Administration wages war on pornography

Baltimore Sun via Drudgereport ^ | 06 Apr 04 | Laura Sullivan

[AreaMan]

Administration wages war on pornography

Obscenity: For the first time in 10 years, the U.S. government is spending millions to file charges across the country.

By Laura Sullivan Sun National Staff

April 6, 2004

WASHINGTON - Lam Nguyen's job is to sit for hours in a chilly, quiet room devoid of any color but gray and look at pornography. This job, which Nguyen does earnestly from 9 to 5, surrounded by a half-dozen other "computer forensic specialists" like him, has become the focal point of the Justice Department's operation to rid the world of porn.

In this field office in Washington, 32 prosecutors, investigators and a handful of FBI agents are spending millions of dollars to bring anti-obscenity cases to courthouses across the country for the first time in 10 years. Nothing is off limits, they warn, even soft-core cable programs such as HBO's long-running Real Sex or the adult movies widely offered in guestrooms of major hotel chains.

[AntiGuv]

Much thanks, BTW.

[cyborg]

Sure keep us all posted :)

[AntiGuv]

Sure thing! It'll be cool if anyone sees fit to send me a response.

[French-American Republican]

AOL Time Warner funds the Democrats. They have an agenda in keeping the youth ignorant of their Constitutional rights.

[OneTimeLurker]

Great analogy there!

If everybody who watches porn votes against Bush, we will loose.

[Trinity_Tx]

Proof of the "great minds think alike" motto, the concept and call for that solution (limiting porn to an .xxx domain) has been around for years. I remember debating it with other web builders on CNet 4 years ago myself. Slashdot also delved into it, along with the ACLU. I'm sure a web search will show a flood of debate on the subject.

It is indeed a perfect solution, IMO. Unfortunately, too many cry foul, saying it is an infringement of their rights... Bad planning on their part, since if they refuse to police themselves, or even allow ICANN to manage it, they are just biding their time til people get so fed up they demand the Gov't to step in.

[Jeff Gordon]

...FBI agents are spending millions of dollars to bring anti-obscenity cases to courthouses across the country for the first time in 10 years.

I am glad to see that the FBI has a terrorism so well under control that they can now afford to funnel agents and millions of dollars into this task. We have come a long way since 9/11.

[King Prout]

well... this oughtta spawn some -cough- interesting debate.

personally, I'd rather see the Feds pursue violent criminals, traitors, and terrorists than hound the tawdry private sins of consenting adults

[tdadams]

[Justice Department} officials are trying to send a message and halt an industry they see as growing increasingly "lawless."

They would do well to look at the Justice Department itself.

All jokes aside, the morality police/SWAT team/Big Brother mentality is gaining steam to a frightening degree. This is getting scary. When Ashcroft sends a shot across the bow of very mainstream programming like that on HBO and Showtime, we're entering a very draconian neo-puritanism era.

You may disagree with the content of "Sex in the City" but grown adults have every right to watch it without being subjected to the patronizing prudishness of the booby patrol.

I can see why social conservatives may be tempted to endorse this new trend, but do you really want to hand the government this kind of force and control over the media? Remember, the leftists will inevitably be in power once again someday. They will wield this sword against anything conservative.

And besides, this is still a free country, isn't it?

[AppyPappy]

It's rather sad to see people going to the wall to defend images depicting women being raped, pre-teen Russian girls farmed from orphanages engaging in "real incest" and the molestation of unconscious women, all in the name of "freedom".

[Right Wing Professor]

What counts as obscenity? Isn't all porn basically the same thing?

Declination o0f the word 'pornography'

The stuff I like is erotica
The stuff you like is pornography
The stuff he, she or they like is obscene smut.

[biblewonk]

It's rather sad to see people going to the wall to defend images depicting women being raped, pre-teen Russian girls farmed from orphanages engaging in "real incest" and the molestation of unconscious women, all in the name of "freedom".

Yes it is. Sad is kind of a weak word in this instance and you didn't even mention the beastiality, homosexuality, scat and who knows what's next. I suppose they'll dig up dead things and screw them.

[tdadams]

So then, do these affected adults then have any effect on others or society at large?

You think that's some kind of rhetorical coup de grace?

Unless you live in a vaccuum (and no one does) nearly everything one says, does, sees, and consumes has an effect on others and society. In that case, I guess we should everything lest society be effected.

[tdadams]

With all due respect to AntiGuv, the .xxx or .adult domain is an idea that's been proposed long ago and widely advocated and talked about among those in the internet industry and press.

[tdadams]

Who said anything about rape and pre-teen girls, you prat? Everyone here knows what we're talking about. Take your strawmen elsewhere.

[AppyPappy]

Everyone here knows what we're talking about.

Porn or your strawman?

[AntiGuv]

Proof of the "great minds think alike" motto...

Hey, thanks! Naturally I had seen passing mention of the .xxx domain before (but it had independently crossed my mind many years ago!), although I'd never looked into that in any detail so the other elements I mentioned above and the rest of what I had in mind was my idea. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if some people had proposed similar specific items in the past and I plan to Google up some info on what's been discussed about that before I write up my proposal.

The reason I want to write a letter is not so much that I thought it was novel per se, but rather because with my legal expertise I think I can put together an very good formulation that would approximate 'real-world' obscenity case law into a virtual setting - which is what I've done in part above. In a couple months the Supreme Court should issue a ruling on Ashcroft v ACLU regarding the latest COPA challenge, and I'm concerned that our less than ultra-tech-savvy justices may not have a full enough grasp of the technical solutions available.

That's actually what, if anything, I'm sort of 'taking credit' for (the legal formulation) rather than the idea of the .xxx domain in and of itself. BTW, if those who are more familiar with the background of the .xxx debate can think of any obvious elements I've left off in my 4 items listed, then I'd be very appreciative to see that! One of my ultimate goals is to make the segregation of adult materials as passive & unobtrusive for the end user as conceivably possible.

I have read the briefs submitted in the case mentioned above that I'm interested in, and to the very small extent that they focus on alternative methods those are User-Based Filtering Programs of whatever type. I think the justices (based on oral argument) may very well not find those methods compelling and I just want to make certain their legal staffs at least are aware of this much more elegant and appealing .xxx domain alternative solution.

[tdadams]

My strawman??? Where do you see me using a strawman? I'd really like you to show me.

I'm just laughing. That there are people like you who can't make their case without hyperbole, strawmen, exaggeration, and extreme fear-mongering, but then expect to be taken seriously is just beyond amuzing.

Is it really necessary to send the Fedgov storm troopers to the set of "Sex in the City" just because some chick on HBO is discussing her big O?

[AppyPappy]

So you believe the government thinks that Sex in the City is porn.

OK. Of course it does. It must be true; it was written down.

[luckydevi]

for later