Anti-porn Groups Demand Ban on Skin Mags [in Military]

Military.com ^ | 11/6/2007 | UPI

[mngran2]

Dozens of anti-pornography groups asked the U.S. Congress to force the Pentagon to keep sexually related material from being sold in military stores.

Pornographic material was banned from being sold in military establishments nearly 10 years ago, but Christian group American Family Association claimed that adult fare, including Penthouse and Playboy material, is still being sold in the stores, USA Today reported Monday.

The Pentagon deemed those materials aren't explicit enough to pull from its stores.

"They're saying 'we're not selling stuff that's sexually explicit' -- and we say it's pornography," Donald Wildmon, head of the American Family Association, told USA Today.

A letter-writing campaign launched Friday aimed to convince Congress to "get the Pentagon to obey the law," he added.

The Military Honor and Decency Act of 1996 is supposed to bar "sexually explicit material" from being sold in stores on military bases, the newspaper said. It defines porn as "the dominant theme of which depicts or describes nudity" or sexual activities "in a lascivious way."

[mngran2]

Hmmm...I agree pornography is extremely bad and can be a hazardous addiction that destroys families and spirits, but something tells me it's such an ingrained part of military service that it's not going to be stopped. I wonder what military chaplains would say about this. I would tend to trust their judgment.

[Mr Rogers]

This Act was breathtakingly stupid. It reflects the mentality that our military is made up of children.

[pissant]

Find another issue, folks. If our soldiers want to look at Penthouse, so be it.

[Crim]

LMAO....those arent even porn...

Ever stumble blindly around the internet lately?

This is where groups with good intentions jump the shark...

I heard some roads were paved with them...

[ari-freedom]

well don’t try to post those pics on FR

[Wolverine]

Marriott and Hilton Hotels

[TomGuy]

If a person is old enough and mature enough to join the military and possibly fight in wars to protect the nation, etc., they don't need American Family Association telling them what mags they should or should not be allowed to purchase.

[NY Attitude]

We are asking our military to go uut and kill the enemy in various and assundry ways yet we are asking that they not be allowed to look at Playboy etc. The entire thing is stupid.

[Cobra64]

[Tailgunner Joe]

What a dilemma for libertarians! Do they love porn so much that they actually want the government to be in the business of selling it?

[pissant]

that looks comfy

[ari-freedom]

a libertarian would probably want the military stores to be contracted out to private sector

[Squawk 8888]

Well, the drinking age of 21 is evidence enough that there are many who seek to infantilize *all* adults, not just military members, so I’m not the least bit surprised by this.

[matthew fuller]

"go uut and kill the enemy in various and assundry ways "

This is series and it's gotta stop!

[Squawk 8888]

Actually, I’m surprised that they haven’t been contracted out. I’ve seen lots of other private businesses (mainly restaurants) operating on bases both here and in the USA so it could make sense.

[fr_freak]

Find another issue, folks. If our soldiers want to look at Penthouse, so be it.

I consider this to be a trivial issue, myself, but the issue is not whether our military guys can look at porno. It is whether military stores (presumably AAFES) can sell it. The military guys would still be free to go to any civilian store in the world and buy whatever they want.

Buried in this trivial issue is a very relevant question: despite the fact that we may consider banning pornography to be prudish, if there is a law in place specifically to ban pornography from military stores, then why the hell isn't that law being followed? Either repeal the law or enforce it. Having laws on the books that everyone ignores simply destroys respect for the law in general, and I would think that one of the places we would least like to see lawlessness promoted is in our military.

[allmendream]

About half the people I ever saw buying skin mags at the PX were women with military style hair cuts. If they ban them how else will we receive confirmation that they are a thespian? ;)

[pissant]

Penthouse isn’t porn. It’s just naked chicks.

[Crim]

Duh.

[Keith in Iowa]

Can you define what ‘porn’ is?

I for one, do not want Wildman et al defining what is porn and what is not.

[dakine]

“It defines porn as “the dominant theme of which depicts or describes nudity” or sexual activities “in a lascivious way.””

Well, that narrows it down...next, no more condoms from the dispensary....

[who_would_fardels_bear]

Also, they should no longer sell cigarettes, and they should limit the amount of alcohol that can be purchased at one time.

If a solder is drinking immediately before being called to battle stations and starts to drive a jeep, then he should be breathalyzed. If his blood alcohol level is over 0.08 then he should be sent to the brig and dishonorably discharged!

/sarcasm

[iowamark]

“assundry”?

Is that a conflation of “ass” and “sundry”?

[casino66]

So is it pornography?

Definitions
The 1986 Attorney General Commission on Pornography defined pornography as material that “is predominantly sexually explicit and intended primarily for the purpose of sexual arousal.” Hard core pornography “is sexually explicit in the extreme, and devoid of any other apparent content or purpose.”(4)
Another important term is the definition of obscenity. The current legal definition of obscenity is found in the 1973 case of Miller v. California. “According to the Miller case, material is obscene if all three of the following conditions are met:

The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interests.
The work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state (or federal) law, and
The work taken as a whole, lacks serious, artistic, political or scientific value.(5)

[purpleraine]

Just a suggestion: either organize a nationwide boycott to restrict what others can see or just call down to the front desk and have them put a block on the “adult” channels. We have done that for the last 15 years. Give it a try.

[dighton]

A futile and silly crusade.

An’ if sometimes our conduck isn’t all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don’t grow into plaster saints.

[allmendream]

Some places the ‘civilian’ stores are foreign. German magazines have a disturbing tendency to include nudity at random and frequently of David Hasselhoff in their regular magazines, I’d be afraid to look at their skin mags.

[period end of story]

Remember: they have guns.

[blaquebyrd]

"I wonder what military chaplains would say about this. I would tend to trust their judgment."

I'd trust the judgment of the average GI even more. These nanny-staters should mind their own business and worry about what's going on in their bedrooms. GIs pay taxes too and if a red blooded American fighting man wants legal porn, I support his right to have it.

[Muleteam1]

Can military stores sell bibles?

[tacticalogic]

The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interests.

In this case the "community" is a military base, and apparently the community doesn't have a problem with it.

[dan1123]

>> either organize a nationwide boycott to restrict what others can see or just call down to the front desk and have them put a block on the “adult” channels. We have done that for the last 15 years. Give it a try. <<

Might be a little harder to do for hotels to do the same for in-room internet access.

[Larry Lucido]

Oh, yeah, this’ll go over well.

[mnehring]

Ditto. If they are willing to bleed for our country, then they can look at all the boobies they want to.

[purpleraine]

When you check in with your kids and bring your computer, do the same thing you do at home. Easier to control in the same motel room.

How else can we protect your family for you?

[Larry Lucido]

dominant theme of which depicts or describes nudity" or sexual activities "in a lascivious way."

Sex is lewd and lascivious - if it's done right.

[mylife]

Ain't gonna happen

[Squantos]

Handle every situation such as this like a dog.

If you can’t eat it or hump it
Piss on it and walk away.

[ari-freedom]

that does it. time for ww3

[Squantos]

ROTFLMAO ! that is a funny picture !

Eaker you have to buy those ladies in your family a proper holster !

[tacticalogic]

Remember: they have guns.

Yes, they do. And if you forget, they also have weapons.

[Yo-Yo]

[dighton]

Ya beat me to it.

Added keyword noseart.

[period end of story]

And if you forget, they also have weapons.

Big, big, weapons.

[mylife]

Its pretty ridiculous isnt it?

Oh course racy nose art was banned in Afghanistan and Iraq to prevent offending tender muslim sensibilities

[oldbrowser]

Penthouse isn’t porn. It’s just naked chicks.

Naked chicks are some of God's most beautiful creations.

[MARTIAL MONK]

The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interests.

I know it when I see it and I wanna see more evidence.

[NY Attitude]

LOL.

[ccmay]

I am sick and tired of these Puritan busybodies. I wish they would go join the Constitution party or something, and leave Republicans and all other Americans alone to live their lives as they see fit.

-ccm

[Eaker]

Eaker you have to buy those ladies in your family a proper holster !

Ladies, hell!

This is why gunner was really in the hospital!