# Should NAMBLA be treated different from other political groups **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 6, 2006, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677 "2006-06-06T22:18:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jebus\_H.Christ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Jebus\_H.Christ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jebus_H.Christ)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/1 "2006-06-06T22:18:20Z")
Some things to consider: 1. NAMBLA does not advocate any illegal activity. They advocate changing the law. 2. No member of NAMBLA has ever been convicted of a crime in their official capcity. This is something we can’t say about a lot of offer political groups - see Deomocrats and Republicans. Should NAMBLA and its members be treated different from other political groups? This board’s mods feel that NAMBLA’s website be treated to a different standard than other political websites. Keep in mind it has no porn or any illegal material. A few posters have said they would fire any employee that went to this site, but not for going to the DNC’s website. So should having contact with NAMBLA subject a person to treatment that is different than if they had contact with another political group? Would you treat a NAMBLA member different than you would someone else? Should employers fire employees for associating with a political group they find offensive? There is no question a private employer could legally do this, the question is should they? I have included a link to NAMBLA’s website so you can explore and see that they do not have any material that advocates illegal behavior or that is illegal itself. This goes to NAMBLA’s website (not considered work safe by SDMB): [http://216.220.97.17/](http://216.220.97.17/) _[Broke link --g]_ ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/2 "2006-06-06T22:24:56Z")
> [@Jebus H. Christ](#): > > So should having contact with NAMBLA subject a person to treatment that is different than if they had contact with another political group? Would you treat a NAMBLA member different than you would someone else? Should employers fire employees for associating with a political group they find offensive? There is no question a private employer could legally do this, the question is should they? Yes, because what they advocate is morally reprehensible. I mean, while NAMBLA might have as much right to exist and peacefully lobby as any other lobbying/interest group, that doesn’t mean I can’t have an opinion on what it is they’re peacefully lobbying for, or that their beliefs don’t impact my opinion of those people holding those beliefs. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/3 "2006-06-06T22:37:56Z")
> [@Jebus H. Christ](#): > > 1. No member of NAMBLA has ever been convicted of a crime in their official capcity. What do you mean by “in their official capacity?” That appears to be weasel-wording, and I don’t know that it’s true. Wikipedia, for whatever it’s worth, lists a number of convictions of NAMBLA members, sometimes including the national leadership. It’s a pointless comparison in any case. Democrats and Republicans have been convicted of taking bribes, for example, but no NAMBLA member ever has - but that’s only because they have no power and nobody wants to bribe them. It doesn’t prove their moral superiority. :rolleyes: They have the right to advocate what they want, but I also have no problem with calling them sick for doing so. > [@Jebus H. Christ](#): > > Would you treat a NAMBLA member different than you would someone else? Yes, I would. At best, I’d say he has a screwed-up view of the law. > [@](#): > > Should employers fire employees for associating with a political group they find offensive? There is no question a private employer could legally do this, the question is should they? Generally, no, but at the moment I don’t have a problem with NAMBLA being an exception. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/4 "2006-06-06T22:43:03Z")
> [@Jebus H. Christ](#): > > Would you treat a NAMBLA member different than you would someone else? I would treat a NAMBLA member in the most negative way the law would allow. If they were an employee, I would fire them, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Jebus\_H.Christ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Jebus\_H.Christ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jebus_H.Christ)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/5 "2006-06-06T22:44:20Z")
I am not ignoring this thread but I might not be able to respond until tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/6 "2006-06-06T23:01:43Z")
> [@Jebus H. Christ](#): > > NAMBLA does not advocate any illegal activity. They advocate changing the law. Yet you agree that they disseminate information regarding how to best to manipulate children into sexual contact and how to avoid getting caught doing so. What’s the difference between that and not advocating illegal activity? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/7 "2006-06-06T23:52:45Z")
NAMBLA, at its most benign, wants society to validate a disease that causes serious, sometimes debilitating harm to other members of society, members who happen to be among the most vulnerable to exploitation and its ill effects. By any sane measure, these guys are a unique bunch with a unique agenda, and it’s entirely appropriate to treat them differently than other “political groups”. **Jeebus** , is this really meant to be a serious question? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/8 "2006-06-07T01:12:31Z")
> [@Captain Amazing](#): > > Yes, because what they advocate is morally reprehensible. Cite? –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/9 "2006-06-07T01:34:33Z")
If, by “treated differently” you mean “have all its members fed inch by inch to half-starved ravenous pigs,” yes. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/10 "2006-06-07T01:48:25Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Cite? > > –Cliffy That’s a joke, right? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/11 "2006-06-07T02:56:24Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > That’s a joke, right? No, of course not. **Captain Amazing** claims by fiat that this organization’s purposes are benign and that organization is monstrous. In the land of reason, you don’t get to just say so, you gotta prove it. Look, it’s not that I think the guys in NAMBLA are on the right track – far from it. But there are groups advocating changes in the law, including laws regarding sexual and romantic relationships, which I do support despite the fact that others in this county find them “morally reprehensible” as well. If we care about justice we can’t just say that things are bad because we think they’re icky – Jerry Falwell thinks a lot of shit is icky for which he receives our opprobrium, and well he should. Let’s hope that we base moral decisions on something a little more weighty than that. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/12 "2006-06-07T03:13:37Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > No, of course not. **Captain Amazing** claims by fiat that this organization’s purposes are benign and that organization is monstrous. In the land of reason, you don’t get to just say so, you gotta prove it. “Benign?” Do you mean “malign?” At any rate, how do you prove something is moral or immoral? It’s a completely subjective determination. And **Captain Amazing** seems to be aware of this, as he made it pretty clear that his determination of the morality of NAMBLA’s goals was based on opinion. He even used that word twice in the portion of his post you neglected to quote: > [@Captain Amazing](#): > > I mean, while NAMBLA might have as much right to exist and peacefully lobby as any other lobbying/interest group, that doesn’t mean I can’t have an **opinion** on what it is they’re peacefully lobbying for, or that their beliefs don’t impact **my opinion** of those people holding those beliefs. Bolding mine, natch. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/13 "2006-06-07T03:15:07Z")
If they only advocate changing the existing laws I see no reason to treat them different then any other group. If they, as others have claimed, provide information on avoiding prossecution for illegal acts I’d have reason to treat them differently. ---
**Author:** ![XaMcQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f9ae1b/32.png) [@XaMcQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XaMcQ)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/14 "2006-06-07T03:18:05Z")
I think Kyle can speak for me here. From the Southpark episode: > [@](#): > > NAMBLA SPEAKER: …our forefathers came to this country because they believed in an idea. An idea called “freedom”. They wanted to live in a place where a group couldn’t be prosecuted for their beliefs. Where a person can live the way he chooses to live! You see us as being perverted because we’re different from you. People are afraid of us because they don’t understand. And sometimes, it is easier to persecute than to understand. > KYLE: Dude! You have sex with children! > NAMBLA SPEAKER: We are human! Most of us didn’t choose to be attracted to young boys; we were born that way. We can’t help the way we are, and if you all can’t understand that… well, then, I guess you’ll just have to put us away. > **KYLE: Dude! You have sex with children!** Seriously, I’m for treating them exactly the same as any other political group that is advocating a position that is likely to do harm to people who have no power to stop them. With extreme prejudice. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/15 "2006-06-07T03:20:39Z")
NAMBLA is in the same category as a fictional group that advocates the reintroduction of slavery. The essential problem with “Man-Boy Love” is that the “Boy” side of the equation can’t give consent, and is equipped neither emotionally or physically for sexual relationships. Groups that seek laws that allow the victimisation of others are not in the same class as groups whose purposes are legal and ethical. ---
**Author:** ![Jebus\_H.Christ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Jebus\_H.Christ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jebus_H.Christ)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/16 "2006-06-07T04:25:07Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > What do you mean by “in their official capacity?” That appears to be weasel-wording, and I don’t know that it’s true. I mean what I wrote. There have been NAMBLA members that have been arrested, but it was for things they did beyond the scope of being part of NAMBLA. > [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Yet you agree that they disseminate information regarding how to best to manipulate children into sexual contact and how to avoid getting caught doing so. What’s the difference between that and not advocating illegal activity? I am not sure what you are asking. They are not advocating breaking the law. They are saying to do these things. They are just providing information about these things. And they no longer even provide this information. Check out their webiste. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/17 "2006-06-07T04:30:56Z")
> [@Jebus H. Christ](#): > > I mean what I wrote. There have been NAMBLA members that have been arrested, but it was for things they did beyond the scope of being part of NAMBLA. They were arrested for sex crimes involving children. I don’t see how that’s beyond the scope of being part of NAMBLA, since NAMBLA advocates the legalization of those activities. If they were arrested for doing drugs, you might have a point. If somebody from NORML got busted for smoking pot and I said it was “outside the scope of being part of NORML,” nobody would believe that either. ---
**Author:** ![Jebus\_H.Christ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Jebus\_H.Christ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jebus_H.Christ)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/18 "2006-06-07T04:42:56Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > If somebody from NORML got busted for smoking pot and I said it was “outside the scope of being part of NORML,” nobody would believe that either. I don’t NORML is. I assume a drug legality group. If someone from NORML got busted for drug use, NORML is not directly related to the crime unless NORML was directly involved in the crime. Such as if NORML was supplying the drugs, giving members a place to use drugs, telling members to do drugs, etc. NAMBLA does none these things in regard to having sex with children. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/19 "2006-06-07T04:48:53Z")
> [@Jebus H. Christ](#): > > I don’t NORML is. I assume a drug legality group. Sorry. It’s the National Association for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. > [@](#): > > NAMBLA does none these things in regard to having sex with children. So they say. I find it hard to believe. ---
**Author:** ![Jebus\_H.Christ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Jebus\_H.Christ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jebus_H.Christ)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677/20 "2006-06-07T04:58:54Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > So they say. I find it hard to believe. Keep in mind that they have been subjected to intense investigations by federal, state, and local government have never been found guilty of anything. Individual members have been found guilty of crimes, but nothing has ever been found agaisnt the group. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-nambla-be-treated-different-from-other-political-groups/359677.md?page=2)