Obscenity Bust! This is fucking INSANE!!!
 

I got this in the mail today from the CBLDF ( Comic Book Legal Defense Fund ). As you read it you'll understand why I don't publish adult comics in print. People and laws in this country are fucking nuts to say the least. Soon they'll be coming for YOU.
-------
ITEM! CBLDF Takes Action in GA Case; Files Four Motions to Dismiss

Counsel for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund have submitted four
motions to dismiss the charges against retailer Gordon Lee, owner of
Legends in Rome, GA. Last February, the Fund initiated Lee's
defense against charges resulting from accidentally distributing
Alternative Comics #2, a Free Comic Book Day book from 2004, to a
minor. The anthology includes the story "The Salon" by Nick
Bertozzi, which contains a segment depicting Picasso in the nude. The
Fund has already spent in excess of $20,000 defending this case.

Lee was charged with seven criminal counts for allegedly violating two
laws. He was charged with two counts of violating the felony of
Distribution of Material Depicting Nudity or Sexual Conduct (OCGA
§16-12-81), a law that bans the unsolicited delivery of any content
depicting nudity to any person in the state of Georgia and carries a
penalty of one to three years in prison and/or fines of up to $10,000.
One of the two counts is for handing the comic to the alleged victim,
and the other is for handing the comic to an alleged John or Jane Doe.
Lee is also charged with five counts of violating the misdemeanor of
Distribution of Material Harmful to Minors (OCGA §16-12-103). He
is charged with three discrete counts of violating the law for handing
a single copy of the comic book to the alleged victim. He is also
charged with two counts for allegedly giving the comics to John or
Jane Doe.

The motions, written by Alan Begner and Paul Cadle, CBLDF's
counsel on this case, were filed on May 2. The first motion seeks to
dismiss the John Doe counts. The second seeks to dismiss both felony
counts under the rule of lenity, which requires that when a defendant
is charged with a felony and a misdemeanor for the same conduct, the
lesser penalty must apply. The third motion seeks to dismiss the
felony counts on the grounds that Georgia's Distribution of
Material Depicting Nudity or Sexual Conduct is unconstitutional on its
face and as applied. The fourth motion seeks to dismiss the
misdemeanor counts of Distribution of Material Harmful to Minors on
the grounds that the law is unconstitutional on its face and as
applied to this case.

CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein says, "Mr. Begner and
Mr. Cadle have presented some very persuasive legal arguments in these
motions. There's no question that Gordon Lee's First
Amendment rights are being trampled upon, and so we're pleased to
have brought such an intelligent and aggressive legal team in to
defend him. We are all very optimistic that these motions will carry
significant weight as we move through the pretrial stage of this
case."

Hearings on these motions have yet to be scheduled, but are expected
to occur in the summer.

To support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's defense of this
case, please visit http://www.cbldf.org for information on membership
and donations.

cliffnotes?

Harkens back to the following story:

MIKE DIANA'S ZINE "BOILED ANGEL" FOUND OBSCENE IN FLORIDA

Draw a nude picasso and let a teen see it , and you might end up with jail time

Thank you.

damn... so what about all these violent adult video games kids are freaking out over??

I sure hope they go after them too. But I agree, people should not be distributing porn in any shape or form to minors. That includes things on the tv and in the news, but I suppose it doesn't apply to things like Nicole Kidman in a tub naked with a ten year old boy. After all, thats a movie and its art, right? :1orglaugh

gee whiz. :(

zines and comics are some of the most DIY freedom of press and freedom of speech fighters.

do not applaud this.

they go after the small ones first because they are easy kills.

support freedom of speech through zines.

zines are what Ben Franklin had in mind when he started fucking press!

http://www.cbldf.org/casefiles/planetcomics.shtml
One of the most famous comic book obsenity cases was the Planet Comics bust in Oklahoma City in 1995.
I worked for Planet Comics in the early 90's and ended up buying their stock for my own store later on.
Amazing how someone's life can be so totally fucked over something like this.
Politics man, it's all politics.

wow what a sick society we live in when you can be prosecuted for just that. but hey, they can go rent movies with ppl's heads being cut off.

and Charles Bronson made a lot of RAPE REVENGE movies. SHow me a video rental with DEATH WISH, 1, 2 3,4,5,6 - ALL ABOUT RAPE

america loves rape, and they will play movies like Blue Lagoon (naked children) - Pretty Baby (naked children and 12 year old prostitutes and forced sex)

but oh no, not a comic!!!!

why did he plead guilty?

"pleaded guilty to two felony charges of trafficking in obscenity for selling the Verotik comic Verotika #4 to consenting adults."

to consenting adults?

when is it a felony to sell adult things to adults?

also, i have the VEROTIK comics :1orglaugh

The funny thing is when I bought Planet Comics inventory I found tons of copies of the Verotik issue that they got busted for and the cops missed. Met Glenn Danzig at a comic show a couple years later and told him the story and he bought me a beer and pizza.

"a law that bans the unsolicited delivery of any content
depicting nudity to any person in the state of Georgia and carries a
penalty of one to three years in prison and/or fines of up to $10,000."

was it unsolicited?

I am confused as to why he plead guilty

this is like someone renting Charles Bronson - Death Wish and being offended by the rape it contains inside.

unsolicited?

hardly

"he Fund initiated Lee's
defense against charges resulting from accidentally distributing
Alternative Comics #2, a Free Comic Book Day book from 2004, to a
minor."

Sounds like they were just handing them out blindly to people?

no it doesnt.

sounds like one person. he is getting multiple charges for one offense.

having collected comics my entire life, i was buying worst comics from retailers when i was young.

this is uncalled for.

alternative comics have been around forever, no one is just distributing them to children.

meanwhile... kids are being sold alcohol in liquor stores across america and no one cares

Good point. It sounds like Georgia is trying to crack down on sinners or something. *sigh*

yeah, remember, this is the state that broke into a gay guy's house, and charged him with having sodomy.

hey georgia, why don't you grow up?

hahahhah

What? wtf?

the broke into a mans home and arrested him for having anal sex with his gay lover. It was big news.

http://www.lambdalegal.org/cgi-bin/i...tml?record=310

The Mike Diana case was unbelievable. Florida is no friend of free speech. :(

If you believe in free speech, consider supporting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund - they do good work. http://www.gofuckyourself.com/images.../xyxthumbs.gif

http://www.cbldf.org/

Good for you Mr. Fiction. Glad to see you guys can pitch in on something worthwhile.

Haha! Danzig lives up the street from me. He had pals of mine do the artwork for his comics too. I haven't seen him in months though.

That's beyond ridiculous. Talk about a witch hunt. *sigh*

Glad someone remembers that case. Dinna know you bout out Planet Comics! What small world. I've been in comics for over 20 years. It's a fucked up business full of hotheads and bigheads. Egomaniacs too. Yet when some shit like this happens you gotta stand strong. It's totally absurd and irresponsible.

If Georgia enforced real dangerous laws like drinking and driving and fucking your relatives then it wouldn't have time for shit like this.