In Which Neil Gaiman is Awesome

Go read Why Defend Freedom of Icky Speech over at the Gaiman blog.

Because if you don't stand up for the stuff you don't like, when they come for the stuff you do like, you've already lost.

The CBLDF will defend your First Amendment right as an adult to make lines on paper, to draw, to write, to sell, to publish, and now, to own comics. And that's what makes the kind of work you don't like, or don't read, or work that you do not feel has artistic worth or redeeming features worth defending. It's because the same laws cover the stuff you like and the stuff you find icky, wherever your icky line happens to be: the law is a big blunt instrument that makes no fine distinctions, and because you only realise how wonderful absolute freedom of speech is the day you lose it.

Also from that Gaiman post, Access to porn decreases incidence of rape. Even I can tell it's not what you'd call a scientifically clinching study, but it's a nice balance to all the unproven 'porn causes rape' type articles.

(no subject)

Message sent to my mother this afternoon circa 5pm, lest she arrive home to an empty house and be afrighted: "Am not dead, am in Raymond Terrace.'
On reflection, there's not much difference between these two states of being.

Can't even get a coffee in the Tce after 5pm.

On the other hand I have the library copy of LWW, and Ballykissangel, and at lease one of the Banned Books I said I'd read this year. I also finally sent off my membership application to Electronic Frontiers Australia, and my mother is bemused by my sudden thing for anti-censorship action.