Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 06:19 PM 9/24/99 -0700, Bryan Caldwell wrote: >I apologize for getting a little long-winded and slightly off topic here >(and perhaps boring the non-U.S. members of the LUG), but this is a >complicated subject and it is very misleading to try and deal with it in a >single sentence. I'd be happy to continue the discussion privately. Bryan, What you say is quite true. I never thought of prior restraint in such broad terms. I specifically think in terms of censorship of the media - what affects me specifically. So much for broadmindedness! Which most press folks are happy to comply with in war situations, but the military, casting about for excuses for why they lost Vietnam blame the media for their own bungling, and taking it out on the press ever after. The price? The public doesn't have the access to the truth as they did before. Truth is a difficult subject for sure, but less light being shed on a subject will certainly not help. I think history will judge this era as denying the public access to information to make intelligent decisions on whether their government served the people, or covered their butts for bad decisions. (Grenada, Panama, Waco). Which is why censorship is such a bad thing. In the H-Bomb case, I think the court finally ruled that the reason for censoring it was because even though most of the information was available in many public places, it wasn't put together anywhere in such a comprehensive way. (Specious argument if you ask me). Just like yelling fire in a crowded room is not protected, all speech isn't either. But that really doesn't apply to the average experience of the on-the-street Leica shooter (or Nikon/Canon...shooters either). Common decency should be plenty of deterrent for the average person here, who is lucky enough to not have to weigh the issues like photojournalists do. Eric Welch St. Joseph, MO http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch Don't take life too seriously, you won't get out alive.