If You're Even Thinking about Hardcore Porn, You May Already Be Guilty

Britain is getting closer to "outlawing the possession of images of extreme sexual violence, necrophilia and bestiality" on the theory that such materials either incite and/or reflect desires to do the same. From the UK Guardian account:

The Home Office minister Vernon Coaker said: "Such material has no place in our society, but the advent of the internet has meant that this material is more easily available and means existing controls are being bypassed. We must move to tackle this. By banning the possession of such material the government is sending out a strong message - that it is totally unacceptable and those who access it will be held to account. This is a complex issue on which we have consulted widely.

The proposed legislation is a response to a brutal 2003 murder. More here.

England, proud home of the unlicensed press, sometimes has a sketchy understanding of the freedom of speech. Who else remembers the appallingly widespread you-get-what-you-deserve reaction to Salman Rushdie after The Satanic Verses hit the stands and lulled all but Islamist extremists into the deep sleep of serioso-yet-unreadable (and unread) novels? Or the ambivalent response to the thug's veto of the play Bezhti in 2004? The Guardian's special report from earlier this year on speech and censorship issues, well worth a read, is here.