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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Hang in there, Damien. You are arguing well.
Viking Kitties!! On Patrol! All fall before us!
Every time one of these threads start, one of the porn-defenders says, predictably, that if wives and girlfriends were more sexually willing poor porn-addict wouldn't be forced (sob) to turn to porn.
It's exactly the opposite. When a man becomes addicted to porn he pushes away his wife/girlfriend, is cold and rejecting toward her, and regards her as competing with his compliant sex-partners on the Internet. He has to let her know she is second-best.
The great gals on the Internet don't sh!t or snore or ask you to go out for groceries or expect you tyo listen to their problems; i.e. they expect you to be an adult in an adult relationship.
Porn addicts, or any addict, are incapable of the mutual caring of an adult relationship.
Your religion has exactly ONE ally on this planet, Bella.
ONE.
Those wishing to "exterminate" your Faith are the followers of the Islam death cult.
You spend much time spewing venom at your only ally.
Your venerable Faith is respected and venerated here on FR.
It would be nice if you would see fit to return the favor.
I agree wholeheartedly with James however under our Constitution this is an issue for the states, not the national government
With allies like these, who needs enemies.
Dead horse. I have never once said for you to stop anyway, you are free to do what ever you want in your home, you are free to go to the strip bars and what not...
And no, I do not want the Government to stop you either. It isn't my job or thiers.
Wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or do you always play post policeman? If he wants to tell me about his sex life I don't care. Now go get a life.
expect you = don't expect you
It seems that some people in this thread are addicted to sex. So much so, that they will watch porn if they don't get it in real life. This is just plain sad and speaks volumes about our society. How do they ever expect to break the addiction? As if they would 'want' to break it.
Looks like there are a lot of guys out there that are lousy in bed!
TOTALLY.
Tell me -- whom do you despise more -- Al Qaeda OR Christians? Or is it a toss up?
Wow.
You saw the word "ally," noticed that it referred to a group you hate, and then posted a phrase you heard as a kid, as a way to denegrate the group you hate.
So clever.
You make a good point, and it's one of the problems with have in America today. Everyone hates big government until big government wants to support their issue.
Assuming that it is an addiction, why would anyone want to break it? I can't see myself ever telling my wife, "Look honey, we're addicted to this sex stuff, we should stop."
I'm not sure about that.
I hate porn with a passion. But, if the government were to start censoring the porn industry, it would scare me to death.
Nicotine addicts, caffeine addicts, gambling addicts? Are you preaching to the choir, or trying to make a case to people who will read what you write and actually think about it? If it's the latter, arguing in over-simplified absolutes isn't going to work.
Or liquor, or pit bulls, or tobacco, or fatty foods, or...
What kind of utter nonsense is that? The desire to watch something occassoinally is now tantamount to need? Damn, I need Buffy the Vampire Slayer if we follow that train of thought.
You know, Skooz, that i have no quarrel with Christians who leave Jews alone and do not actively attempt to exterminate Judaism by trying to convert Jews.
It's the porn. They watch it and then turn around and try those same techniques on their wives. But what they fail to understand is most women don't enjoy being slapped and spanked.
This comment has been made a couple of times. My thought is this. Porn is for arousal. Whether the person prefers children or adults, ANY PORN WILL DO. If they prefer children, but can't get any child porn, I have a hunch that adult porn will suffice. jmho
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