Afghanistan isn't the only country which outlaws blasphemy

While we're on the topic of blasphemy and punishing people for reading and distributing viewpoints deemed "ungodly", it's worth noting that such laws aren't just restricted to backwards Central Asian theocracies. In fact, we have one here too - s 123 of the Crimes Act imposes a penalty of one year's imprisonment for anyone convicted of any blasphemous libel. The law has only been used once - the defendent was acquitted - but it is still on the books, and the religious right regularly attempt to use it against people who have offended their religious sensibilities (most recently in the case of a certain South Park episode). So, while we should be speaking out against such abuses in Afghanistan, we should also remove the mote from our own eye, and repeal this ridiculous, archaic, and theocratic law.