EDITORIAL

Perversion of Freedom

Charles H. Keating, national counsel for the Citizens' Committee for Decent Literature, which is organized in some 700 communities throughout the nation, addressed a small audience in San Francisco recently on what ho called the "per version of freedom." His thesis was that publishing of books on such perversions as homosexuality and Lesbianism is indeed a per version of the freedoms of speech and of the press. On this basis Mr. Keating has urged local law enforcement agencies and legislators to tighten up on censorship of news stands and to draw up tougher obscenity laws. He claims that a group of attorneys is hard at work drafting a city ordinance to be submitted to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and preparing a bill for consideration by the California State Legislature. Similar action is undoubtedly being instigated in other states and cities.

We would point out to Mr. Keating that present laws concerning obscene mterial are adequate. Contrary to Mr. Keating's positive statement, homosexuals do not become so by reading books. The subject of homosexuality is not obscene in itself. It is only through further communication (which Mr. Keating would deny us) that this controversial subject can ever be resolved.

The perversion of freedom is the pressures exerted by the few to draft "loose obscenity laws" which would result in censorship by intimidation through the threat of easy convictions.

The per version of freedom is to put the policeman on the beat in a position to tell the citizens of a community what they may or may not read.