Burning Books

from: http://www.disinfo.com/disinfo?p=fol...ing+Drug+Books Burning Drug Books It's not a scene that should be possible in the United States. A publisher imprisoned for ten years because of a felonious book that doesn't reveal classified information, isn't libelous and doesn't violate coyright. It simply tells people how to grow marijuana in their closets. A Netherlands web-site offers some cool bongs and glass pipes for sale, so you create a hyperlink. Days later, you're arrested and end up in jail for three years. Because of a hyperlink! These situations aren't visions of America under Martial law but rather America under the 'Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation' Act (S 486, HR 2987), which has been unanimously passed by the US Senate and is currently before the House. This bill contains standard 'War On Some Drugs' measures but two provisions are shocking in their blatant contempt for the First Amendment. The first measure makes it a crime to disseminate instructions for making, growing, or using any "controlled substance." These restrictions apply not only to methamphetamine, but to *all* illegal drugs, many prescription medications, and precursor chemicals of controlled substances, many of which have legal uses. The bill outlaws dissemination of this information under certain circumstances. In the first circumstance, it must have been distributed in furtherance of a Federal crime. As long as a publisher isn't a cocaine smuggler or meth ring racketeer, then publishing the info shouldn't violate the bill. The trouble really starts with the second circumstance. If the publisher "knows" that the information will be used in furtherance of Federal crimes, it just broke the law. A publisher shouldn't be held accountable for the actions of every one of its readers, but the US legal system doesn't agree. The notorious 'Hit Man' case involved a 'Paladin Press' manual giving step-by-step instructions for committing murder. After a killer-for-hire supposedly followed most of the instructions, the victims' families sued. The US Supreme Court agreed that publishers should be held responsible for their reader's actions, and Paladin was forced by its insurance company to settle for US$5 million. Because the civil suit never went to trial, no firm precedent was set. The lawsuit's ruling has been cited by the Louisiana Court of Appeals in legal action against Oliver Stone and 'Time-Warner Entertainment' over their movie 'Natural Born Killers', blamed for a violent crime spree. Other information (whether published on paper or in cyberspace) that is potentially covered includes how to grow magic mushrooms and psychoactive cacti; how to roll joints and cook with pot; how to use marijuana to fight nausea, glaucoma, chronic pain, etc; how to identify peyote cactus in the wild; which plants contain the psychedelic DMT; how to extract amphetamine from allergy medications; safe dosage levels for any illegal drug; and how to cook up LSD, Ecstasy, Meth, Valium, Steroids, etc. It's possible that Native American peyote rituals or LSD/Ecstasy psychotherapy descriptions could be *verboten*. The chances of this bill becoming law are quite high. The bill's duo - Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) - are prominent, and they've created a piece of legislation that masterfully hides anti-free speech measures among hard to argue with provisions. 'Ronin Books' publisher Beverly Potter forsees the creation of a "new underground crime syndicate" that sells outlawed drug books at outrageously inflatedprices. 'Loompanics Unlimited' publicist Gia Cosindas senses a new McCarthyism. In August 1999, President Clinton signed into law a bill containing a Feinstein-authored stealth amendment that made it felononious to propagate instructions for making bombs, destructive devices, or mass destruction weapons. These provisions create dangerous precedents for the Meth Act. Having discovered ways to suppress disliked information, Feinstein and colleagues are now using it to obliterate drugs and paraphernalia information. What will they target next? Research by Russ Kick russ@mindpollen.com [This message has been edited by renots (edited 07-10-2000).] __________________ quote: What will they target next? Probably any form of government dissent, and when they get around to banning chocolate, coffee, sharp knives, cigarettes, alcohol(again0, and anything else that an irresponsable person could possibly hurt themselves with, any information about them. What a great country that would be to live in. Kinda like THX1138. I hope the Supreme Court fulfills it sovereign duty to defend our First Amendment rights and junks this piece of fascist legislation the first chance they get. [This message has been edited by renots (edited 07-12-2000).] __________________ kick her hiney out of there __________________ You know, a lot of this goes right back to greedy lawyers. Slip and fall? It's not your fault. Sue the city. Spill hot coffee on yourself? Not your fault. Sue McDonalds. Driving drunk and got into an accident & was paralyzed? Also not your fault. Sue the auto manufacturer. Do drugs? You can't be held responsible for that... Let's see, sue the publishers of that book that tells you how to grow weed. School gets blown up? Well, we can't blame the people who did it. Let's sue the library, the Internet, the fertilizer manucacturer, the local hardware store, the car rental place, aaaand that guy standing over there just for good measure. Jeez, it's no wonder people are paranoid. God bless America. Land of the lawsuit. Mavi forum