On Thursday night's Daily Show, Jon Stewart took a look at a series of recent legal rulings that, according to him (and probably lots of other people), were puzzlingly long overdue. He talked about this week's U.S. Patent Office decision to pull the Washington Redskins' patent, the Supreme Court's narrow decision to uphold a federal ban on straw-purchases of firearms, and Japan's decision to finally outlaw child pornography.
That last ruling makes Japan "maybe the only country to invent a robot who can make pancakes before outlawing the possession of child pornography," Stewart noted quizzically. But the new child porn ban has a pretty sizable loophole — it excludes cartoon depictions of underage pornography, both anime and manga, thanks largely to the lucrative and politically powerful animation and comics industry. "That is embarrassing, Japan," Stewart said, bringing it on home: "How can a lobby for a horrible, destructive industry take precedence over the protection of children?" You can guess whose logo comes up on the screen. --Peter Weber
The Week
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