February 15

Events

• Current events

• 1748 - A voice that speaks across the centuries - The famous British moral philosopher Jeremy Bentham was born on this date. His is best known as being one of the first people to articulate utilitarianism, a dominant modern theory of morality. He also wrote an extended essay on pederasty called "Offences Against One's Self." In that work he argues that it is morally untenable for relationships between men and boys to be prevented or punished. This essay was not published in his lifetime due to concerns over the obvious controversial nature of it. It was, in fact, only published two centuries after his death, but is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

• 1987 - I tells ya! Everyone has a not-so-hidden agenda! - Mark Swift wrote an article for the Gay Community News which was published on this date. It was a tongue-in-cheek "declaration" of the "homosexual agenda." Closed-minded political opponents took him rather seriously, to the point where a member of the United States Congress read his words into their records as an example of that agenda. Swift wrote, in part, "We shall sodomize your sons...We shall seduce them in your schools, in your dormitories, in your gymnasiums, in your locker rooms...in your youth groups...Your sons shall become our minions and do our bidding ...They will come to crave and adore us...We shall raise vast, private armies...to defeat you. Our only Gods are handsome young men. Tremble, hetero swine, when we appear before you without our masks."

• 1998 - "You have the right to be fucked over...." - A British Columbia school principal was given a two year suspended sentence for possession of child porn. Other charges against him, including sexual assault and making child pornography, were stayed after the Crown concluded there was no evidence to support them. On this date the Vancouver police initiated an investigation into the possible "improper disclosure" of information during the investigation of these charges. A report by a Crown lawyer said: "The case was originally blown out of proportion by a misleading report from one investigator, indiscreet and inaccurate comments to the media by a police investigator ... and undue reliance on unsupportable evidence." It seems the cops were not satisfied with the truth and decided that making shit up would be a good way to really show this pedo who is boss.

• 2002 - "I'm sorry, but this neighborhood is not zoned for pedos." - The Senate in the State of Iowa was introduced to a bill on this date with the elegant title "An Act Prohibiting a Registered Sex Offender From Residing Near a School of Child Care Facility, and Providing a Penalty." Do you need to ask what the act was about? For some reason, Iowa politicians thought that keeping sex offenders from living within 2000 feet of schools or child care facilities would protect the public. Maybe they thought pedos are too lazy to walk more than 2000 feet to abduct a child. Anyway, no evidence has ever been presented that living close to a school or day care has been an important element in offences against kids. The law passed without opposition and was signed into law a couple of months later.