Fed appellate judge remarks re anonymity, free speech on the net

[Z.B.]

On Thu, 12 Sep 1996, Greg Broiles wrote:

> 
> (Also in today's news, the 9th Circuit upheld a CA statute forbidding sales
> of material considered "harmful to minors" from vending machines.)
> 

Oh, well, that just narrows it down really well.  Might as well just take 
out all of the machines now, because you could make a case that just 
about ANYTHING out of a vending machine is "harmful to minors".  Soda 
machines? Caffeine and sugar.  Snack machines?  Sugar again.  Those 
machines in supermarkets that give little toys?  A child *could* swallow 
one and choke.  And on and on and on.  

Even if this statute is meant only to apply to cigarette machines, which 
would seem to be the case given all of the anti-cig stuff going on now,
what good will it do?  I have never (in 20 years living in CA) seen a 
cigarette machine out where a child could get something from it, only 
inside a pool hall or another adult-only establishment.  Another one of 
those bills to "selectively enforce" things, perhaps?  Sheesh.



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Zach Babayco

zachb at netcom.com  <----- finger for PGP public key
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/4127