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."
Now, I want to make this clear, I do not support Mitt Romney. I personally believe that his presence on a ticket will hurt us, because well, this country is biased against Mormons.
But as for attacking a Romney supporter for disagreement on this issue. I am a Catholic. But, I also have a defined belief about what government is and is not supposed to be. Government is not meant to be the morality police. This country started going down the road to perdition 100 years ago when the federal government decided it had the business to decide what people did in their personal lives,
You know, the Vatican also says that theoretically we are supposed to be predisposed towards labor and the poor. I take issue with that too.
“Mind your own business, you damnable Bible thumping busybodies.”
Bogey, did the above statement by CC cross your “fine line before you begin to alienate voters”?
Want to bet that their overall profit margins are lower?
Besides, how is this stopping the scourge of porn overall, except that it gives browbeating frustrated folks something to beat their chests (or another familiar body part) over?
“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.”
Don’t be so quick to display your ignorance of the law, EEE.
I’ll defer to your superior knowledge of how X-rated porn sites and bookstores compare to X-rated porn flicks at Marriott.
However, unless there’s sexual “penetration clearly visible,” nothing in Maxim or Stuff runs any risk of federal obscenity charges.
But two Marriotts in Cincy did face state obscenity charges until they removed the porn flicks distributed by On Command to Marriotts nationwide.
“Drugs: illegal. Porn: constitutionally protected free speech...whether you like it or not.”
Obviously, WTC and lots of other folks don’t bother reading the posts upstream before commenting.
Here’s another shorthand fact, WTC...
Obscenity: federal offense.
Two Marriotts in Cincinnati: removed chainwide porn flicks under threat of state obscenity charges. http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/08/29/loc_two_more_hotels_pull.html
The GOP needs to libertarianize, big-time. Now obviously they should remain pro-life and anti-homosexual agenda, but they need to stop trying to be people’s Daddy for a change. If they limit the size of gov’t and reform the tax code, there’d be stronger families and more people going to church and such. Duh.
EEE: “It was (social conservatives) 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.”
Don’t think you’ll find much evidence of that, Triple.
GOP lost because it didn’t practice its fiscal or social conservatism and lost credibility on both.
The term Taliban is a perfect description for extremist kooks who make the rest of us look bad.
Preachy, self righteous, and all too willing to have the government regulate people’s everyday lives.
A traditional Catholic priest, Fr. Malachi Martin, was a conservative libertarian. He was solidly moral, yet he understood the dangers of government intrusion into people’s private lives. This is something more than a few of you can’t grasp. It’s fine and dandy as long as you are the ones dictating morality, but get a Muslim or atheist in power and you’ll be the first to cry foul. You cannot see the big picture; the forest for the trees.
All of this will be lost on you of course, for several reasons. However the most telling one comes up after a review of your posts. For the 15 months, since April 2006, most all of your posts have been bashing Mitt Romney. THAT is a sickness which won’t respond to any kind of logic whatsoever.
“You still don’t get it. Hotels aren’t forcing anyone to look at anything objective.”
It’s you who don’t get it, Triple. Nobody’s forcing Marriott to sell the stuff. But selling porn was apparently OK with Mitt, who nonetheless blamed it for the VA Tech shootings.
I’m sure your cable company or satellite tv company has pay per view porn. You are therefore guilty as sin, since you financially support the company, even if you don’t watch the porn. I’m sure systems of most major politicians have these options.
This is how stupid your arguments are.
Uh, I have no idea if Comcast has pay per view porn. They might. But I’ve never seen it adverised. But I have seen it advertised in hotel rooms.
Personally, my issues with Romney have nothing to do with whether he endorses porn or not.
This is a dinky local law in Cincy. You said earlier some obscenity fell under a federal offense. Where is that law? What type of porn falls under this statute. How do you define this anyway? I'm sure it's next to the invisible one that legalizes abortion.
I’ll defer to your superior knowledge of how X-rated porn sites and bookstores compare to X-rated porn flicks at Marriott.
So X-rated porn in hotels that is unaccessible unless one willingly purchases it is more dangerous than the stuff on street corners, libraries, and readily available on computers.
You guys really got your priorities straight, you really do.
However, unless there’s sexual “penetration clearly visible,” nothing in Maxim or Stuff runs any risk of federal obscenity charges.
Gas stations & travel centers sell Penthouse, Hustler, etc. that all feature penetration. They're still on shelves and can be purchased. I'm sure consumers bought one of them. Didn't see any flashing blue & red lights and an officer arresting the consumer. Wonder why?
But two Marriotts in Cincy did face state obscenity charges until they removed the porn flicks distributed by On Command to Marriotts nationwide.
Expect a lawsuit from Marriott and the state or U.S. Supreme court striking down the busybodies.
“Want to bet that their overall profit margins are lower?”
I’m pretty sure Omni acknowledged that would be the case when they announced their decision to stop selling porn.
Thankfully, stopping their distribution of harmful material proven to be a motivating factor in sex crimes and marriage breakups was more important to their corporate conscience than making money off it.
What would you like Mitt Romney to do about it? It isn't his company. Should he break down the doors of each hotel room and bash in the TV sets with a hammer? Should he grab his Bible and go screeching down the halls with a bullhorn condemning everyone to hell?
This is lunacy.
Do they mention the hardcore porn videos in their glossy full-page color ads in the national magazines? Is it worth it to them, making millions in that way? Do they think it adds to their reputation? Why don't they have a little abortion mill on the side? It would be perfect. Have an abortion, then recuperate at the Marriott. A package deal! I'm sure some ad person could come up with the perfect slogan.
[sarcasm now off, needless to say]
Guess you better hope Fred runs.
If he doesn’t, your choices will be Rudy, Mitt, Obama, Gore, or Hillary.
Where will that leave you?
Yep, and if I were on team Romeny, it would not sway me, even if he knew about it.
Yeah, I heard he also strapped hotel patrons down on gurneys at gunpoint and forced them to watch it too.
We could probably make some similiar arguments somewhere in the lives of Hunter and Thompson, or for any other candidate, for that matter. No one is a perfect saint.
I am not on team Romney, I just think he is one hell of a good candidate.
Trashing our candidates serves us no useful purpose.
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