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.
Recent Articles
What the ‘Average Joe’ Can Do About Porn…and Why CWA Sponsors Capitol Hill Summit on Pornography Penny Nance on Pornography and Women on National Review Online CWA’s Jan LaRue Speaks on Victims of Pornography Porn, the Io-way: University Of Iowa Offers Porn Class CWA’s LaRue Addresses Obscenity Enforcement at Victims of Pornography Summit on Capitol Hill Hyundai Owners Cool to Howard Stern CWA’s LaRue to Speak on Capitol Hill Indicted King of Porn Runs Charity for Needy Kids May is Victims of Pornography Month
I have never been referred to in that way, but fine. As far as the mother thing, it is a no win situation for the guy, he's F'ed either way.
Some people here are religion addicts far far worse than my occasional viewing of porn, but God forbid you say anything about it. These people are a sad joke.
I percieve many people here as being liberals when they were younger when they try and lecture me on how "free" they were during those days. Especially after seeing people from opposite ends of the political spectrum from those days and how prudish they are about sex and "reality"
Please... look at your words and then look at the subject matter you're talking about when you relate them to the days of "free love". You guys are grilling those who are sexually active today yet you "conservatives" were sexually active during the 60's... etc.
Sex existed, porn existed, toys existed, etc, etc....
Trying to tell younger generations that they're wrong and evil for experiencing such things while maintaining your "conservativeness"... all while you did the same things... is noting but hypocritical.
Right on brother. I have been attacked here like I am some perv or something by people who probably have more skeletons in their closet than I could ever dream of.
Ain't that the truth!
Trying to tell younger generations that they're wrong and evil for experiencing such things while maintaining your "conservativeness"... all while you did the same things... is noting but hypocritical.
*** There's more STDs today than yesterday. More unwanted pregnancies, more everything. I don't have a problem with older people warning me about things. that's not being hypocritical. That's wanting better for the next generation.
I was the first to point out that we dealing with a nut. What the heck is wrong with a nice cold beer at the end of the day? Some people here are truly a perect stereotype.
Exactly when did I grill those who are sexually active todayor tell younger generations that they're wrong and evil? And who are you guys?
Care to point those statements out to me?
I always say everyone has a purpose in life. Some people's is to set a bad example. :p
You'd think, but come on, you have to admit the whole idea that sex is so much different now is kinda funny.
Interesting...
So, you're thinking we should make viewing porn a "Firing Squad" Offense...?
So much for all that talk about Freedom...
Speaking of tyrants..
I don't know about the 'dirty police dept', but 2 members of the San Diego City Council (there were 3, but one died last summer of an alcoholism related condition) are on trial right now for illegal campaign donations from a local strip club to remove the 'no touch' rules from San Diego's adult entertainers.
I guess each generation wants to think they are the "first". Adam and Eve probably could tell us a thing or two!
As a single young woman, I don't care much for the modern twenty something-thirty something male's attitude towards sex and dating. Must be something in the water that every generation thinks they're smarter than the one before but if that were true, we'd not make the same mistakes over and over.
As if that's what our forefathers were thinking about when they wrote the constitution, LOL!!! /sarcasm
Me? I am calling some of these moral tyrants to task on their silly views. I treat everyone as best I can and try not to impose my views on others. Some people here are an absolute joke in their idiocy. They would easily trample other peoples' rights so long as it did not affect them. They are no different than the left.
You gonna stand for this ?
Seriously, huh?
Makes you wonder what America might look like if Folks like him/her got control.
It wasn't that different in my day, but as in every age, we eventually ran headlong into that love thing, and then everything changed. It never changes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.