Of course not. But they are enforced only upon discovery, not active police search and destroy missions, focused on the collection of booty (property siezure) in preference to the enforcement of malum in se infractions. 
Posted on 12/09/2004 1:16:14 PM PST by Lindykim
Pornography is Anything But a 'Victimless Crime' 12/8/2004 By Cheri Pierson Yecke How many more expert studies do we need to convince ourselves of this fact?
Jud Fry -- one of the characters in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! lives in a shack that is papered with pornographic images. He is a loner, lacks social skills, and is feared by his neighbors. He is clearly capable of murder. This insight into the character of a porn addict hit the Broadway stage in 1943.
Fast forward to 2004. A sexual assault and several attempted abductions of girls in the St. Paul, Minnesota, area are allegedly the work of 19-year-old Ryan Mely, who has been charged (for starters) with second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He apparently was a loner who was feared by his neighbors. Jud Fry is a fictitious character who bought his porn from an itinerant peddler. How did Ryan Mely get his start? Apparently, pornography was a family pastime. While some dads bond with their kids by fishing or playing hockey together, it appears that Mely and his father (a convicted sex offender) shared an interest in pornography. It was reported that sexually explicit material was found at the family home and on their computer.
Is anyone really surprised that pornography is involved here? It has been 60 years since a Broadway musical portrayed what social scientists and criminal analysis have now found to be true -- addiction to pornography can lead to violent sexual behavior. Dr. Victor Cline, a clinical psychologist and expert on sexual addictions, has identified four stages of progression among his patients.
The first stage is addiction, where the attraction to porn is overpowering and the viewer keeps craving more. The next stage is an escalation to more shocking and deviant images, as the earlier ones have lost their power to stimulate. Third is desensitization, where anything earlier seen as disturbing and repulsive becomes viewed as commonplace. Finally, satisfaction cannot be reached unless the perpetrator begins acting out the activities witnessed in the pornography. In effect, fantasy must become reality.
The events in which Mely was allegedly involved appear to follow this pattern. Perhaps the same is true for Alfonso Rodriguez, the man who allegedly abducted and murdered Dru Sjodin. Rodriguez apparently had an infatuation with Dru, who worked at Victoria's Secret, an upscale lingerie shop. On several occasions he allegedly called the store where she worked, asking for her by name.
Victoria's Secret is well known for its racy, soft-porn "fashion show" where voluptuous young models strut the runways in revealing lingerie. The liberal National Organization for Women called it "exploitative" and the conservative Concerned Women for America condemned it as a "high-tech striptease." Regularly protested by both sides of the political spectrum, the company announced in April that it will no longer air this event
The last Victoria's Secret "fashion show" aired on network television November 19, 2003. Dru was abducted three days later. Could it be that Alfonso Rodriguez, a convicted sex offender, watched the show and was propelled into Dr. Cline's fourth stage of sexual deviance? This is a question his judge and jury may consider.
In an interview the night before his 1989 execution, serial killer Ted Bundy revealed the influence of pornography on his life.
A case study for Cline's four stages of addiction, Bundy started his descent into sexual deviance and murder with magazines he found in the neighbor's trash. His addiction escalated until he felt compelled to act out his desires in more than 30 murders that were accompanied with violent sexual acts.
He warned Americans: "There are those loose in [your] towns and communities, like me, whose dangerous impulses are being fueled, day in and day out, by violence in the media, in its various forms -- particularly sexualized violence ... . There are lots of other kids playing in the streets around the country today who are going to be dead tomorrow, and the next day, because other young people are reading and seeing the kinds of things that are available in the media today."
Abundant evidence has demonstrated the tragic impact of pornography. How many more expert studies do we need to convince ourselves of this fact? The elections of 2004 have sent politicians the message that morals matter, so now is the time to focus on the impact of pornography -- the so-called "victimless crime."
Cheri Pierson Yecke is a Distinguished Senior Fellow for Education and Social Policy at the Center of the American Experiment, a conservative think tank in Minneapolis. She is a former Minnesota commissioner of education and is author of The War Against Excellence. This article first appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Used with permission.
Concerned Women for America 1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: (202) 488-7000 Fax: (202) 488-0806 E-mail: mail@cwfa.org
You missed it. Peeping Tom is in quotes, indicating that it's figurative, not literal.
Of course not. But they are enforced only upon discovery, not active police search and destroy missions, focused on the collection of booty (property siezure) in preference to the enforcement of malum in se infractions.
As has been mentioned, child porn is on the illegal fringe of the porn industry. You have to go out of your way to find it. No mainstream porn producer would risk their business to employ underage girls.
In any event, kiddie porn makers make it clear that what they're selling is kiddie porn. There is no logical reason to use a 14 year-old in porn and pretend that she is of age. There are plenty of 18+ year old girls willing to perform in porn, so what would be the point of a non-kiddie porn maker taking such a risk?
Vivid, one of the biggest porn producers, is traded on the NYSE. When they did their IPO, porn stars rang the closing bell at the Exchange.
For an IPO to receive SEC approval, the company in question can't be involved with anything that even smells of illegality.
I challenge you to come up with one example (other than the notorious Tracy Lords incident, which involved a forged birth certificate) of a non-kiddie porn producer knowingly employing an underage performer and passing her off as being of age.
There is virtually a limitless supply of 18+ year old girls willing to do porn.
All your illustrious porn merchant has to say if he gets busted is, "She said she was 18! She had an ID!" (the one he made for her..) Doh!
Legally, that's not a defense to producing kiddie porn. Under federal law, the producer must be able to prove that the performer is 18+. Crying "fake ID" won't save him.
These guys operate in a cesspool mentality--you really think they have legit practices?
No matter how scummy these guys are, they don't want to go to jail for making kiddie porn. The lifespan of a child pornographer in prison is pretty short.
WHOOPS...correx to my post--I meant to say that I do consider nudity in the category of porn...or some artful erotic expressions for that matter--I left out the "not"--when I said "this does include nudity..." sorry for the confusion.
The body is a beautiful creation and it is natural that we find the opposite gender's sexy too--but we certainly owe our bodies the respect of not staging them in utter degradation--for some twisted pleasure--smacks of self loathing.
You're the one who cannot see the difference between peeping on your neighbors without their consent and watching them perform sex acts with their consent.
I'm just taking yout logic to its natural conclusion: if looking at other people performing sex acts with their consent is the same as being a peeping tom, then me looking at my wife while she is naked makes me a peeping tom.
You ARE familiar with the unsolicited ubiquitousness of this content through the internet then?
ARRGGHH !Ok, a cosmic JOKE is being played on me I do believe!
The 'NOT' was left out AGAIN!!
Wow...hmm, wonder what is operating here?
Sheesh...anyway: here it is: NUDITY IS NOT PORNOGRAPHY.
IMHO.
For folks who want sympathy while advocating Big Government, there's DU. Methinks you'd feel more at home there.
I am in favor of prosecuting spammers for sending unsolicited pornograhic e-mails.
Many of them also fall into the category of Freepers who don't like big government, unless big government is doing their bidding.
Fine, if you think FR is "Libertarian Central" now, and want to expel all the traditionalists who feel this way, then I'd like to see you get rid of us all.
And how about pop-ups, malware, trojans, and misdirected links?
The Religious Right is very worried about radical Islamism -- because it is embarassingly similar to their own doctrines, and damns them by obvious association.
What is it with you guys?
Get over yourselves and at least have the decency to disavow this terrible, degrading stuff.
NOBODY here is talking about nudity and sexuality that carries innate respect/appreciation for the subject--and it goes without saying NOBODY is talking about sexuality expressed in a loving relationship--so stop the stupid so 'I shouldn't have those feelings for my wife' stories.
You're blowing smoke to keep from rising to a standard that is more decent.
We KNOW men like to look at the female form...pretty hard-wired natural impulse, I'd say.
We women also like to look at guys--although not as impersonally.
Wer'e talking about the sewage that has become what is pornography today--the miserable dehumanzing fare that is catching on like wildfire and ruining lives and relationships.
It is damaging to US--our place in this world, our ability to connect--you seem to be very disinterested in all that.
The porno "industry" is practically defecating on everyone's front porch, and you characterize it's enforcement by our gub'mint as "bidding"??
Gimme a break.
Natural adjustments in demographics (e.g. the country gets overpopulated, people have fewer children) are not relevant to the issue at hand.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.