Quote:
Originally Posted by pdurrant
Actual incitement to commit a crime is a crime in the UK, and so such books would be illegal.
In the US I suspect that you are incorrect on their legality, given your constitution's first amendment.
You seem to feel that there is an obvious bright line between acceptable and unacceptable fiction. It seems to me that any such line is arbitrary and uncertain.
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They are illegal here as well--freedom of speech doesn't mean that you can arbitrary give instructions on crimes, etc. There are still some state laws on the books that are even more strict (whether they should be on the books or not in some cases is another question entirely.)
I'm not saying there is an easy line, but as a retailer if someone points out one or a number of books that are even close to the line, I can see reason for the panic. They not only don't want a lawsuit, they don't want the negative attention.
There are two legal lines they have to worry about--material that is easily accessible to children that contain images that are not supposed to be easily accessible (covers and samples) and actual books with material that is illegal. It is ... ridiculous that no one has been checking for either of these things so of course, someone will push the envelope. And now everyone will point fingers and say, "It was HIS responsibility to check..."