A prisoner in Wisconsin filed a lawsuit against the prison because they banned the game and confiscated his books and materials (including a 96-page handwritten manuscript he had created for the game). He argued the ban violated his 1st and 14th Amendment rights. Prison officials said they banned the game because their specialist on gangs had recommended it. The specialist said the game could lead to gang behavior and fantasies about escape. Prison officials told the court that the game could "foster an inmate's obsession with escaping from the real-life correctional environment, fostering hostility, violence and escape behavior." They said that could make it more difficult to rehabilitate prisoners and could endanger public safety. A federal appeals court upheld the ban, and rejected the prisoner's claims. The court acknowledged that there was no evidence of gangs spurred by Dungeons & Dragons, but they ruled that the prison's decision was "rationally related" to legitimate goals of prison administration.
In response to the ruling, an associate professor of law at George Mason University said, "Should prisons ban 'The Count of Monte Cristo' on the grounds that it might encourage escape attempts?" He also added, "Ideally, you should really have more evidence that there is a genuine harm before you restrict something." Another lawyer in Denver joked, "If more inmates were uber-nerdy D&D players, life would be good." (Full Story)
I don't understand the ban. First, the fear that the prisoner would have fantasies of escaping? Do the prison officials think playing D&D will help the prisoners create "boots of escapement" or something?! And, really, what prisoner does not wish they were out of prison? Probably all prisoners have escape fantasies. Second, the game encourages gang behavior?! Among D&D players?! Yeah, because those tough prison gangs are always looking to recruit a level 20 warlock with magic missile capabilities... Finally, if the prison officials worry about hostility, the last thing they should have done was taken away the prisoner's D&D manuals and his 96-page handwritten manuscript for the game. You do not want to deal with that wrath.
Five legislators in Hong Kong resigned their seats in an attempt to pressure Beijing for full democracy. In Hong Kong, only half of the legislators are elected directly by the people; the other half is chosen by special interest groups (most of whom are pro-Beijing). The Basic Law (which is considered Hong Kong's mini-constitution) states that the legislative council should eventually be completely elected by direct elections (i.e., universal suffrage). Pro-democracy activists want full direct elections by 2012. However, the timetable set by the Chinese's government currently has 2020 as the earliest that they would allow direct elections. Hong Kong was under British colonial rule for more than 150 years, and in 1997 Hong Kong was returned to China with the agreement that China promised to retain Hong Kong's Western-style practices.
The five legislators that resigned are hoping that the resulting by-election to fill their seats will serve as a "de facto referendum" on democracy. Pro-Beijing lawmakers have already said they will boycott the by-elections, which would make it harder for the election to be seen as a legitimate vote on the importance of democracy. "Analysts say the resignation plan highlights the deep divide in Hong Kong politics...While some people in Hong Kong are keen for complete democracy as soon as possible, many believe that other factors are more important. Recent opinion polls show tepid public support for actions by pro-democracy groups." (Full Story)
"Yeah, because those tough prison gangs are always looking to recruit a level 20 warlock with magic missile capabilities..."
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