Nude & Natural Magazine Naturism is the Way. |
|
|
Nude & Natural Magazine Naturism is the Way. |
|
IN AN unprecedented move last September, WorldCom, a provider of Internet network services, was ordered by a Pennsylvania court to block access to a handful of Web sites that allegedly carry child pornography. Score one for the war on child porn; but can we always rely on government to properly determine just what child pornography is?
Despite nudity-positive rulings in the 1st and 3rd Circuit Courts of Appeal (see NIFOC, N 21.4), altogether too many prosecutors are willing to test the waters with respect to simple nude images of children. Although no other state has a law such as Pennsylvania’s, at least three—Arkansas, South Dakota and South Carolina—require ISPs or computer technicians to report any child pornography they discover. Other states are currently considering similar laws. So we are left to question, do these people know the difference between simple nudity and child pornography? Can we trust that they have been educated to the finer points in this specialized area of the law?
The Pennsylvania case is a first under a new state law that requires Internet service providers to block access to child pornography. According to spokesman Sean Connolly, the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office has worked cooperatively with various ISPs in that state to block as many as 200 sites since the law went into effect last April.
The Web sites in question were not hosted by WorldCom, but were accessible using WorldCom and other ISP services that use WorldCom’s networks. According to investigators, the sites showed nude males and females, believed to be under age 18, in sexual poses. A Montgomery County judge ordered WorldCom to prevent its subscribers from accessing those sites.
Initially, WorldCom indicated that it would not block access until it received a court order. However the company, bankrupt and scarred by scandal, has since offered to cooperate with authorities.
While the ruling won’t remove the sites in question from the Internet or block access via other Internet providers, WorldCom does not have the technical means to block its Pennsylvania sites alone. It’s an all or nothing matter regardless of where you live.
The impact to naturists is not guaranteed, but it is easy to see how a misapplication of the law could lead to naturist club and personal Web sites being blocked, effectively stifling the naturist message. Bob Morton, Executive Director of the Naturist Action Committee (NAC) said he found the new law “very disturbing.”
While child pornography is illegal, critics worry that forcing ISPs to act as censors sets a bad precedent. For example, a copyright infringement victim might someday demand that an ISP block access to a site containing copyrighted material. Unpopular speech or issues deemed inappropriate by a select few in government could follow, bringing the Internet crashing down around us.
Naturists will be watching developments closely. As of press time, no proponents of free speech or advocates of non-governmental intrusion into the Internet had officially weighed in on the matter.
“Sex sells.” We hear that all the time. The question is whether we can place a dollar value on it. Well, maybe not an exact number, but it surely numbers in the billions.
The adult film industry which was relegated to sleazy theaters in dingy sections of most major cities just a decade ago can now be brought into any place where you can set up a PC. All of that and more is thanks to your friendly, family-oriented, Internet service provider.
It’s a little known fact that many ISPs operate under more than one name. In the front is the well-oiled public business that refuses to host anything “adult oriented”—often including simple nudity and naturist sites. Meanwhile in a back room, servers dedicated to the sex industry crank away 24 hours a day. Many ISPs subsidize their income via the sex industry in this way.
I have dealt with Web hosts who have refused naturist material (even with no nudity) but who have suggested another company that might be willing to provide the server space I needed. A quick routing check of the second ISP often brought me back to the same set of machines as the first! Who is kidding whom?
In a past installment of NIFOC (N 21.3) I recommended the Nudism Web Ring, which linked sites that focused on naturism and followed generally accepted standards of naturist etiquette. Sadly, I must report that the ring fell by the wayside after the “ringmaster” departed for a host of personal reasons, leaving it to be managed by a small (and non-naturist) staff at Webring.Com. Yours truly has attempted to adopt this ring to continue its original mission, but like human adoptions, virtual ones can be backlogged by several months. Until such time as the ring has a manager who understands naturism and its message, it’s anyone’s guess who might be linked. Already a few questionable sites have managed to creep in.
While adoption and subsequent house cleaning of the abandoned Web ring is pending, in the meantime I have established a new one, the Naturism & Nudism Web Ring, which I will monitor personally to assure that member sites are within appropriate naturist guidelines with no sexual content or links. It’s a work in progress. A page at www.sunclad.com/webring/ will explain more about the ring. Meanwhile, join the Naturism & Nudism Web Ring at: http://www.sunclad.com/webring
Post Script - After we went to press with this article, the Nudism Web Ring was awarded to the author by Webring.Com. While the Nudism Web Ring remains viable an on-going effort is underway to consolidate all ring members under one ring. See: http://www.sunclad.com/webring
George & Linda’s Home Page
members.aol.com/GeoLinO
George and Linda Owens are members of the Oaklake Trails Naturist Park near Tulsa, Okla. Their pages are simple and straightforward. What caught my eye was that this is not some glitzy Web site extolling the virtues of naturism. Rather, it is a profile of a naturist couple and their family. George and Linda’s pages offer a story on their first naturist experience as well as information on what naturism means to them. There is no nudity on their Web site—AOL wouldn’t allow it—but it more than manages to get the message across. Anyone who says naturism and family values are incompatible need only take a look at this Web site to see that families make up a major portion of naturism. I found George and Linda’s site quite refreshing.
Young-Adult Naturists
higbee.cots.net/YoungAdultNaturists
For the naturist student through the young adult years, the Young-Adult Naturists site is a great stepping off place. Here you will find links that offer numerous resources for the young adult or soon-to-be adult as well as information on what naturism is all about. In a society that places plenty of sexual pressures on its young people via mass media, many young people get the wrong impression as to what it means to live or play without clothing. From this site you will also find links to discussion areas (i.e. the Naturist Students List Server and others). For the college-aged person or young adult considering naturism, this will be a good place to start and learn.
An avid collector of naturist memorabilia, Charles Perkins of California (see NIFOC, N 22.1) has an extensive collection of naturist/nudist publications, including magazines, videos and books from around the world. He would like to make this material available for reference, but it needs moderation and storage space. Charles also is interested in magazines and collectibles that others may be interested in parting with, knowing that they will have a good home and help work for the naturist cause. If you think you can help, contact Charles at charliep@iprg.nokia.com.
|
Mary Kirkpatrick swears sometimes that Dennis is attached to his computer. “It’s like he becomes a part of the machine.” Dennis thinks those guys running around MIT with laptops connected to the ‘net by radio are the coolest—computer display monocle attached to their glasses and all, not to mention the designer antennas on their caps. At MIT, they lovingly call them “The Borg.” Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. Comments on NIFOC may be directed to its author at sunclad@sunclad.com. Copies of past columns are archived at the author’s Web site, www.sunclad.com/nifoc.
|
 webmaster@Sunclad.Com |
http://www.sunclad.com/nifoc |
 Hosted at Sunclad.Com Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved. |
