Two thumbs up

   President Aleksander Kwasniewski deserves two thumbs up for what will eventually be seen as a wildly unpopular decision to veto the anti-pornography bill, which outlawed the dissemination of basically any sexually explicit material.

   Attacked by Catholic bishops as immoral, Kwasniewski's decision is likely to come back to haunt him in this election year. For that reason, his veto deserves even more praise.

   After debating a partial ban on pornography for several years, Parliament in mid-1998 passed a complete ban on pornography, without, of course, defining exactly what pornography was. As opposed to an earlier, rational attempt to control how such material is distributed and to regulate the types of images used (i.e. outlawing the use of children and animals), the overarching final bill virtually gave government officials a carte blanche on personal freedoms. It also provided authorities with too much power to prosecute so-called pornographers because it failed to lay out any guidelines for what was, and was not, acceptable.

   Poland has many pressing issues to solve – agendas that politicians should be focusing on instead of trying to legislate morality. A number of key bills are currently stuck in Parliament, holding up key privatizations and blocking much-needed infrastructure programs. A few examples include a bill on sugar sector privatization, a reprivatization bill, a bill opening up air transport, and legislation that would finally force a cleanup of Poland's third-world water supply.

   Legislators should approach these issues with the same gusto they gave pornography. If these key infrastructure and privatization issues are not settled, the Polish miracle is liable to turn into the Polish disaster as economic growth slowly grinds to a halt. Sorry infrastructure and bloated industry is what gradually wears on the quality of life in this country, not sex magazines. Pornography is nothing but a sideshow to divert attention from these larger problems. It is time that politicians are called to the mat on that, and begin to use their time in the Sejm responsibly.

   Politicians should start by going back to the drawing board and putting together a sensible pornography bill, one that limits distribution. Regulate how the magazines and video tapes are distributed. Make rules about what hours television stations can show sexually explicit programs. And for goodness sake, protect the children. Make child pornography illegal.

   But for all of us of age, please mind your own business.