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Cutting out the Naughty Bits Ruled Illegal
An anonymous reader writes "Some of you may recall the lawsuit brought by several Hollywood directors against companies which edit movies for sex, language, and violence. The companies would trade consumers an off-the-shelf DVD for an edited one. Well, the CBC is reporting that Judge Richard P. Matsch has found that this practice violates U.S. copyright law, and 'decreed on Thursday in Denver, Colo., that sanitizing movies to delete content that may offend some people is an "illegitimate business." [...] The judge also praised the motives of the Hollywood studios and directors behind the suit, ordering the companies that provide the service to hand over their inventories.'''
Well, since it seems to be a "bash the mormon" kind of comment, and I'm a glutton for punishment, I'll go ahead and step in here. I'm a libertarian, live in Utah, and I've used cleanflicks.
As for the buying alcohol on Sunday, it's always seemed kind of silly. If you shouldn't be buying alcohol on Sunday, you shouldn't be buying it any day. Personally, as long as you keep out of situations which present unacceptable risk to me (i.e. driving a car), I don't really care if you go get completly plastered. Not my problem. On the other hand, if you get behind the wheel of a vehicle, you are a risk to me and it is my problem.
With regards to abortion, I would interfere with it for the same reason I would interfere with murder. You are ending the life of a person who is unable to defend himself. Sure, miscarriages happen, and we aren't certain he's going to live to birth. Nature's cruel - it happens. The point is that you are potentially (probably?) preventing the life of someone who would otherwise be born, and society has a certain interest in protecting the innocent from harm. Surely, you aren't trying to argue that a society shouldn't outlaw and prevent murder? The question then is simply a matter of when does a mass of cells become a person, worthy of protection?
Sex before marriage seems stupid to me (I've seen the problems it can cause), but I don't recall Mormons making a big push to put adulterers in jail. If I see you about to put your hand on a hot stove, I'll tell you you're being stupid, but I'm not about to seek legislation making it illegal to put your hand on a hot stove. What would be the point?
Finally, the same-sex marriage. Moral issues aside, willfully engaging in behavior contrary to basic biological drives (reproduction) indicates something seriously wrong with an individual. It's a trait which, if present in all members of a species, would result in the death of said species very quickly. There are obviously benefits to marriage - if there weren't, homosexuals (presumably) wouldn't seek it. Given that marriage is an artificial construct created by society, why should society provide such advantages to behavior which it finds to be detrimental to it? There's a reason that organizations lose tax-exempt when their views are deemed detrimental to society (hate speech, etc).