The conservative assault on freedom of expression in rock and roll continues to win little-publicized legislative victories on both the state and national level, scoring its biggest success last year with the passage of the Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act. Attached as a rider to the 1988 Omnibus Drug Bill by Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, the Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act permits, for the first time on a federal level, the possibility of establishing 'auditory pornography' as a criminal category. The bill, though slightly modified in its passage through the House of Representatives, establishes penalties for producers and purveyors of 'audio porn' similar to those established for drug dealers. (read more)

Source: Javier Marcote