http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/107108178.html
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The sale of the e-book "The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure: A Child-lover's Code of Conduct" onAmazon.com has sparked outrage and debate among parents and free-speech advocates.
One of those parents is Bakersfield mother-of-two Cheryl Alvarado.
"We joke you can find it on Amazon," she said. But Alvarado said the subject of the e-book is no laughing matter.
"It's very disgusting. It's very disturbing," she said.
The book is on sale for $4.79 on Amazon.com.
"I have two small children. That concerns me a lot that that's even available," said Alvarado. "This crossed the line, for sure."
And Alvarado's not the only one who thinks so.
There are more than 1,200 customer reviews of this book on the website, and most are not positive.
One person calls it a disgusting abomination. Another writes, "Take this down, or I will never buy from Amazon."
One person, who didn't condone the content, pointed out "no one is forcing you to buy it."
Eyewitness News downloaded a copy of the book to see exactly what it said.
In the book, author Phillip R. Greaves II, who is also the publisher, writes: "It is not my intention to promote or excuse this practice."
Greaves goes on to write: "My purpose is to make these encounters as safe as possible for juveniles finding themselves in these situations. I hope to achieve this end by establishing certain rules for pedophiles and by appealing to their better selves."
He also remind readers that "it's against the law to act on these feelings by engaging in sexual activities with those who have not yet reached the age of legal consent."
However Greaves lists what he calls the appropriate sex acts between true pedosexuals and minor children.
"Sexual acts between true pedosexuals and minor children are restricted to kissing (no tongue), licking, sucking, fondling, caressing, cuddling and mutual masturbation."
Despite the public outrage, Amazon defends the sale of this book.
"Amazon.com believes it is censorship not to sell certain titles because we believe their message is objectionable," the company said.
Alvarado agrees to an extent.
"I understand no censorship, but this person's describing illegal sex acts with a minor," the Bakersfield mother said.
She also said, "(The author) has a right to say whatever he wants, I guess anyone else could write a book on how to kill a pedophile and it could be a best seller on Amazon."
While the book is protected under the First Amendment, Alvarado has made up her mind about how to deal with it.
"I do quite a bit of my Christmas shopping on line, and I don't think I'll be going through Amazon," she said.
Eyewitness News tried to contact the author for an interview, but could not reach him.
Eyewitness News also called Amazon.com for an interview but did not hear back from them.
Story Created: Nov 10, 2010 at 6:17 PM PST
Story Updated: Nov 10, 2010 at 7:31 PM PST
Comments (2)
One of those parents is Bakersfield mother-of-two Cheryl Alvarado.
"We joke you can find it on Amazon," she said. But Alvarado said the subject of the e-book is no laughing matter.
"It's very disgusting. It's very disturbing," she said.
The book is on sale for $4.79 on Amazon.com.
"I have two small children. That concerns me a lot that that's even available," said Alvarado. "This crossed the line, for sure."
And Alvarado's not the only one who thinks so.
There are more than 1,200 customer reviews of this book on the website, and most are not positive.
One person calls it a disgusting abomination. Another writes, "Take this down, or I will never buy from Amazon."
One person, who didn't condone the content, pointed out "no one is forcing you to buy it."
Eyewitness News downloaded a copy of the book to see exactly what it said.
In the book, author Phillip R. Greaves II, who is also the publisher, writes: "It is not my intention to promote or excuse this practice."
Greaves goes on to write: "My purpose is to make these encounters as safe as possible for juveniles finding themselves in these situations. I hope to achieve this end by establishing certain rules for pedophiles and by appealing to their better selves."
He also remind readers that "it's against the law to act on these feelings by engaging in sexual activities with those who have not yet reached the age of legal consent."
However Greaves lists what he calls the appropriate sex acts between true pedosexuals and minor children.
"Sexual acts between true pedosexuals and minor children are restricted to kissing (no tongue), licking, sucking, fondling, caressing, cuddling and mutual masturbation."
Despite the public outrage, Amazon defends the sale of this book.
"Amazon.com believes it is censorship not to sell certain titles because we believe their message is objectionable," the company said.
Alvarado agrees to an extent.
"I understand no censorship, but this person's describing illegal sex acts with a minor," the Bakersfield mother said.
She also said, "(The author) has a right to say whatever he wants, I guess anyone else could write a book on how to kill a pedophile and it could be a best seller on Amazon."
While the book is protected under the First Amendment, Alvarado has made up her mind about how to deal with it.
"I do quite a bit of my Christmas shopping on line, and I don't think I'll be going through Amazon," she said.
Eyewitness News tried to contact the author for an interview, but could not reach him.
Eyewitness News also called Amazon.com for an interview but did not hear back from them.
