Here's an interesting question for you guys. All of us, I dare say, are adamantly against the idea of banning books, and many of us go out of our way to promote books that are banned anywhere in the world. That is simply second nature for a bunch of book lovers like us.But is it always that simple? Are there books that do deserve to be banned because they are as dangerous as assault weapons? Here are two that I personally believe fall into that category: The Anarchist Cookbook and The Poor Man's James Bond. Should we really be making it this easy for all those terrorists and terrorist wannabes out there?
Online retail giant Amazon has come under fire for openly selling controversial books that contain prescriptions of deadly chemical cocktails, and dangerous information that can be misused by just about anyone.[...]
The books in question- 'Anarchists's Cookbook' and The Poor Man's James Bond were downloaded off Amazon by a white-supremacist father-son duo. The father then used the instructions in the book to concoct a chemical weapon.icky Davison, 19, of Annfield Plain, County Durham, was sentenced to two years in a young offenders' institution on Friday after being convicted of charges relating to downloading copies of the Anarchist's Cookbook and The Poor Man's James Bond.Even the "author" of The Anarchist Cookbook, William Powell, would love to see it go out of print permanently. I have to agree with him.
His father, Ian Davison, 42, was jailed for 10 years at Newcastle Crown Court after he manufactured enough ricin to kill nine people and kept it in a jar in his kitchen for two years, the Press Association reports.
My initial reaction is yes, they should be banned, but actually banning them would only give them more prominence. In many ways unfettered availability is more effective. For example, the Amazon reviews do a pretty good job of discrediting The Anarchists' Cookbook.
ReplyDeleteBrian, I am walking a fine line on this one myself but I think the books might encourage enough "accidental terrorists" out there (those who only go that route because they stumble onto books like these) that they should be banned. It does go against the grain for me.
ReplyDeleteThose Amazon reviews are pretty damning, aren't they? That was good to see.