The title for this piece comes from an early Frank Zappa track, pretty much at the time when an album he released was subject to a curiously American form of censorship: the words ‘War means work for all’ were printed in grayscale rather than solid black, making it easier for them to blend into the background.

It was around that time, when I was exploring Zappa’s back catalogue, that I spent a summer in the States.  I met some lovely people doing all kinds of amazing things, many of them for progressive lobby groups around the country, work that I was involved in as a door to door canvasser.

One particular guy I stayed in touch with: we had various geekeries in common, not least a shared enthusiasm for the Church of the SubGenius.  He was living in a small community, and went out and put ‘cancel’ signs over posters for Republican candidates in a local election.  Harmless anarcho-pranking…that took on a whole new dimension when you realised the reality of what he was doing: going out in a vehicle, with a ladder and a stencil, to graffiti over propaganda — in a town where he was seen as a freak, and where the cops wore guns.  You could call his actions juvenile, but don’t call them unconsidered: he knew exactly what risks he was taking.

But of course, I’m being alarmist.  No way in 21st century America do citizens have to fear what that oddball did, right?  Well, it’d be nice to think so.  And then I heard about Christopher Handley.  A fan of Japanese manga and anime living in a small town received a package of same which the local postmaster deemed obscene.  The police picked Handley up when he came to collect the package, and then seized his entire collection of comics, DVDs, and books.

Now, I’m no fan of the majority of manga I’ve come across.  And I do believe that a considerable chunk of it depicts women in such a way that they’re fetishised and infantilised.  But I also believe that the same applies to the way women are portrayed in the mainstream American media: Britney Spears and Paris Hilton register for me in the same way as a panty-dispensing machine on the Tokyo subway.

Besides, the images in question are drawn.  Ink from the imagination, not pixels depicting actual flesh.  And to be clear, no child porn was found — just 150-300 images deemed to be obscene…about the same as I’d experience if I watched MTV for a morning and had lunch at Hooters.  And never mind thinking you’re safe to look at what you want in your own home: the judge in this case has decided that an individual “has no right to possess obscene materials that have been moved in interstate commerce“. Hmm: so you could look at the same pics online and be fine, but not in hard form as delivered to your door?  I smell bullshit.

Handley, as a result of this unwholesome business, is now being tested for drug use on a regular basis, and has been ordered to have counselling.  Which brings us back to today’s headline: Handley is guilty of thought crime, and could be sentenced to twenty years for possessing the same kind of drawings that teenage boys pass round in dull geography lessons.

What can we do about this?  The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund exists to protect people against specious court cases.  They’re good people.  Check them out: I’ve just signed up for the basic $25 membership.  Let’s see if we can get a few people reading this blog to sign up too.  Remember: first they came for the manga fans, but I did not worry because I was no fan of manga.  Then they came for the people with ironic Cthulhu novelties…