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.

[Sweet Land]

The Netherlands and other European countries like Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Belgium [...] do not REPORT sex crimes like the U.S. does

Do you have proof for this claim?

[eleni121]

Hello? It is government's business to safekeep our nation's society from those who would undermine and destroy the moral fabric of our country not to mention the lives of Americans. The Communist agenda over the 20th century had this policy in mind. Apparently many self serving Libertarians and ACLU types agree.

[Modernman]

Porn and sexual abuse are inextricably linked no matter what sophistry libertarians and the ACLU propose

Remember the old rule of logic: All beagles are dogs, but not all dogs are beagles. Let's say you are correct- all sexual abusers watch pornography. Okay, then, what percentage of pornography users are sexual abusers?

[Modernman]

If they were "screwed up", the availability of porn simply pushed them into commiting crimes.

Prove it. If anything, sexual abusers are abusers because they were molested as children. You'll find that a vastly higher percentage of people who were abused as children end up as abusers than do pornography users.

[Sweet Land]

It is government's business to safekeep our nation's society from those who would undermine and destroy the moral fabric of our country

Says who? Isn't it government's primary responsibility to protect individual liberties? Shouldn't it do a much better job of that before even thinking about "safekeeping our moral fabric"?

[Modernman]

Your ideal is sounding more like Saudi Arabia and Taliban Afghanistan with every post.

And this surprises you?

[eleni121]

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/10/afa/202003jl.asp

[antiRepublicrat]

I remember seeing this on a trip in the 80's

And I lived there for 15 years, making it easy for me to say you have no idea what you are talking about.

[antiRepublicrat]

And this surprises you?

Sadly, no.

[Modernman]

The article makes the same assertion you do, but there is no actual proof in the article that the assertion is true.

[Sweet Land]

The article makes the same assertion you do, but there is no actual proof in the article that the assertion is true.

Ditto.

[eleni121]

Shouldn't it do a much better job of that (protecting liberties)before even thinking about "safekeeping our moral fabric"? Not necessarily especially given the fact that both are inextricably linked - moral corruption and individual liberties.

[antiRepublicrat]

Since your last post was apparently mostly a copy/paste, it is apparently not only you who have no idea what it's like in Germany. Do you have any source other than an assertion by an anti-porn group?

Porn has been around Germany since I got there in the 80s. Yet only in recent years -- years where Germany has taken on many aspects of American culture (including Bible thumping) -- have child abductions/rapes/murders started to happen more frequently. They're now up to maybe a few a year.

[Sweet Land]

both are inextricably linked - moral corruption and individual liberties.

So you agree with the liberals who say we need to focus on the "root causes" of crime rather than preventing and punishing crime (your only disagreement being about what those "root causes" are: poverty in their case, moral corruption in yours)?

[BSunday]

As near as I can tell, (and more than one or two people chose to argue with me so I'm not sure if it was you or not) I took up the claim that porn is both evil and damaging to society in general. A few people chose to argue that point. TO THOSE PEOPLE, (not saying this is you) I will say, "Go back to your porn. I am not going to try to take it from you. Don't be afraid. Just stop trying to claim it's not damaging. I am DONE arguing this."

Other than that, I don't think we are in conflict. It's just that some people misunderstood my argument against porn to be an argument in favor of Ashcrofts prosecution of it, which it was not.

[antiRepublicrat]

I don't think it's evil or damaging, but I'm not exactly about to promote it either. I'll sit on the sidelines, and you can continue to try to stop it through personal means. I'm just glad you agree that any government attempt to stop it would be stupid.

[BSunday]

I am glad to see we are in agreement. I don't like porn but I will defend to the death (USN) your right to view it, and your right to your opinions. Also, have you seen the movie "Equilibrium" ? I highly recommend it to all who have visited this thread. It's about what happens when governments get fascist ideas in their heads, starting with the concept of "hate crime" (in the movie, emotions are the evil which must be stamped out by the government).

[BSunday]

I am glad to see we are in agreement. I don't like porn but I will defend to the death (USN) your right to view it, and your right to your opinions. Also, have you seen the movie "Equilibrium" ? I highly recommend it to all who have visited this thread. It's about what happens when governments get fascist ideas in their heads, starting with the concept of "hate crime" (in the movie, emotions are the evil which must be stamped out by the government).

[antiRepublicrat]

Equilibrium sounds like an apt movie for this thread, it's in my Netflix queue now.

For Free Republic and conservatism in general, may I recommend Harrison Bergeron. The original Kurt Vonnegut Jr. book is, of course, much better.

[BSunday]

I will be sure to check that out.