[presidio9]

Or that the combined subscriber base of Penthouse and Playboy exceeds that of Newsweek and Time.

Can someone verify this? I seriously doubt that this is true.

[WackyKat]

I can't read Morford without laughing uproariously.

[MineralMan]

It's real. Go to:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031025-1.html

[AdamSelene235]

Or that the combined subscriber base of Penthouse and Playboy exceeds that of Newsweek and Time. Can someone verify this? I seriously doubt that this is true.

The articles are certainly better written.

[clintonh8r]

Mark menstruates perpetually....

[LanPB01]

I doubt that line is true, considering the Penthouse's sales base has reached such a low point they are on the verge of collapsing.

[traditionalist]

You forgot the barf alert.

[traditionalist]

After all, porn ruins families. And communities. And children. And puppies. And the upholstery.

That's all true, except for the part about puppies. No, scratch that. I'm sure some sicko must be producing porn featuring beastiality.

[daviddennis]

Newsweek circulation worldwide is 4m, in the US 3.1m. Source.

Penthouse circulation is 700k; it was 4.7m at its peak. Source [Warning: potentially objectionable content]

Playboy circulation was 7.2m at its peak (same source as above), but it's declined to points unknown now.

I don't have the time to find Time's circulation; it's a harder web query. But the odds are that Mark Morford's claim is based on peak circulation numbers, not current ones. Of course since then there has been an enormous boom in pornographic videos, so I don't doubt the truth of his essential point.

D

[suzyq5558]

This guy is so insane and nothing he writes is worthy of reading. ive now read several of his hate filled nasty screed's and wonder how old this guy is? what immature blathering. what a self centered little P***k. CACK CACK CACK.......

[MEGoody]

"After all, porn ruins families. And communities. And children."

It does indeed.

[MEGoody]

"After all, porn ruins families. And communities. And children."

It does indeed.

[Just another Joe]

Man! You talk about run on sentences.

BTW, what married man would, ever, pay for porn?
I mean, c'mon, you have one of the herd so why pay for milk?

[GOPJ]

Liberals are freaky about porn. Problem is they've over used it to the point that more and more is less and less.

Their search for a stimulation high is similar to the drug abusers search for the old high -- the one at the beginning of the addiction. Numb to the point of boredom. And boring to real women. Pathetic, thy name is Liberal.

[Onelifetogive]

I think I would be comfortable with fewer restrictions on porn if we also had fewer restrictions on vigilante torture of people who use porn in the abuse of children

Deal?

[Servant of the 9]

Or that the combined subscriber base of Penthouse and Playboy exceeds that of Newsweek and Time.

Can someone verify this? I seriously doubt that this is true.

I am not sure about now, since Penthouse has hit the skids, but until about 5 years ago, they had the two largest subscriber bases of any magazine.

So9

[bassmaner]

This Morford clown is a complete asshole (note the bold and omission of the '$$'), but he makes a point. Pornography, sick as some of it may be, is protected speech under the 1st Amendment, and as such should not subjected to the implied threat of government censorship, as evidenced by the declaration of a 'Protection from Pornography Week'.

[gdani]

If I was in the porn industry, I would be all for Protection From Porn Week.

I assume it's the "forbidden fruit" aspect that, in part, generates so many $$$ for them.

[JmyBryan]

Look. Of course hardcore porn can be dangerous to young children. Or course it can be overly explicit and hollow and is absolutely not for kids or even certain priests. This is not an argument.

Actually, this is the argument. Morford glosses over the very real problem of exposing children to porn. More and more young eyeballs are being exposed, and it is not a fleeting glimpse or happenstance. The constant barrage of pornographic images in our entertainment and advertising culture causes real developmental changes in immature minds. Civilization itself is in many ways defined by the accepted restraints or parameters of the sex drive. Where these parameters are is the heart of the argument.

[ThreeYearLurker]

I think a gerbil burrowed its way up into his head.

[jjm2111]

"...on rubber-fetish DVDs and nipple clips."

Morford is just describing the contents of his sock drawer. This "man" is seriously deranged.