Posted on 05/24/2005 1:42:28 PM PDT by CHARLITE
Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions that may be difficult for some readers.
A crowd of people gathered on Capitol Hill last Thursday to hear experts* in obscenity law and sexual crimes speak in recognition of Victims of Pornography Month.
What they said in that room should be heard by every American. (It just so happens that you can download and listen to the presentations, including one by CWA’s chief counsel, Jan LaRue, on our Web site by clicking here.)
First, if you aren’t convinced yet that we, as a society, should crack down on pornography, consider some of the facts presented at the summit.
Where should we start? Maybe with this statement from Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values in Cincinnati, Ohio: “I’ve never met a police officer yet who investigated a pedophile that did not find pornography. Every one of them said pornography is always on the scene.”
Or perhaps that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMC’s) Cyber Tip Line (http://www.cybertipline.com/) collected about 1,500 reports of possible child pornography being transmitted online in a seven-day period earlier this month (and 293,000 reports since 1998), according to Marsha Gilmer-Tullis, Director of the Family Advocacy Division at NCMC. They received 35 reports of adults trying to meet and greet children in chat rooms that same week.
Or, we could also consider facts presented by Dr. Jeffrey Satinover, a psychiatrist, professor at Princeton University and researcher at the University of Nice, that the sexual slavery trade is the third-largest source of funds for organized crime, right behind drugs and arms, and that pornography drives that trade.
Plus, Satinover mentioned studies showing that brain activity associated with craving pornography is “identical to any other behavioral or chemical addictions.” In fact, some have pointed out that pornography is as addictive as cocaine, but even harder to overcome due to the images burned into the user’s mind. “It is not an art form,” he said. “No one gets addicted to The Washington Post. No one gets addicted to James Joyce [author of Ulysses, a book with some erotic scenes].”
Satinover also had the courage to point out the motivation behind the porn industry: “Its purpose is not to entertain.” Its purpose, he said, is to lead the viewer to “achieve arousal and orgasm” as quickly and frequently as possible. There’s a financial interest – the more the buyer gets aroused by pornography and achieves orgasm, the more he will purchase. Comparing the purchasing frequency of mainstream movies and pornographic ones makes that clear.
When the movies, magazines and Web sites just aren’t cutting it anymore, the user moves to the final stage: acting out. Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Florida) read the following quote from serial rapist Ted Bundy, made one day before his 1989 execution:
“The purveyors of pornography repeatedly challenge us to prove that pornography causes violent crime,” said Rep. Harris. “I challenge them to prove that it does not.”
Likewise, John Richter, the Acting Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division, said, “Because obscene material is so accessible, many may fail to realize that availability does not equate to legality.”
Concerned Women for America (CWA) Chief Counsel Jan LaRue wrote an excellent, full-scale paper on this topic, Hard-Core Harm.
So, what can you, as a citizen, do with the information these knowledgeable presenters gave? Here are several ideas:
Start with your own home. Supervise your children on the Internet, and teach them how to safely use it. Read CWA’s brochure, 14 Ways You Can Protect Your Children Online, for help. Watch out for peer-to-peer file-sharing sites like Kazaa and Morpheus, as they are virtually unregulated – children can easily access pornographic files and even give away your household’s personal information. If you or your spouse is struggling with addiction, there is help (see http://www.victimsofpornography.org/ for a start).
Be aware of what – or who – is in your neighborhood. Check with local law enforcement to see if it maintains a sex offenders’ registry. Use the registry to find out if any convicted sex offenders live in your neighborhood. If your state doesn’t have one, lobby your officials to make this information public.
Encourage your local officials to prosecute obscenity. If juries never get the opportunity to set community standards, then pornographers will set them. In cities where prosecutors have gone after pornographic shops and other sexually oriented businesses, all types of crimes have dropped. Local law enforcement should be enthusiastic about cleaning up communities in this way.
Encourage your local and national representatives to make laws to protect Americans from obscenity.
Sign up for e-mail alerts from groups like CWA that are fighting pornography. We’ll keep you informed as to how you can act on the issue. Sign up at www.cwfa.org.
Vote! Watch how your officials and representatives are voting, acting and responding to your requests regarding obscenity. Register to vote, and encourage your friends and family to register as well!
Educate others. One voice can start a movement! Join an organized grassroots organization like CWA – we’ll be happy to tell you how you can become active at the state level (phone: 800-964-2203). Encourage your friends to join e-mail lists, or form one of your own to pass around vital information. Organize events in your community and bring in experts like the ones at this presentation.
Contribute to hard-working groups like CWA, CCV and others. We are dependent upon generous giving from people like you.
John Richter ended his remarks by asking for continuing support of American citizens:
We aren’t backing down to the purveyors of obscenity… we do not fight these battles alone. We know that folks like you here today – decent, honest Americans – support us. And it is my last privilege today to ask for your continued support as we continue to move forward. I want you to think of our team as I think of them: As those men and women, at Justice, who seek justice, by doing justice, for those who deserve justice.
*Among the presenters were Concerned Women for America (CWA) Chief Counsel Jan LaRue; Citizens for Community Values President Phil Burress; Reps. Katherine Harris (R-Florida), Mike Pence (R-Indiana) and Joe Pitts (R-Pennsylvania); Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas); Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, John Richter; Marsha Gilmer-Tullis, Director of the Family Advocacy Division at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; Focus on the Family Media and Sexuality Analyst Daniel Weiss; Florida Deputy Attorney General George LeMieux; and Dr. Jeffrey Satinover, a psychiatrist, professor at Princeton University and researcher at the University of Nice.
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Yeah, a bunch of old harpies, I swear sometimes its like Mayberry around here.
Except that folk don't understand, Mayberry was make believe and it was 40 years ago.
I haven't had a drink nor do I crave it. I am no longer Alcoholic, nor am I a recovering alcoholic.
Lawdy! The Voice of Reason.
I tried for quite some while, but it never worked. She was intractably codependent and insecure, and therefore possessive; nothing I tried could even get her to acknowledge there was a problem with that, much less do something about it. And, it seemed to get worse, not better, over time, which surprised me. The attitude boiled down to: 'if you love someone, how could you possibly not want to spend every moment of every day with them, and why would you need to spend any time to yourself or with friends?' It wasn't that blatant, but that was what it boiled down to. Eventually I didn't see why I needed to deal with the passive aggression and the fifty questions anymore.
The sex was good though..
Or did you eventually?
Well, note that we are blissfully divorced.. ;)
Sounds like, instead, you then went to the porn rooms to look at the saddest women of all.
Umm, no. Actually I didn't. My reaction was mainly to start working 80-90 hour weeks........
Sorry, it sounded to me like that was the case you were making... people have been told that's true, by rehab people, whether they are themselves alcoholic or not, many believe it.
Great advice, and I don't! I did on occasion in my younger, more reckless days (hanging head in shame).
Otherwise, I couldn't tell for sure what you were saying until your second post on it in response to someone else, and I didn't see that until after my post was up. Sorry about the miscommunication!
I never went to a rehab or AA. I do not know what is being taught there or what is being said. It sounds like lies anyway. I started drinking at 18, I gave it up at 29
Your characterization is offensive.
Why should I be surprised?
It's all about healthy debate anyway. :)
Does the cavalier attitude toward the 1st Amendment qualify as obscene? How about the perverse use of anecdotal evidence?
bump also don't know what you said blood, but from what people cut and pasted it seems I agree... for some reason many on this site thinks it's okay to look at someone's daughter/wife/sister in porn but would abhor the thought of their own female relatives in het porn. I was on another thread about porn and got called a prude and everything else. I have NOT backed down from my stance whatsoever.
"What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don't like something to saying that the government should forbid it. When you go down that road, don't expect freedom to survive very long."-- Thomas Sowell
Are you stupid or just unable to read? Do you want me to post the responses I made in this thread alone where I've stated that I don't watch pornography? As for sin in my life, my pastor, my wife, every member of the church I attend and even my dog knows that I'm not perfect and that I'm a sinner badly in need of grace.
338: I haven't looked at porn with any kind of lustful intention in decades now
183: I don't dislike porn. I could lie down next to it and go to sleep. I just don't find it particularly arousing
And a half dozen people are dead wrong. I am TELLING you that I didn't infer that everyone who looks at porn becomes a child molester yet for some reason that doesn't seem to be enough. Are you deliberately being dense?
Well, that would depend upon your definition of often enough. Smoking, drugs, and drinking are chemically addictive and deserve a separate category. And work? I've worked for over 40 years. Am I addicted? I also shop frequently.
If it's good for you, should be good for your children too. Parents are supposed to be rolemodels for their children.
I drink a glass of wine which is supposed to healthful, but I didn't allow my children to drink it.
Comparing wine to porn... okay it that's suits you.
ok then...so what's the beef with me?
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