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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No, no, no. Nothign hypocritical about it. My heart's desire for my children is for them to have but one sexual partner in their lifetime. I don't want my children to lose count of their sexual partners before they're 25. It's not hypocrisy for me to want something better, something healthier for my children.
Btw, do you know you tag line says you're a solder? Are you a lead solder, a tin solder or one of them fancy alloy solders?
Oral Sex for Kids? All in the Name of Education
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1409956/posts
Listen, when people try to use quotes from from the Bible as their argument, that is dirty pool as far as debating goes. In this country, we have many religions and faiths, etc etc. The argument used on me was a quote from the Bible as if that was going to shut off my argument.
If I were Hindu or something, that quote would be meaningless.
I am really sick of people trying to shove their faith downb other people's throats so that they can feel superior to people. That is what is going on in this debate and often in society where people, including liberals and religion addicts, who can't put forth a logical argument and instead resort to a phrase in the bible.
My view on the Bible is that although it may have been inspired by God, it was written by men. Was there any chance whatsoever that those men may have lost something in the download from God if you know what I mean?
Its not up to you what your children do once they are Adults.
Ignore it. If you don't like it don't look at it. All you ever need to know about porn.
No, I would make child porn and molestation a capital offense. Sorry for the confusion. I was thinking it and just didn't convey it clearly.
No, I would make child porn and molestation a capital offense. Sorry for the confusion. I was thinking it and just didn't convey it clearly.
See my comments on post 608.
No problem. You had me wondering for a minute. LOL!
Understood, and Thank you for clarifying that.
However, for those offenses, wouldn't a firing squad be a tad too quick?
Howzabout a tall (40-60 ft) guillotine like thing, with a hole about waist high...
Just a thought
One more time: No, you did not infer this. You implied it.
The state of English usage these days... sad, just sad....
Puh-leeze. Do you engage in sexual congress with your spouse in front of your children and grandchildren? Do you urinate in front of your children and grandchildren? Do you say what you really think of Bill Clinton in front of your children and grandchildren? Do you have medical procedures performed on you in front of your children and grandchildren?
"And the Ted Bundy stuff was debunked long ago."
"Got a source for that? Not calling BS, just like to follow up."
Sorry, I think I phrased this wrong. It's not that Bundy never made that statement about looking at porn. But most people familiar with Bundy agree that the man would say anything to get further publicity, even when he was about the be put to death. Most also agree that Bundy was a seriously demented psychopath who would have killed people even if he had never looked at porno.
The porno had nothing to do with Bundy's murders and Harris looks like an idiot bringing it up.
All sin/ addictions/ vices what ever is progressive. it is only a matter on your strength to control it. As I have stated before in earlier posting. There are some that can't control themselves, as to there are others who can. Some get addicted, most do not.
Besides, I do not try to convict anyone of thier vices. That isn't my job.
Wow, for the first time in this thread, I actually agree with you in most of this post.
You mean you don't want that NOW?
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