I’ll cross out what I wrote above about David McKnight having introduced him.

Nevertheless, my point about Rudd having opportunistically embraced McKnight’s views, still stands.

Betty, the reason people like Hamilton are given so much air time on things they know so little about is that they speak from, and then to, society’s most backward attitudes regarding almost anything sexual.

Here plain old prejudice dressed up as abstract ‘truth’ (combining the moral with the ’scientific’ or professioal is a good tactic), is used to impress and intimidate people into silence.

The recent broohaha around artist Bill Henson’s visit to a Melbourne primary school is a good illustration of this. The hysteria whipped up by our moral guardians, politicians, including Rudd and professionals was predictable and bizzare. None of them bothered to find out the facts because they didn’t need to – they ‘knew’. Parents at the school were outraged, (I’m one of them), at the attempt to publically upbraid and humiliate an excellent principal and use the issue of children’s safety to feather their own nests. That they objectified the children in this way was beyond their understanding or concern.

A great irony in all this was that the best piece that appeared in the papers – in the Herald Sun in fac- was by The Footy Show comic Trevor Marmalade, who also has a child at the school. Trev had the wit to deal with the facts and his understandings were based on his concrete experience as a parent at the school.

It is a pity, though not surprising, that those who proclaim themselves to be our moral guardians, not to mention others who are regarded as experts, so unwittingly play the foil to Hegel’s line that if something is abstract it must be untrue… We may know many things, including abstract truths but when the moralists smile and say ‘we know…’ or ‘we now know…’ it is best to listen very closely indeed and be prepared to disagree.

I am concerned about this filtering idea as I have been diagnosed with a pre-cancerous vulval condition and in the past 2 years have spent much time checking out and writing for self-help health groups as they relate to sexual and genital health issues for both women and men.  Talk about eye-opening.  It would feel like going back into the dark ages for me to have these kind of support groups blocked, or even under threat of filtering. 

I don’t want to sound cliche but I saw Madonna and Britney on stage the other day singing express yourself, don’t repress yourself…I agree that this is an important message. On the site that I write at, we are constantly dealing with newbies – people who are at their wit’s end and completely out of their mind with sleeplessness and pain due to having genital/urinary health issues.   Many (both rich and poor) don’t have access to even basic info about urinary, reproductive or genital health, let alone access to adequate services or treatment options.  The worst are the Mums with the little ones who are having problems.  Sometimes diagnosis here is hampered because the pain and bruising closely resemble child sexual abuse indicators!! This is so often due to society’s overall ignorance and avoidance of many health issues, but especially uro/genital matters, and this goes for both men and women. 

Why are the rates and dangers of prostate cancer so high? Because men are embarrassed to talk to the dr about their penis/genito-urinary issues.  Women are also reluctant to discuss these issues with their GP as they are embarrassed; or ashamed; or full of guilt; and so they suffer in silence and excruciating pain.  Sometimes thinking it is their deserved punishment.  (for faking it – or for not faking it – even for making it, or not making it) It is when the pain is keeping them up at night that they google their symptoms and come across the self help sites.  Even then some may find they are unable to properly talk about ‘down there’ and fully describe their symptoms and so go undiagnosed for a long time, thus increasing the incidence of cancer forming cell development.  Also, many are unable to talk about masturbation/orgasm, and don’t know the proper names for their bits.   (And when they do this cannot help with the dismay caused by their disappearance)   Even those who consider themselves quite personally and sexually liberated are taken aback about how accepting of imprecision and irritation they have been and how appalled they are by the lack of medical and public knowledge of this ’rare’ condition.  

Sorry this thread is about censorship and i am banging on about Lichen Sclerosis but our society and the world needs more and better internet health information, and sex sites, and they are at risk because of Rudd’s unwarranted and inappropriate policy.  When it comes to ‘inappropriate content’, I think this legislation is about allowing the government a red light to make more lists - as it isn’t about catching child pornographers; extending and improving the quality of health information on the web; or more generally internet provision or speeds.  (Re catching child pornographers i think that the inet makes it easier to catch people producing and distributing this kind of stuff) 
 
 
 
We must not only try to stop those currently abusing children for profit through international Police efforts but we’ve got to change where the culture arose.   Namely through the avoidance and repression of sexuality that goes on in the Priesthood and religious orders.  I think these kind of deviations ought to be resolved when the Catholic church stops making sexual perverts, victims, and abusers of its adherents in the name of sexual abstinence – and then we will see an end over time of child pornography.  (which is by the way inflated by variations in age limit differentiation). As a society we need the internet to pull us so far from the dark ages that we can never return to a single flame flickering.  We need the internet to drive innovation, and savings, and training, and otherwise facilitating the provision a high level of medical care to the people of the world.   
 
Found the following link re:Festival of Light ‘research’ refuting BK

http://libertus.net/censor/rdocs/candle2.html

Re formatting issues thanks keza for fixing my comments.

I think it is a bit weird to have it from 12-00 – 4.00 on a Saturday on Parliament House steps in Adelaide. That is far too long.  It ought not go longer than 90mins and the focus ought to be federal irrespective of where it is held.  RUDD is the focus Conroy is a factional puppet.

But at any rate I’m not sure these rallies are too good an idea at this point.  Not because of the locations, but because the impact could be bad if this comes out poorly attended, and I suspect it may be. 

I note that the Melbourne organising debates have questioned the venue as well with some saying that the steps are too small etc. I hope they are right but suspect they are not. 

I’ll continue research on the pornography/rape aspect but I note  that somebody at the above link was commenting that they did not want to be associated with slogans about pornography…I agree that this is the wrong thing to focus on but if people can have this to refer to if necessary it is a useful reference.

In South Australia we have Michael Atkinson as the Attorney General and he is a rwALPer (basically a DLP type)  There aren’t many ALP voices speaking out against it here.  I note that Mark Newton is an Adelaide person and therefore his presentation to Kate Ellis (his MP) and the inadequate response by Senator Conroy (he has accused Conroy of lying to Ellis) ought to be in the news but is not.  This could be because Adelaide seems to have many Christians in leading positions of influence. (ABC 891 morning presenter in particular was with Southern Cross media b4 this role – and he gets to pick and choose the issues.

 I am suspicious about this because in 1994, for instance when I was Empire Times Editor the Hell-fire club invited the Editor to their opening party, but within 3 days of this grand opening party the place was closed down via behind the scenes lobbying to Council and Police.   

Yesterday,  I heard a promo for the afternoon show about a forthcoming segment on this, but then it didn’t happen…I’m wondering if this (namely MNz campaign) is being suppressed.

I will further check out the situation re Adelaide rally etc. and report back.   

Anyway just thought that i would mention an article i put up in Empire Times (the Flinders Uni student newspaper) in 1994 about Pornography and Rape.  I introduced it ..

This article is stolen from the Politician’s Guide to Sex and Censorship – Research Implications.  A compilation of articles aimed at refuting the idea that representations of sex acts or genitalia represent a sex crime.  Although a movement against pornography did not take off in Australia as it did in the United States, the matter is never off the public agenda, as recent calls to ban all pornography suggest the moral guardians are again out to do their worst.  The following article does not look at the pornography vs. erotica dichotomy, or the “theory” or practice of rape, it focuses on the relationship between demeaning or violent images and the criminal act of rape, or other violent criminal behaviour.  Those of you who think that the slogan “pornography is the theory , rape is the practice,” has “scientific” validity may be surprised with these findings.  Research by Professor Berl Kutchinsky Institute of Criminal Science, University of Copenhagen compares Crime Data in four countries where pornography is easily available.

I just googled the Politicians Guide…It does not come up as a package that is available on the web – but here is a link on Berl Kutchinsky:http://www.academon.com/lib/paper/14595.html

I’ll keep looking as it is a long and comprehensive article worth looking at for ammunition.  (also this)Information not censorshiphttp://www.advocatesforyouth.org/sexeducation.htm

But I am appalled that he has put so much energy into this dangerous, madcap scheme to censor the web in Australia.

I’ve written a few articles about Clive and the Internet censorship issue on my own blog. For example, see http://sydwalker.info/blog/2008/11/27/why-the-web-is-not-like-tv/

The article above is very informative. Compliments to the author!

I strongly agree with the statement:
“Hamilton really ought to be taken apart for his role in attempting to impose his own morality on everyone else. His role in this has been far more significant than that of the Christian right.Hamilton really ought to be taken apart for his role in attempting to impose his own morality on everyone else. His role in this has been far more significant than that of the Christian right.”