Ghost of a flea

I've followed this story (repeated in numerous places) with a vague degree of unease. First off, as presented, the protagonist comes off far too glib,cool, and articulate; the antagonist an utter and complete dolt, barely able to express himself; the situation too pat (he just *happened* to put ACLU numbers in his phone?). Second off, it's all presented (or retold) in the frame of See What The Horrid PATRIOT Act Has Caused, or See How The Man Is Keeping Us Down, when it appears to, even if completely accurate, simply be some yahoo acting far outside his authority for reasons unknown.

Does that mean the story should be ignored? Probably not, but it also just doesn't feel like it deserves the level of outrage too many have given it.

One of the odd things about the rhetorical use of the PATRIOT Act is its magical power to impose imaginary impositions on liberty with powers ascribed to it that do not exist. What interested me about this post/story is the potential effect of giving arbitrary and unspecified powers to peace officers and the corollary effect of imposing moral, rather than security, concerns. I say this as someone living in a country whose customs agents regularly seize materials arriving from the Great Satan. I am constantly astonished at my Maoist lesbian friends' glib dismissal of the United States even as agents of their own government censor bracing pornographic lesbian comics at the border.

Ok, I am getting off topic here. I would be very curious to learn what more there is to this story. It may be necessary to call b*llshi*t.

It's not just at the border. "Obscenity" covers anything with sex and violence -- the definition was upheld by the Supreme Court in R v. Jorgenson, in 1995. (I read it in Crim.)

So, any video that has a bit of spanking along with the sex -- totally illegal to sell.

One dominatrix got herself acquitted by arguing that her services were simply violence, with no sex involved. :-)

Ah, the joys of "community standards". Which people will nevertheless quote in justification of the CRTC's decision about CHOI.

I just got another email blaming this incident on American legislation and the BusHitler administration. This from yet another Canadian who a) has an imaginary familiarity with the PATRIOT Act, and b) lives in a country where real legilation actually bars us from the everyday freedoms enjoyed south of the border. This is typical, self-righteous, whining Canadian hypcrisy in full flower.

This country is broken.