U.S. declares War on Porn

Baltimore Sun ^ | April 5, 2004 | Laura Sullivan

[Quick1]

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 rooms of major hotel chains.

Department officials say they will send "ripples" through an industry that has proliferated on the Internet and grown into an estimated $10 billion-a-year colossus profiting Fortune 500 corporations such as Comcast, which offers hard-core movies on a pay-per-view channel.

[Modernman]

An acquaintance of mine works for the Department of Justice, prosecuting kiddie porn cases. We've discussed the increase in prosecutions of (non-kiddie) porn. He says even a lot of the guys at DOJ doing the obscenity cases think that the motivation is purely political and/or religious and that the resources could be better used (such as focusing on the woefully under-prosecuted human trafficking business).

I guess Ashcroft must think that it's really important that we prosecute smut-peddlers for filming consenting adults engaging in legal acts and selling such films to other consenting adults.

[Modernman]

Not saying that an adult who wants to watch such freakshows on cable should be denied his program choice but should it be tolerated on Warner Brothers' signature pay-movie channel or should it be on an "adults only" channel?

HBO, as you mentioned, is a pay-channel. So, there's really no issue there since anyone who has HBO is voluntarily choosing to receive the channel. If people don't like what's on HBO, they're free not to order it from their cable provider.

[Protagoras]

As a man sees, so he is.

Very deep. Jack Handy,,,is that you?

[Modernman]

Sad to think there are people out there deceiving themselves that porn is harmless.

Considering how big the industry is, that group probably comprises tens of millions of Americans.

[Lord_Baltar]

Hemingway, as usual, you have successfully cut through the BS, and spoken the truest of truths.

Hats off to ya my Friend!

[Modernman]

Your libertarian creed of pro-limited government falls much later in Jim's list. I leave it up to you to figure out how much precedence the owner of this site gives to myofb over pro-God and pro-Family.

I don't see how a view that government should MIOFB, at least when it comes to activities between consenting adults, is incompatible with a pro-God, pro-Family position. Limited government is one of THE pillars of conservative ideology in this country.

[af_vet_rr]

Our government IN ACTION or is that 1 word?

I prefer the term "American Taliban". The government is telling us smoking is bad, drinking is bad, porn is bad, etc. (you know, all of those little things left out of the Constitutions that indidviduals and states should decide for themselves). I'm waiting for them to go after dancing.

If you were a government bureaucrat, what would you rather do, sit around looking at porn, or doing something like patrolling the border?

[af_vet_rr]

He says even a lot of the guys at DOJ doing the obscenity cases think that the motivation is purely political and/or religious and that the resources could be better used (such as focusing on the woefully under-prosecuted human trafficking business).

I wonder how many who are underage and "trafficked" as it were, end up doing porn or prostitution. Cutting human trafficking/smuggling would probably impact that type of stuff in some way, regardless of the fact that it would improve our national security.

[Modernman]

I wonder how many who are underage and "trafficked" as it were, end up doing porn or prostitution

Prostitution, certainly. I don't know about porn, though. Seems like there is a large supply of home-grown American women who are willing to do porn. I doubt the porn industry has any trouble finding performers.

[weegee]

If people don't like what's on HBO, they're free not to order it from their cable provider.

Sometimes. There is usually at least 1 free promotional weekend every year. Many people are on Time-Warner cable and Warner Brothers likes to push the channels that they own.

Perhaps under your view then people who don't want to see the occasional mutilated nipple during the Super Bowl should just avoid CBS altogether.

[TexasCajun]

I like porn....

Porn is a Civil Liberty, I'm Pro-Choice Porn.

[weegee]

...a few FBI guys think they're going to eliminate it? All they'll do is drive it underground, where it will be totally unregulated.

Excuse me. Where does it say that the FBI is trying to elliminate all porn and just what sort of "regulating" do you approve of?

[weegee]

A PR campaign might be the best route to take since, with the advent of the pornography superhighway, law enforcement might be shovelling against the tide.

Also with the collapse of law enforcement (for 8 years no cases were prosecuted) and a general disregard for the rule of law (again, see Clinton Legacy...) there is little hope to expect "law enforcement" to be able to do anything positive these days.

[Long Cut]

Well, declaring a "War On Porn" certainly implies that the elimination of it is a goal, much as the "war" on drugs had that goal.

As far as regulation, it's easy...no use of ANY minors in it, no coercion to be involved, and no bestiality (cruelty to animals issues, there).

As long as it involves consenting adults, I really don't see what the problem is.

[BSunday]

Would it be a major priority if your daughter was in it? What about the other female members of your family ? Would it be a priority then ?

[Aquinasfan]

(for 8 years no cases were prosecuted)

All the puzzle pieces fit, don't they?

[biblewonk]

All porn should be illegal.

[Modernman]

perhaps under your view then people who don't want to see the occasional mutilated nipple during the Super Bowl should just avoid CBS altogether.

CBS is transmitted freely over the airwaves. Anyone can access CBS, so any exposure to hard-core (or even soft-core) porn is less of a positive act. Furthermore, the spectrum on which CBS is transmitted is actually owned by the government (much in the same way as airspace above a certain height is owned by the goverment), so there is a much stronger argument that government has the power to regulate what is acceptable on such transmissions.

[Long Cut]

Besides satisfying YOUR religious and moral beliefs, what good would that serve, exactly? Especially since it would still be widely available.

[Modernman]

Would it be a major priority if your daughter was in it? What about the other female members of your family ? Would it be a priority then ?

Though you can disagree with your family members' decisions on how they live their life, if they are adults there is no legal way for you to stop them (there are always exceptions, of course). What you are proposing is that government act like a super-parent to stop consenting adults from engaging in certain behavior your find icky.