To call Wendy's porno a free speech issue is a diversionary tactic by psecularatti and by the folks who follow the money.
Hindu tradition has lived with cārvāka darśana and lokāyata. So, no problem whatsoever with freedom of expression enshrined in Constitution of India that is Bharat.
There are limits to such freedom as spelt out by the criminal code. Whether this should be an international standard code is debatable because laws are the product of culture and history and world views of people who have organized themselves into a state. Are we satisfied with the way the Western academe is engaged in Hindu studies?
Aren't there dangers that young impressionable minds may get poisoned with ivory tower academics abusing the positions they occupy? Else, where is the need for Provosts in Universities? Students have a choice but how do they choose an institution for Hindu studies? Shouldn't there be a rating system and flagging of various talents bordering on porno? Is porno part of the unfettered freedom of expression? Or, is sex sacred as per our sanātana dharma?
Note that the court trial and out of court settlement with Penguin do NOT constitute a ban. It is a voluntary acceptance of the law of the land where the aliens seek to operate. So, the freedom of expression is not the issue here. The author and publisher have voluntarily agreed to restrain themselves to find public expression through pulp fiction.
I think the issue in USA is within the rubric of civil rights and the justification for setting up an office of faith in Whitehouse.
So, I suggest the promotion of a lobbying effort on Capitol Hill to harmonize dharma and US Penal code in the context of re-evaluation of Hindu studies in western academe, in US academe in particular.
Kalyanaraman
February 18, 2014