Random thoughts and how to fight the beast

[Guest]

I know a guy in the USA who has a huge collection, mostly VHS, but he is paranoid due to personal not legal reasons, to share what he has. And all he has are relatively mainstream European films Can’t believe that these guys haven’t archived their collections to DVD. VHS takes so much space and wears out! I checked out the catalogue of a company that sells downloadable films cheap but they are nothing relevant.

A suggestion to others who might find this downloading thing cumbersome and time-consuming. Try your local library. In Canada, at least, they are bastions of intellectual and artistic freedom and carry some curious titles. I, for one, borrowed several films that definitely are within the prosecutability range of current US and Canadian law, that if you or I made today we would go to jail, but because they were made in the seventies by respected artists there they are on the shelves.

This is what makes me angriest – the double standard. A fellow videographer once commented to me when I showed him a David Hamilton coffee-table book, ‘Well, if DH can do it so can I.’ Bullshit. Trust me, I videoed some of the most beautiful naked young to middle teenage girls of Asia (if you have ever seen Shrimp calendars of Patrick Gauvain and you’ll get the idea) never showing genital area or simulated sex, so they were 100% legal under US Federal law, and yet three governments screwed with me. The real reason I was accused of being a criminal is because what I wrote about. Arrested and jailed in two countries, banned entry to one Asian country (unofficially, my name is on no blacklist at any embassy) and more denied entry to the USA.

And had my business destroyed plus spent $3000 on a lawyer, and the cops did not return my legal property, is not my idea of an acceptable price for artistic freedom. Thus I would like to see a more militant wing develop, a group to challenge the authorities in court and the media. Question is who will pay for it? Certainly not me, except as a well-paid spokesman for a group of millionaires!

So for me it is very personal and political (I am an anarchist-libertarian). I’d like to see some brave soul set up in a friendly jurisdiction and sell downloads or hard copy girl film fans, just like India does with its chemically identical pharmaceutical industry. I’d be happy to pay a reasonable price than go through this b.s. But a dear friend who operated a business strictly according to the letter of U.S. law and the laws of two other nations too, is now in prison because his business made himself a target internationally, so perhaps discretion is the best way. Note that both his work and mine was NOT anything pornographic but images by internationally recognized artists or simple nudity within the limits of the law.

I literally tell Customs officers of my own country that my business is none of theirs so I'm on their shit list. I refuse to submit. They want to search my bags, no problem. They want to hold me for X hours, go ahead. I will not discuss my personal or business life with nameless officers who have far too much power of interogation that any policeman could ever have. I am a citizen, they have to let me in the country. I recommend that American citizens also fight with their border gestapo. Tell 'em off if they are rude or ask you questions irrelevant to security. Why you travel to Upper Slobovia is none of their business. Resist every step of the way.

[Rich]

This is what makes me angriest – the double standard. A fellow videographer once commented to me when I showed him a David Hamilton coffee-table book, ‘Well, if DH can do it so can I.’ Bullshit. Trust me, I videoed some of the most beautiful naked young to middle teenage girls of Asia (if you have ever seen Shrimp calendars of Patrick Gauvain and you’ll get the idea) never showing genital area or simulated sex, so they were 100% legal under US Federal law, and yet three governments screwed with me. The real reason I was accused of being a criminal is because what I wrote about. Arrested and jailed in two countries, banned entry to one Asian country (unofficially, my name is on no blacklist at any embassy) and more denied entry to the USA.

Sounds like a rough ride

Thus I would like to see a more militant wing develop, a group to challenge the authorities in court and the media.

By militant i take it you mean by voice, or non-aggressive actions. :

So for me it is very personal and political (I am an anarchist-libertarian). I’d like to see some brave soul set up in a friendly jurisdiction and sell downloads or hard copy girl film fans, just like India does with its chemically identical pharmaceutical industry. I’d be happy to pay a reasonable price than go through this b.s. But a dear friend who operated a business strictly according to the letter of U.S. law and the laws of two other nations too, is now in prison because his business made himself a target internationally, so perhaps discretion is the best way.

If someone were to set something like this up it must be done so legally, never pay to download copyright material, this includes fee based p2p programs etc etc

If the guy was selling original tapes, or had the rights to sell downloads from tapes/dvd's i find it hard to understand why he is in prison? Unless some of his tapes were unclassified in the US and fell into the catagory of child pornography. :

I literally tell Customs officers of my own country that my business is none of theirs so I'm on their shit list. I refuse to submit. They want to search my bags, no problem. They want to hold me for X hours, go ahead. I will not discuss my personal or business life with nameless officers who have far too much power of interogation that any policeman could ever have. I am a citizen, they have to let me in the country. I recommend that American citizens also fight with their border gestapo. Tell 'em off if they are rude or ask you questions irrelevant to security. Why you travel to Upper Slobovia is none of their business. Resist every step of the way.

Or just say nothing, of you have nothing on your persons, just sit there, putting your fingers in your ears whenb they try and question you i've always thought is an interesting idea but then the'd probably handcuff you, hmm :