Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Update on "Freedom of Speech, Denied"

Last September, in a post I titled Freedom of Speech, Denied, I noted that Karen Fletcher, whom I described as a writer of “revolting rot,” was being prosecuted for writing about the sexual and physical abuse of children.  Note, once again, that Ms. Fletcher was simply writing about this, not DOING this.

There has not been alot of news about this case available since September 2006.  In fact, the most recent news item I can find on the case was published May 10, 2007 by the Pittsburgh City Paper.

The piece does provide a bit of additional detail, and it does note that Ms. Fletcher is being represented by Lawrence Walters, whom the paper describes as “a nationally known First Amendment lawyer.”

I’ve not heard of Mr. Walters, but, I’ve not had the need of a First Amendment attorney, yet.

The piece also relates that the prosecuting attorney, one Mary Beth Buchanan, is also going after a company called Extreme Associates for obscenity.  That case was dismissed by one judge, only to have Mary Beth continue to hound the company for obscenity through the use of the appellate courts.

To make a long story short, Ms. Fletcher’s travails are currently continuing due to Mary Beth Buchanan’s attitude, which goes something like this.

The fact that the stories were ficticious is irrelevant, Buchanan said last fall.

I stand, firmly, with what I stated last September when I first posted on this subject.

What is at issue, here, is the denial of freedom of speech, plain and simple.  The speech being protected may be disturbing, it may be down right disgusting, and may appeal to the lowest form of humankind which can walk upright and supposedly think, but it is still the denial of freedom of speech.

The Pittsburgh City Paper titles the story Dirty Words.

Posted by John Venlet on 06/06 at 01:41 PM
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