Posted on 07/02/2007 4:17:47 PM PDT by AFA-Michigan
Some anti-pornography groups are demanding answers as to how much presidential candidate Mitt Romney knew about the Marriott hotel chain's profits of pornography sales during his nearly ten years on the Board of Directors in the 1990's.
The hotel chain is one of many that offer pay per view sex videos for sale through in-room entertainment.
Though Marriott doesn't release their revenues when it comes to X-rated videos, industry analysts estimate it is in the tens of millions of dollars.
During his run for President, Romney has campaigned on a platform of "family values" recently telling a graduation class, "Pornography and violence poison our music and movies and television and video games."
Some of these conservative grassroots activists want to know whether he spoke up or tried to put a stop to Marriott's business dealings back then.
Phil Burress, founder of Citizens for Community Values, has been fighting hotel chains for decades on this issue. He tells The Brody File that every month a group of roughly 15 anti-pornography leaders meet in Washington to discuss the latest happenings.
Mitt Romney's Marriott connection has come up repeatedly. "Ever since he announced for president, it's been a topic of discussion."
Mitt Romney's campaign told CBN the following: "Governor Romney's role as board member was in an advisory capacity on financial matters related to the company and, obviously, he did not have a role in the day-to-day operations or decisions of individual franchise holders."
John Harmer, president of the anti-pornography group The Lighted Candle Society and the former Lieutenant Governor of California under Ronald Reagan isn't buying it. He wants to hear more.
"My attitude toward board members is that they are fully responsible. They knew exactly what they were receiving. I don't think any board member under any rationale could claim ignorance. You're either a board member or not. I can't imagine a board member going a full year and not receiving a revenue report from the company."
Previous news accounts researched by The Brody File show that Romney was paid more than $100,000 per year while on the board of Marriott.
When he left in 2002, J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International, called him, "an active, hands-on Director… From his first days on our Board nine years ago, Mitt has been an extraordinarily effective director and visionary leader."
Mitt Romney has a very close relationship with the Marriott family.
Romney's father, George Romney was best friends with Marriott's original founder J. Willard Marriott. Mitt Romney's first name is Willard, in honor of the Marriott founder. The Marriott family gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to Mitt Romney's campaign when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994.
So far during Romney's presidential run, they have given close to $80,000.
When asked about Romney's time on the board of directors, Marriott Spokesman Roger Conner told CBN, "We don't comment on board level matters."
Conner wouldn't speculate whether Romney had any knowledge about the fight to get rid of pornography in room entertainment or whether he did anything about it. He would only say, "This area would not have been a board area…"
Conner is quick to point out that voting on in room entertainment packages would not have been something the board would have voted on. Rather, he says, this is an operations matter.
Moreover, he says that many of Marriott hotels are either owned by others or franchised.
"We have to respect the business decisions and needs of owners. The guest has a choice to opt out of the adult entertainment options."
The Brody File made repeated calls to LodgeNet, one of the main providers for hotel in-room entertainment. We asked whether hotels have the option to opt out of the X-rated films if they would like.
They did not return our phone calls. On their website, it does say that they work "closely with its hotel partners to determine the best mix of titles to maximize viewing levels. Unlike most systems, On Command Video has the ability to tailor the programming at individual hotels to match the demographic profile of that particular property's guests.
Conservative pro-family groups have been putting pressure on hotel chains for years to change their ways.
In a letter to Bill Johnson of the American Decency Association, Marriott's Chairman of the Board wrote in June of 2000, "The in-room entertainment operators who provide our systems rely upon a certain volume of movie types in order to be economically viable. If we were to eliminate the R and non rated offerings, the systems would not be economic."
Industry analysts estimate that roughly 60% of hotel chains provide in room entertainment with the X-rated pornography movie option. Yet, some have decided to drop the adult videos.
In 1999, Omni Hotels announced that it would remove adult pay-per-view movies from its guest room televisions. It took a financial hit but Peter Strebel, Omni Hotels vice president of marketing, said in a press release at the time, "
"Money is not the issue in this matter. Not all business decisions should be fiscally driven. We believe that this is the right thing to do; the right thing for Omni Hotels, our associates and our customers."
Gary Glenn, a well known pro-family activist in Michigan recently sent an email to Justin Hart, one of Mitt Romney's Faith and Values Steering Committee members. Hart also works for the The Lighted Candle Society.
Glenn writes, "It is a matter of record that during the time Romney served as a 'hands on' member of its board of directors, the Marriott Corporation sold tens of millions of dollars worth of hardcore pornographic videos… as a candidate for president, Gov. Romney has a bully pulpit from which he could greatly assist your organization and others in applying sufficient public pressure to Marriott and other white-collar porn peddlers to 'dry up some of that funding'…we encourage you to urge the Romney campaign to initiate public discussion of the above concerns and questions in a proactive fashion, for which he may receive some credit for initiative and leadership on an issue that speaks both to his personal and political integrity and to his trustworthiness should he be elected as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States."
The Brody File contacted Justin Hart who said "In this important fight against pornography there are those people who are determined to make enemies and effect zero change and there are those who propose to use their influence to create serious lasting change - Romney is in this latter camp…pure societal turnaround can only happen when people of influence find the right moment in time to lead change…In my opinion, Romney's record shows that he could very well effect that change to happen. The fact that he included a serious anti-pornography group on his Faith and Values committee suggests this as well."
That's not satisfying to Phil Buress. He wants answers from Romney. "This man is very knowledgeable about the issues, but for him to not know anything about what Marriott is selling, I found that very interesting."
The Romney campaign won't go beyond their initial statement.
Instead they point out that Governor Romney is actively talking about pornography issues and today's culture wars.
In a speech Romney gave nearly three months ago, he said, "I have great faith in the American people. I have faith in our children, and in our grandchildren. But at the same time, I am deeply troubled by the culture that surrounds them today.I'd like to keep pornography from coming up on kid's computers. I'd like to keep drugs off the streets. I'd like to see less violence and sex on TV and in movies and in video games…I believe that the most important work being done to strengthen America's future is the work that is being done within the 4 walls of the American home."
Very well stated. I’ve been a solid Fred supporter since I first learned he was entertaining the thougt of running, but this specious, vapid attack on Mitt is the most pathetic peice of crap I’ve seen against any candidate this election cycle.
Religious bigotry dressed up in press releases from a pseudo-religious money raking machine (CBN)
change the subject since the man in question is a christian.........are there wet bars in the room......just a vice choice..........
Yes, but for some reason, sexual sin- even when done in private between consenting adults- is worse than any other sin in the eyes of some.
Here, bub, to refresh your memory:
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/08/29/loc_two_more_hotels_pull.html
Triple E writes: “What you’ve stated is already illegal. Child porn is illegal, as well as it should. None of your business if adults want to watch other adults have sex.”
In fact, the SALE of some pornography — that which meets the legal definition of “obscenity” — is a federal offense.
Whether it’s “my business” or not, it’s illegal.
Ask the two Marriotts in Cincinnati (see Cincy Enquirer link above).
This is the lamest article I've seen by a Christian organization. If they were really concerned about morals, make all the hotels/motels stop serving alcohol and have their guests prove that they are husband and wife.
“You forgot to determine whether he was aware. But it’s clear by your agenda that isn’t important to you.”
Gee Larry, I actually wrote a prominent Romney blogger, who works for an anti-porn group, to ask if Romney was aware. The Romney campaign itself responded, claiming that he wasn’t aware that the corp for which he shared collective policy-making authority was selling $30 mil a year in X-rated porn flicks.
Problem is, this is the same guy who said he was “always for life”...after spending a few decades promoting abortion on demand.
And stuck his finger in the air and decided to support a Marriage Protection Amendment, after pubicly opposing the amendment when running for governor.
Who claimed to be a “life member” of the NRA (since last August, that is).
Etc., etc.,
My problem isn’t what Mitt knows; it’s that I don’t trust his word for what he does or doesn’t know. And since Bill Marriott himself wrote a letter defending the corp’s porn sales, it’s hard to believe that a “hands on” member of the board for nearly a decade wasn’t aware.
“Mind your own business, you damnable Bible thumping busybodies.”
Try winning an election without us, CC.
Triple E: “Romney should have donned his cape and flew into every hotel room and turned off the TVs.”
Actually, would have been a lot simpler than that. All he’d have had to do is sit in the Marriott Corp. board room, open his mouth, exhale while vibrating his vocal cords, and make a motion that Marriott Hotels join Omni and Days Inn and others in adopting a corporate policy not to sell addictive material known to be a causative factor in sex crimes against women and children.
Tickle, you identify yourself as a “Catholic for Mitt,” using your church affiliation to lend credibility to your support for Romney, then you protest my citing the Catholic Church Catechism statement that “civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic material”? http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm
Does the term cafeteria come to mind?
Then you absurdly ask: “Would you prefer we break down people’s doors, monitor their lifestyles and jail them for anything contrary to your personal interpretation of religion?”
Easy answer: no.
But social conservatives do believe that Marriott and other white-collar porn peddlers should be held accountable publicly for their sale of porn and prosecuted in instances in which what they sell meets the legal definition of obscenity (which is a federal crime regardless of the age of the user).
And we believe that a guy who sits on the board of a white-collar porn peddler for a decade and never says a word about it, then says porn flicks were responsible for the VA Tech shootings, should also be held accountable publicly.
And neither even remotely approaches your resort to the hackneyed “Taliban” and “communist” labels in a feeble attempt at demonization.
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I heard that sometimes they even let un-married couples share a room....
Canticle, you say you’re “100% sure the subject (of pornography) never came up (in a Marriott board meeting).”
Utilizing your amazing psychic powers, how do you explain the fact that the issue was obviously of sufficient concern that Bill Marriott himself — while Romney was a board member — wrote a letter defending the company’s sale of porn?
Ya think that happened with no discussion, no thought whatsoever, among board members?
And that contract with On Command by which they contributed free TVs to Marriott in return for the porn sales, ya think they might have run that little multi-gazillion dollar document by the board legally responsible for corp. finances?
“Try winning an election without us, CC.”
Brilliant. Try winning an election without the middle. Try winning an election without the moderate conservatives. In short, try winning without any group. You need all cylinders working to win an election and too often folks get so caught up in their own little world to recognize the truth. You can educate and try to change attitudes but there is a fine line before you begin to alienate voters. I’m not suggesting or promoting RINO’s in any fashion or in compromising your beliefs and morals but we are composed of many interests and your statement is simplistic at best. At the end of the day I fear the morality police and in the end someone always wants to define and impose their own brand. Not for me, thanks.
If the Southern Baptists ever had their way, that is what would happen.
That’s the kind of America that Judge Moore wanted, thankfully, his political career seems to be on life support at this point, but his threat remains ever present.
So that means all the bazillion porn websites, adult bookstores, and the Maxim/Stuff magazines sold in gas stations are illegal too, because they're definetly much more accessible and hard-core than the hotel stuff.
Well, have fun on your crusade.
“A hotel chain will go out of business if it doesn’t sell porn? Uh, yes. The hotel industry is a very competitive business...”
Rodney, you need to explain how Omni and Days Inn and other hotel chains that prohibit porn videos stay in business.
Wonder how that defense would work for a drug dealer?
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Drugs: illegal.
Porn: constitutionally protected free speech...whether you like it or not.
So why not ask Mitt what he thinks of the Bill of Rights instead?
It was YOU guys who partly caused the GOP to lose last year, ramming in online bans on gambling and preaching your morality while hypocrites in the GOP did otherwise.
Just cut my taxes and leave me alone, OK?
You still don't get it. Hotels aren't forcing anyone to look at anything objective.
Sam Brownback, is that you?
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