The Nightstar Zoo

Let's not get too excited about the comic shops having a choice.

Comic shop owner convicted for selling adult comics.

He sold an adult comic to an adult police officer and was charged for it. He'll be spending 180 days in prison, a year under probation, and have to pay $4000.

An excerpt from the prosecutor's closing:

Argh.

That's all I have to say. ARGH.

Well, not /all/ I have to say, but what I /really/ have to say would turn into a lengthy diatribe more suitable for Donkeys & Elephants and totally hijack this thread.

So I'll just stick with a good solid ARGH!!

And maybe a little "Freedom? Pfeh!" on the side.

_________________
Fandemonium 2010 -- No Boundaries.
http://www.fandemonium.org
Friday - Sunday, August 6th - 8th, 2010
Nampa Civic Center - Nampa, Idaho (Only 20 minutes from the airport!)
(Idaho: It ain't just potatoes anymore.)

Yeah, the police ran a stong on him because he didn't sell a Yu-Gi-Oh card to a kid at an extra-low price, and the kid's dad had connections to the DA's office.

Okay, it makes sense now.

Seriously, it does.

What's the purpose of laws if not for the people responsible for enforcement to abuse them for personal gain?

Anyway, yeah, an industry-sponsored ratings system like the ones on video games would be a really good idea.

The CCA was not.

_________________
Fandemonium 2010 -- No Boundaries.
http://www.fandemonium.org
Friday - Sunday, August 6th - 8th, 2010
Nampa Civic Center - Nampa, Idaho (Only 20 minutes from the airport!)
(Idaho: It ain't just potatoes anymore.)

Because I can't let something like that be said (the prosecutor quote) without attacking it and still sleep at night.

1 'I don't care what type of evidence or what type of testimony is out there'

This goes against one of the basic precepts of the legal system. Namely that evidence and testimony are ALL that matters, aside from the letter of the law.

2 'Comic books, traditionally what we think of, are for kids.'

I said this before and I'll say it again. This is an idea unique to people who have never read a good comic.

3. On obsenity laws.

II honesly can't figure out a way for the store owner to have won that case though. (I'm assuming the comic was blatantly pornagraphic, not just adult. I know a video store owner won a case like that on the grounds that pornagraphy use is common in the area. But pornagraphic comics aren't. (At least to the best of my knowledge)

Somewhat ironic that he accuses the comic of being unsuitable for children, and then says that all comics are for kids. I guess the contradiction completely escaped him.

It was a copy of the "Demon Beast Invasion" comic, IIRC.

Funky winkerbean has been doing a storyline based loosely on this. It begins here.