supreme Court. He really needs a different lawyer.
I'll try and keep this nice and sweet. Try. Most of you know how my rants get. THESE ARE LINES ON A PAPER. No matter what you say, it's a form of art and no child or any other person was harmed in the making of it. Handley was going to read these in the comforts of his own home and surely that's not against the law? And if it was, hell, half if not more of the people on my buddy list and then some--myself included--should be awaiting our 20 years in prison. Why, oh why, does our government get more stupid by the day? My god, if I could, I would torch all of them.
Also, do I really need to even mention South Park? I mean, seriously. How about all the American movies and shows that depicts teenagers having sexual relationships? Does that not count? Shouldn't people who own and watch such movies and shows also be sentenced? Especially in the world of anime and manga, unless specifically stated, you can only guess what the ages of the characters are. Even then characters that are specified as being over 18 still looks young. However, being mere drawings and of a fictional nature, I still don't see the reason to arrest him.
Also, don't anyone dare give me "He looks at child porn and therefore he must, or will want to someday, go after real children." One, it wasn't proven that it was child porn as we have no idea what images were depicted in those mangas besides the fact that it's "obscene" and even then, without knowledge of what it is, I'm not going to lay judgement. Two, that is a very slippery slope. That's the same thing as saying we watch people get killed in movies, in games and even in American comic books and we therefore must want to commit murder. Please don't even go there unless you want to be torched.
There is so much more I want to say, but I probably need to get my thoughts straight first so it doesn't seem like a scrambled mess. Not that it isn't already a scrambled mess. I might add more to this later. Maybe after I kick a few things down and torch some random strangers on the street.