Obscene material move rejected
NZPA-Reuter Augusta, Maine Maine voters rejected a church minister’s call to make producing, selling, possessing or promoting obscene material a state crime punishable by up to five years in jail. The vote in a referendum was 68 per cent to 32 per cent against the proposal, which would have left the courts to decide what was obscene. Prosecutors said the measure would be unenforceable. The Rev. Jasper Wyman, who led a drive to collect the 50,000 signatures required to put the issue to a vote, conceded defeat less than two hours after polling ended. Public opinion polls had predicted a close race. But Robert Howe, campaign co-ordinator for Maine Citizens Against Government Censorship, told reporters, “We felt all along that Maine voters did not want their government telling them what they could see, read and hear. I think common sense prevailed.” Most voters agreed. “Nobody is telling me what to do. This is America," said a Portland resident, Jack Albertson.
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Press, 18 June 1986, Page 46
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164Obscene material move rejected Press, 18 June 1986, Page 46
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