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.

[EGPWS]

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.

It's a nasty job, however thank God we have people with such a conviction for the American way that they have the fortitude to tolerate such a grueling job!

I wonder what the pay is? I'm a person of conviction!

[ozzymandus]

Sheesh. And I just paid my taxes today.

[The KG9 Kid]

"... 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..."

... with frequent bathroom breaks.

[EGPWS]

Interesting. Hopefully it works as well as that "War on Drugs" thing we had a while back.

As undesirable as the industry is I DO feel we have Wars to win which take priority at this time.

[weegee]

From deeper in the article:

The department's most closely watched case involves "extreme" porn producer Rob Zicari and his North Hollywood company Extreme Associates. The prolific Zicari is charged with selling five allegedly obscene videotapes, which he now markets as the "Federal Five," that depict simulated rapes and murder.

Almost reveling in the charges, Zicari's Web site says, "The most controversial company in porn today! Guess what? Controversy ... sells!"

The case hangs on a strategic move by the Justice Department that could make or break hundreds of future cases. Instead of bringing charges in Hollywood, where Zicari easily defeated a local obscenity ordinance recently in a jury trial, department officials ordered his tapes from Pittsburgh, Pa., and charged him there, hoping for a jury pool less porn-friendly.

Industry lawyers and top executives contend that the courts should rule that because the tapes were ordered on the Internet, the "community standard" demanded by the law should be the standard of the whole community of the World Wide Web.

The Internet is filled with ample evidence of even more hard-core or offensive material from abroad, they say, and someone in Pittsburgh should not be able to determine what someone in Hollywood can order.

So much for community standards. The culture war is being fought one battle at a time.

Anyone making a film about the Clinton presidency would be remiss if they did not include simulations of rape and murder. This must be tolerated in all explicit sexual videos. < /sarcasm >

[mikenola]

The ensuing years saw an explosion of porn, so much so that critics say that Americans' tolerance for sexually explicit material rivals that of Europeans.

That tolerance could prove to be the obscenity division's biggest obstacle. Americans are used to seeing sex, experts say, in the movies, in their e-mail inboxes and on popular cable shows such as HBO's Sex and the City.

Fact is lots and lots of people watch pornography, and its a major industry now. I thought Freepers were pro freemarket? If people didnt want it, the industry wouldnt exist, no?

Which takes precedence , the collective decisions of the free market, or the moral evangelizing of the Ashcroft DoJ?

[Ichneumon]

... with frequent bathroom breaks.

LOL! Funniest post I've read all day.

[Redcloak]

It's about time! I've been warning them for years that porn is dangerous and, up until now, it hasn't been a priority with this administration. Any day now, a wild-eyed porn queen is gonna crash her giant, silicone titties into a skyscraper and kill THOUSANDS!!!!!!!!!!

PORN KILLS!!

</sarcasm>

[weegee]

It's a crime to send pornographic materials through the mail without prior consent. Not so for cable, email, websites, etc.

It is also a crime to provide pornographic materials to a minor.

Addressing these problems does not have to include the prohibition of any pornography. Everyone always fears the worst.

Scatalogical, beastial, and violent porn have historically had a difficult legal standing. 2 (and possibly all 3 of those fetishes) are legal activities to engage in (depending on where the act takes place). Then again, age of consent for sex is as low as 14 in some communities yet it is illegal to film anyone under 18 engaging in sex.

Even when homosexual sodomy was a crime in Texas, same sex porn was not automatically declared "obscene".

[pete anderson]

I am just really happy that the FBI is investing its limited resources to fight Porn instead of Terrorism. Perhaps they can also take some people off of the Terrorism beat and have them not only fight porn but also Jaywalking and smoking in public!

Nice Job Mr. Ashcroft!

[rwfromkansas]

The libertarians certainly perked up on this thread..lol

[k2blader]

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

[KneelBeforeZod]

now he's going to be conditioned to think of pr0n when he sees a grey room

[Skywalk]

Not that I'm implying anything about your internet habits, but those pop-ups are not always linked to the site you're currently visiting. Often times they are based on cookies or other factors in your web history, possibly a malware program. But AnF or Microsoft are not responsible. I had a porn pop-up when I was on a university website.

[weegee]

The FBI can investigate a crime that has already been committed. Sometimes they get a tip an investigate a crime in progress (like the plot to commit a terrorist act or buy falsified ID).

The FBI is not a part of National Security or crime prevention. They are an investigative department for violation of federal crimes.

[weegee]

I've been infected with Gator(?) twice. I think that I got it from typing a website name that seemed "obvious" but was actually a bottom feeder site that bought up "internet real estate".

I wasn't directed to porn but I did get "random" popups (including some that launched while I was reading FR). AdAware and Spybot Search & Destroy both help to keep my system adware/spyware free.

The website that I did get looked like a search engine (and immediately I got a popup asking to let that site become my homepage); some other sites don't even ask.

As I say, these "businessmen" are bottom feeders.

[jagrmeister]

Frankly, I don't trust the mainstream media to report on this matter with any integrity or fairness. The purpose of the piece is not to inform, but to depict the facts in such a way to make Ashcroft look like a religious nut who is an out-of-control persecutor. Our corrupt Democratic-operated media would not be happier if you read this article and came away disgusted with Ashcroft and Co. I'd rather here from alternative sources before I cast judgment.

[Clemenza]

How can you eradicate what can be accessed via a mouseclick worldwide.

[vannrox]

...America...
Home of the free...




...yea right.

[Wolfhound777]

If only they would investigate the bogus mooselimb charities with as much vigilance. If only they would put forth this much effort in tracking down sleeper cells. I am glad my tax money is being well spent.