Episode 19: Manga Is Not A Crime: Charles Brownstein & Ryan Matheson

This very special and important podcast was recorded live, October 14,2012 at the NY Comic Con. Brownstein is the Director of the CBLDF an organization dedicated to keeping Comic Books legal. Founded in 1986, the CBLDF has defended the 1st Amendment Right of Comic book retailers, artists, and now, readers: "Legal Defense: Since 1986, the CBLDF has managed and paid for the legal defense of individuals whose First Amendment rights are threatened for making, selling, or even reading comic books. We also provide free referrals for cases before they rise to the level of a court challenge. Most recently, the CBLDF successfully defended Ryan Matheson, an American citizen who was unlawfully arrested at Canada Customs and wrongly charged with importing child pornography for having innocuous manga images on his laptop computer. Ryan’s case cost $75,000, of which the Fund has raised $30,000. We are currently raising money to pay off the remaining $40,000 of that legal debt. Legal Advocacy: The CBLDF works independently and with coalitions to fight unconstitutional legislation that would affect how comics are made and distributed. We were active plaintiffs in the fight against compulsory internet filters in libraries. Most recently, we helped knock out an unconstitutional Utah bill to censor Internet speech, and were cited by the United States Supreme Court in a case against a California law that sought to broaden the definition of speech not protected by the First Amendment to include violent images." CBLDF is also an active participant in BANNED BOOKS WEEK, and other educational outreach programs.