http://www.alliancealert.org news from the frontlines of the culture war Thu, 24 May 2012 23:12:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/21/author-of-pedophilia-guide-on-his-way-to-fla-jail/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/21/author-of-pedophilia-guide-on-his-way-to-fla-jail/#comments Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:28:58 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=88035 Breitbart: "Phillip Greaves of Pueblo, Colo., will be booked into the Polk County jail Tuesday. Officials say his first court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/21/author-of-pedophilia-guide-on-his-way-to-fla-jail/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/21/afghan-sex-practices-concern-u-s-british-forces/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/21/afghan-sex-practices-concern-u-s-british-forces/#comments Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:02:49 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=87869 Washington Examiner: "A document released by WikiLeaks described efforts by high-ranking Afghan officials to quash reports of police officers and other Afghans arrested for 'purchasing a service from a child' . . . The vast gulf between U.S. and Afghan attitudes about homosexuality and pedophilia has generated concern among U.S. advisers in Afghanistan since the American presence there began to expand." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/21/afghan-sex-practices-concern-u-s-british-forces/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/09/law-review-evaluating-the-government-interest-behind-broadcast-indecency-regulation/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/09/law-review-evaluating-the-government-interest-behind-broadcast-indecency-regulation/#comments Tue, 09 Nov 2010 13:29:18 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=81313 The Bogeyman of "Harm to Children": Evaluating the Government Interest Behind Broadcast Indecency Regulation Jessica C. Collins, 85 N.Y.U. L. Rev. 1225 (2010) "Although the government's interest in preventing harm to children has played a central role in justifying regulation of broadcast indecency by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), courts generally have failed to examine this asserted interest. In this Note, I argue that this failure has added great uncertainty to indecency regulation and that more thorough consideration of this interest may provide greater clarity on the boundaries of permissible speech. I first review the doctrinal history of the regulation of indecency, both within broadcasting and in other media, to demonstrate that the interest in preventing harm to children, though a central justification of the regulatory scheme, has been ill defined. I then examine the recent case of FCC v. Fox Television Stations, Inc. to illustrate that the vagueness of the current FCC indecency standard raises constitutional concerns. I contend that the vagueness may derive, at least in part, from courts' failure to identify the type of harm to children that the government seeks to prevent through restrictions on indecent speech. Although the FCC's structure may be inapt for identifying speech that is harmful to children, courts should undertake an investigation into the nature of the harm that indecency regulation seeks to prevent in order to provide limits on the scope of government authority. In the final Part, I therefore analyze five potential government interests, each stemming from a distinct potential harm that indecent broadcasting may create, and demonstrate how identifying the harm that indecency regulation is trying to address may restrict and define the scope of permissible government action." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/09/law-review-evaluating-the-government-interest-behind-broadcast-indecency-regulation/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/27/judge-enjoins-new-mass-obscenity-law/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/27/judge-enjoins-new-mass-obscenity-law/#comments Wed, 27 Oct 2010 20:23:43 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=78836 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/27/judge-enjoins-new-mass-obscenity-law/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/27/law-review-keeping-vts-public-libraries-safe-when-parents-rights-may-preempt-their-childrens-rights/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/27/law-review-keeping-vts-public-libraries-safe-when-parents-rights-may-preempt-their-childrens-rights/#comments Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:31:45 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=78926 Keeping Vermont’s Public Libraries Safe: When Parents’ Rights May Preempt Their Children’s Rights (October 9, 2010). Vermont Law Review, Vol. 34, p. 651, 2010. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1693840 "Under Vermont state law, the Confidentiality of Library Patron Records Act (CLPRA) mandates that parents have no legal right to request their child’s public library internet records unless the child is under the age of sixteen. This note addresses this important state issue. It argues that the CLPRA should be amended to better enable parents to ensure their child’s welfare. This note begins by exploring both the rights of parents to control the upbringing of their children and the independent rights of their children. The note then offers a legal model for determining when parents’ rights may preempt their child’s independent rights through state action. The note concludes by applying its offered legal model to the present issue. It argues that the Vermont State Legislature should amend the CLPRA age limit for minors from sixteen to eighteen years old, so that parents have legal authority to obtain their child’s public library records exclusively dealing with the internet." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/27/law-review-keeping-vts-public-libraries-safe-when-parents-rights-may-preempt-their-childrens-rights/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/03/01/internet-awash-in-teen-porn/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/03/01/internet-awash-in-teen-porn/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:52:27 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/wordpress/?p=53758 North County Times: "If you place any stock in the veracity of Yahoo search engine statistics, you will discover that close to 50 new Web sites featuring 'teen porn' are born on Yahoo every minute of every day, at least for the past month. While this research is strictly unscientific, it speaks to a phenomenon that clearly places people into two distinct camps: those who know that America is awash in teen porn, and those who are firmly in denial." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/03/01/internet-awash-in-teen-porn/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/01/27/ohio-sc-law-protecting-children-from-porn-regulates-only-personally-directed-electronic-communications/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/01/27/ohio-sc-law-protecting-children-from-porn-regulates-only-personally-directed-electronic-communications/#comments Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:25:07 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/wordpress/?p=49925 Supreme Court of Ohio Press Release: "The Supreme Court of Ohio today agreed with the state attorney general’s interpretation that a state law banning electronic transmission to minors of pornography or other material 'harmful to juveniles' applies only to personally directed communications such as instant messaging, person-to-person emails and private chat rooms, and exempts from liability material that is posted on generally accessible websites and in public chatrooms." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/01/27/ohio-sc-law-protecting-children-from-porn-regulates-only-personally-directed-electronic-communications/feed/ 1 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/01/26/the-boneheaded-logic-behind-treating-sexting-teens-as-child-pornographers/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/01/26/the-boneheaded-logic-behind-treating-sexting-teens-as-child-pornographers/#comments Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:57:38 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/wordpress/?p=49696 writing at Reason Magazine: "There have now been several cases across the country where young people who either pose for, snap, or forward provocative or nude photos of other minors are being charged or threatened with felony child pornography . . . These cases are the natural culmination of two trends. The first is the continuing view among politicians that there's no punishment too severe for sex offenders. Moreover, to show how serious we are about sex offenders, we should broaden the class of people we classify under the label . . . The second trend is the 'for the children' excuse that no law ought to be questioned if its intent is to protect young people. The resulting paternalism is built in." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/01/26/the-boneheaded-logic-behind-treating-sexting-teens-as-child-pornographers/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/01/26/missouri-legislation-for-pornography-victims-filed-last-week/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/01/26/missouri-legislation-for-pornography-victims-filed-last-week/#comments Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:48:48 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/wordpress/?p=49664 KFVS: "Child pornography victims could soon be able to sue the people accused of taking sexual images of them under a proposed Missouri law." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/01/26/missouri-legislation-for-pornography-victims-filed-last-week/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/12/22/teens-understand-emergency-contraception-labels/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/12/22/teens-understand-emergency-contraception-labels/#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:27:32 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=46136 Reuters: "Teenagers do just as well as adults when it comes to understanding the information on emergency-contraception labels, a new study suggests. The findings, say researchers, argue for making emergency contraception available to minors over-the-counter, as it already is for adults." _______ Adolescent Comprehension of Emergency Contraception in New York City Cremer, Miriam; Holland, Erica; Adams, Brandi; Klausner, Dalia; Nichols, Sarah; Scott Ram, Renata; Alonzo, Todd A. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 113(4):840-844, April 2009. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e31819cdbe3 Adolescents understand the main comprehension points of emergency contraception as well as their adult counterparts. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/12/22/teens-understand-emergency-contraception-labels/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/12/22/oregon-jackson-county-da-says-no-felony-in-sexting-case/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/12/22/oregon-jackson-county-da-says-no-felony-in-sexting-case/#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:51:36 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=46041 Ashland Daily Tidings: "The Jackson County district attorney's office says four southern Oregon teens won't face felony charges in a 'sexting' case. Prosecutors have determined that the sexually explicit photos of minors the teens are accused of sending by text message don't constitute child sex abuse." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/12/22/oregon-jackson-county-da-says-no-felony-in-sexting-case/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/12/14/feds-take-aim-at-customers-of-child-prostitution/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/12/14/feds-take-aim-at-customers-of-child-prostitution/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:15:26 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=45056 Associated Press: "Now the Justice Department is starting to go after those who pay to have sex with children. Previously authorities targeted people who sold children for sex, but they are taking advantage of a little-used provision of a 2005 bill to focus their efforts so far in Kansas and Missouri after noticing an apparent rise in child prostitution cases." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/12/14/feds-take-aim-at-customers-of-child-prostitution/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/23/canada-govt-to-introduce-new-child-porn-bill/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/23/canada-govt-to-introduce-new-child-porn-bill/#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:55:23 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=43190 City News: "In an effort to curb the ever-growing number of child pornography websites, the federal government plans to propose legislation that would require internet service providers (ISPs) to tell authorities about the illegal online activities." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/23/canada-govt-to-introduce-new-child-porn-bill/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/20/cardinal-justin-rigali-the-plague-of-pornography/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/20/cardinal-justin-rigali-the-plague-of-pornography/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:35:22 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=43073 writing in the Catholic Standard Times: "Caring about our children is a challenge with many levels. The values that society puts forth and encourages; the removal of morality from schools and public settings; the desire of those who profit from the multi-billion dollar pornography industry to make money; and the collapse of the traditional family with its security and support system all combine to leave children in a very vulnerable state when it comes to pornography. The statistics of the numbers of children and young people who view pornography and the ease with which they do so is truly shocking." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/20/cardinal-justin-rigali-the-plague-of-pornography/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/09/virtual-parentalism/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/09/virtual-parentalism/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:42:31 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=41791 Virtual Parentalism (September 30, 2009). Washington & Lee Legal Studies Paper No. 2009-08. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1480701 "Parents, not laws, ultimately protect children both online and offline. If legislation places adults at legal risk because of the presence of children in virtual worlds, adults will exit those worlds, and children will be isolated into separate spaces. This will not improve safety for children. Instead, this Article suggests that Congress enact measures that encourage filtering technology and parental tools that will both protect children in virtual worlds, and protect free speech online." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/09/virtual-parentalism/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/02/texas-law-on-children-seeing-porn-being-challenged-2/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/02/texas-law-on-children-seeing-porn-being-challenged-2/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:28:35 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=41033 CNSNews: "A 1970s-era Texas law that allows parents to show "harmful material" to their children has come under fire after a prosecutor said he couldn't file charges against a man accused of forcing his 8- and 9-year-old daughters to watch hardcore online pornography." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/02/texas-law-on-children-seeing-porn-being-challenged-2/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/10/30/the-community-defense-reporter-online-protecting-children-and-their-neighborhoods-7/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/10/30/the-community-defense-reporter-online-protecting-children-and-their-neighborhoods-7/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:13:22 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=40923 September 2009 edition of the Community Defense Reporter is now available online at the Community Defense Counsel. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/10/30/the-community-defense-reporter-online-protecting-children-and-their-neighborhoods-7/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/10/29/texas-law-on-children-seeing-porn-being-challenged/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/10/29/texas-law-on-children-seeing-porn-being-challenged/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:50:50 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=40833 Houston Chronicle (AP): "Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is being asked for an opinion on a law that a Dallas-area woman says let her ex-husband show their children pornography." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/10/29/texas-law-on-children-seeing-porn-being-challenged/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/09/08/court-rules-in-favor-of-endangering-minors-rejects-plan-b-challenge/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/09/08/court-rules-in-favor-of-endangering-minors-rejects-plan-b-challenge/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:55:16 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=35413 OneNewsNow: A New York federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the FDA, challenging the sale of the Plan B 'morning-after' pill to 17-year-olds . . . 'The judge said that the plaintiffs didn't have the legal right to bring a lawsuit to challenge the over-the-counter switch for Plan B, even though they were comprised of doctors' groups, pharmacists, and parents whose interests were directly tied to the availability of Plan B over the counter,' [Steve Aden] explains." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/09/08/court-rules-in-favor-of-endangering-minors-rejects-plan-b-challenge/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/31/fcc-safe-viewing-report-to-call-for-more-data/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/31/fcc-safe-viewing-report-to-call-for-more-data/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:03:34 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=34744 Broadcasting & Media: "The FCC's report to Congress on the state of media-screening technologies, due by the end of this month, comes to two broad conclusions, but does not suggest any action items beyond opening an inquiry prompted by its survey of the current content-control landscape for a variety of media. That inquiry includes a request for better data, something that should come as no surprise for followers of the current commission. The FCC's two conclusions: 1) There is no universal ratings system in place, and 2) better educating parents on how to use the existing systems would likely help drive adoption." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/31/fcc-safe-viewing-report-to-call-for-more-data/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/27/u-s-will-consider-single-rating-system-for-tv-phones-and-games/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/27/u-s-will-consider-single-rating-system-for-tv-phones-and-games/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:35:57 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=34455 Bloomberg: "U.S. regulators will consider a single ratings system that would warn parents of programming on television, video games, and wireless telephones that could be inappropriate for children, officials said. The Federal Communications Commission will begin the inquiry after an agency report to be delivered Aug. 31 to Congress on media blocking and rating techniques, said two commission officials, who declined to be identified because the information hasn’t been made public." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/27/u-s-will-consider-single-rating-system-for-tv-phones-and-games/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/27/uk-legal-blunder-allows-children-to-buy-porn/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/27/uk-legal-blunder-allows-children-to-buy-porn/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:25:36 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=34442 Metro: "Retailers who sell pornographic DVDs to children cannot be prosecuted because of a legal blunder 25 years ago, it's been revealed. It has thrown the film censorship in chaos." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/27/uk-legal-blunder-allows-children-to-buy-porn/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/21/sara-tappen-what-women-want/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/21/sara-tappen-what-women-want/#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:07:34 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=33903 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/21/sara-tappen-what-women-want/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/21/australia-new-underage-sex-reporting-law-called-disturbing/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/21/australia-new-underage-sex-reporting-law-called-disturbing/#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:45:08 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=33894 ABC News: "Parliament last night passed amendments to the Care and Protection of Children Act, which up until now has forced all adults to report any suspected cases of children under 16 having sex, even if it is with a consensual partner of the same age . . . The new provisions exempt health practitioners from reporting sexual activity in adolescents aged 14 or 15 where the age difference between concensual partners is two years or less." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/08/21/australia-new-underage-sex-reporting-law-called-disturbing/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/06/19/louisiana-senate-panel-rejects-bill-attacking-sale-of-pornography-to-minors/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/06/19/louisiana-senate-panel-rejects-bill-attacking-sale-of-pornography-to-minors/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:52:47 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=27690 Times-Picayune: "The Committee on Commerce voted 12-2 to defer action on Senate Bill 152 by Sen. A.G. Crowe, R-Slidell, killing it for the session unless he can find a way to bring it back as an amendment to another measure. Bookstore operators and lobbyists for retailers and the motion picture industry opposed the bill while the Louisiana Family Forum, a conservative Christian lobbying group, favored its passage." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/06/19/louisiana-senate-panel-rejects-bill-attacking-sale-of-pornography-to-minors/feed/ 0