While I do hate to see Max convicted based on an arbitrary view of what "obscenity" is, it makes me think a little bit. Aren't very many of the laws in this land just basically arbitrary?
Who says I can't drive faster than the speed limit? I don't think it is unsafe.
Who says my kids have to be schooled or home schooled? I want them to be dumb.
Who says I can't hit my kids? I am their guardian and there is nothing in the constitution about child welfare.
Who says I can't own slaves? Certainly not our founding fathers.
Who says I can't watch or have sex with girls who are underage? That's just arbitrary.
If you all will excuse these obviously SARCASTIC examples, I will get to my point that our very often flawed governments (and indeed juries) are ENTRUSTED with acting to protect and serve the public. In doing so, they often get decisions (like this one) dead wrong. But how do you completely separate morality from government? Because of human nature, I daresay you can't. Especially when many, many people want the two to be one in the same.
I am upset with this verdict, but I wouldn't go so far as to say I am outraged. This is what governments in the US have become, and it has been more or less chosen by the "majority" of the American people over the years however directly or indirectly. Unless you want to advocate anarchy, this is the best we've got. Aside from drastic measures, we can do little else but keep trying to vote and support the things we want. This ball started rolling with the Constitution itself providing for the structure that would become our government. We have little choice but to entrust the elected officials of the House, the Senate, state legislatures, governors, mayors and even the President to reflect what we want. Those elected officials along with the officials they so duly appoint. This "we" who trust and elect these officials includes the "moral majority". You want to blame someone in this case, blame them for telling the government it is what "we" want.
Looks like I sat the fence again....pity....