Beware: The leg wants to protect us from bad thoughts

The Arizona Republic has this article about a bill making its way through the Legislature that will attempt to ban several rather reprehensible things. It is intended to do things like ban materials that are related to rape, bomb making and how to administer date rape drugs. Most of us would agree that the goal is laudable, but the like most legislation the danger is in the details.

People who create or sell material that causes someone to commit a serious crime
could be sued under a bill that faces a hearing today in the Arizona Legislature
that is expected to draw a number of opponents from various industries.

First, where is the bright line between good material and bad? Does making people who sell these materials responsible (book stores) make sense? Do we want to Legislature getting involved in such things?

The founding fathers were quite correct when they created Freedom of Speech as a right. It is very difficult to regulate ideas, it is nearly impossible in an Internet age... The simple fact is that if we want a free society we have to tolerate the existence of things we find offensive. We also have freedom of choice about were and when we purchase things like books. People that are worried about these sorts of things should seek bookstores that share their values.

We should prosecute people when it makes sense, but even there we need to be careful. We have to accept that freedom does not come with out sacrifices.