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Of course, in discussing how "Offensive" the work may be to the Sons Of Confederate Veterans, the point that the First Amendment protects precisely speech that some people find Offensive was somehow missed. And the attorney claiming that the panel was biased against censorship - well, isn't the whole country supposed to be biased against censorship? As in: free speech is part Of he constitution! Yes, there are restrictions - but he should know better, these restrictions do not apply to the ideas expressed in a work Of art in a gallery - a college gallery to boot.

According to Democracy Now!, Iowa lawmakers are considering a bill that would prohibit animal rights activists from recording undercover videos of farm animals being abused. The bill, which has garnered support from the state's agricultural industry, would impose fines and jail time on anyone who seeks employment in an agricultural position in order to capture the footage. Undercover videos in recent years have led to numerous plant closures and meat recalls after revelations of mistreatment of cows, pigs, and other farm animals.

The Supreme Court ruled more than 50 years ago today that the First Amendment protects a right to anonymous speech. In Talley v. California (1960), the Court ruled in favor of civil rights activist Manuel Talley in a decision that remains a valuable precedent, particularly in the age of Internet and its amplification of anonymous speech.

Groups of parents are getting together and organizing in their communities to ban books," adds Joan Bertin of the National Coalition Against Censorship. "I think what's happening is once a book is challenged in one town, people on the same wavelength, it will flag that book for them. For example, we've seen three challenges to Sherman Alexie's teen novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, all within the past three months, two in Missouri, one in Montana."

Local artist in NY isn't allowed to install artwork because of a new ordinance, which was enacted in response to her proposed project:  "The creation and or display within the Village of Greenwood Lake of public art is prohibited."  

Blume's character explores things that might have been off-limits. She doubts, she gets angry at God. This displeased some fundamentalist Christian groups, as well as parents who were not happy Blume was exposing children to sensitive issues. In the early 1980s these groups tried to censor her books and in some states they were indeed removed from libraries. And even though things have changed considerably there, she says, every year some of her books appear on a list of "challenged books" - works that some people want to have censored.

"The issue - sorry - is not financial: the Star noted that Kansas' budget deficit is $500 million and abolishing the Kansas Arts Commission saves $600,000. Slicing a tenth of one percent of anything isn't about fiscal prudence. It's about ideology - and ideological purification."

Reflections of a professor at Wingate University, re: Joan Bertin's visiting Woodrow Wilson Fellowship.

Under the guise of "academic freedom" creationists are co-opting some old heroes of the fight to teach evolution in the classroom for their anti-science campaign.

To the extent that a Wisconsin public university faculty member's emails are connected to a "government function," they may be covered under the state's Open Records law. But whether Cronon's emails meet this criterion is not presently clear. And even then, the court held in Schill that if the emails are in fact records, "then the court must undertake a balancing test to decide whether the statutory presumption favoring disclosure of public records is outweighed by any other public interest."

Over six months after the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began their "Operation in our Sites" initiative, in which they've seized nearly 100 allegedly copyright infringing web domains without warning or due process, one senator has finally taken notice and begun to question whether the process violates First Amendment free speech rights.

From A Clockwork Orange to Life Of Brian, the films that challenged audiences and ratings boards...

On Sunday, February 27 2011, YouTube pulled these trailers down - after over one year and over 2 million views! These are educational videos teaching erotic touch skills on lifelike replicas - no nudity, no porn, just straight forward sexual skills. Do these belong on YouTube (age restricted for over 18 only of course!) You Tell Us!

Works by censored authors available again in wake of revolutions

In The Life Media looks at the controversy surrounding the removal of David Wojnarowicz's video installation, "A Fire in My Belly," from the National Portrait Gallery's Hide/Seek show at the Smithsonian. The video, which represents the artist's anger as he faced death from AIDS ignited outrage among conservative lawmakers and religious leaders.

Harvard Law Professor Yochai Benkler is about to release a comprehensive study on the U.S. government and media's role in censoring WikiLeaks. The forthcoming report , to appear in the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, titled "A Free Irresponsible Press: WikiLeaks and the Batter over the Soul of the Networked Fourth Estate." In the report, Benkler dissects the mechanisms that have censored WikiLeaks.

Thomas and Alito tend to view the American public and the media largely through the prism of their own confirmation hearings-which they found to be painful and humiliating. They both appear to believe that allowing a camera into a room transforms any event into a "raucous media event" (to use Alito's language from the Westboro Church opinion).