Senate holds hearings on porn

Comparing pornography to heroin, researchers on Thursday called on Congress to finance studies on "porn addiction" and launch a public health campaign about the dangers.

"We're so afraid to talk about sex in our society that we really give carte blanche to the people who are producing this kind of material," said James B. Weaver, a Virginia Tech professor who studies the impact of pornography.

Internet pornography is corrupting children and hooking adults into an addiction that threatens their jobs and families, a panel of anti-porn advocates told the hearing organized by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., chairman of the Commerce subcommittee on science.

But he pointed to studies that show prolonged use of pornography leads to "sexual callousness, the erosion of family values and diminished sexual satisfaction."

Judith Reisman, a vocal critic of the Kinsey Institute and the field of sexology, suggested Congress require police officers to gather evidence of pornography at crime scenes to further research.

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And so it begins. Senate hearings on pornography "destroying lives" and "sexual callousness, the erosion of family values and diminished sexual satisfaction."

This all coming from the same people that think being Gay is a mental disorder.

What do you guys think of this?

like i said on another board, if they're concerned about an addiction, they should try alcohol. drunk drivers kill a lot of people - guys at home jacking off don't. but - oh, yeah - alcohol has their support. being drunk is part of family values.

the hypocrisy of these people is a never-ending thing. i used to work at a local dungeon, and there were plenty of family values republicans coming by for punishment or to punish girls - even as these same republicans worked tirelessly to make dungeons illegal in our state or city.

we may have to adapt what we're doing a little, to avoid problems. only time will tell, but these are not times i feel secure living in... and it ain't just about porn.

Of course porn is addicting and religion isn't? Nothing wrong with going to church every day and every other breath is a prayer? lol

What cracks me up is these people thinking they will rid the world of sexual diversity and sexual entertainment. These things have existed since the beginning of man and will continue until the end of mankind.

If I would have only known before the election what was being promoted by these guys in the midwest:

http://www.steveclemons.com/GOPMaile...s/image001.jpg

http://www.steveclemons.com/GOPMaile...s/image002.jpg

Coming from Chicago , Arkansas is definitely not the midwest That's the deep south!!

We are bad but not that bad !!!! lol

But you're right , shit like that is what lost the Democarts the election : (

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Originally posted by edk
But you're right , shit like that is what lost the Democarts the election : (

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That... and massive voter fraud.

I agree with you Xstr8guy.

Edk, you're right about Arkansas LOL

You know.. the funny thing is I agree with a couple things on the brochure. I think if the pledge of allegiance was created with "under God" then leave it that way. Besides we Americans need all the help we can get :-D

Being a parent I agree with minors having to get parental permission for an abortion. They have to get permission for Tattoos, pierced ears, health care, field trips, and in my opinion, an abortion. But I think after the parent is notified, if the kid knows all their options and still chooses an abortion, then it's their final choice. I think the premise of that law is sound in having to notify a parent of the situation.

Does anyone know exactly what kind of power the senate has and what these meetings can ultimately lead to ?

i don't agree with parental consent to abortion. in a perfect world, our children wouldn't have sex till they're 18, and then the responsibility and problems fall on them.

but this isn't a perfect world. girls who aren't ready for sex get pushed into it by boyfriends all the time. girls who are abused at home are more likely to have sex than non abused ones. so having a girl beaten - maybe to death - for being pregnant, doesn't seem like a realistic or humanitarian option.

if the child has the final say, as you suggest, what is the point of telling the parents? any girl who is motivated enough to go through all that without an adult is pretty motivated - by something at home. why leave her open to the abuse that is so common in that situation? besides, religeous parents WOULDN'T allow her the final say - she could end up locked up and forced to carry to term. do you really think that wouldn't happen in an uber-christian family where they believe they are saving their daughters from eternal damnation?

whoops! that was a double post..

The Pledge of Allegiance did not have 'under god' until 1954, so that blows your argument to hell, Squirt. The Kights of Columbus put pressure on Congress to change it.
http://history.vineyard.net/pledge.htm

Oh, by the way everyone... welcome back to 1954!

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Originally posted by basschick
..so having a girl beaten - maybe to death - for being pregnant, doesn't seem like a realistic or humanitarian option.

..why leave her open to the abuse that is so common in that situation? besides, religeous parents WOULDN'T allow her the final say - she could end up locked up and forced to carry to term.

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That's a pretty bleak scenario you painted there. I was thinking of the more common scenario of a girl gets pregnant, is pressured by her boyfriend to abort, doesn't have money to take care of the child and is embarrassed to goto her parents.

Like I said, the final decision should belong to the girl that's pregnant because it's her body, but minors need permission for everything from their parents and an abortion should be no different.

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Originally posted by basschick
if the child has the final say, as you suggest, what is the point of telling the parents?

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For many reasons including the parents being a source of knowledge, comfort and support. Often times young girls think the worst and it's quite often the opposite. Like young Gay people when they first realize they're Gay. They often feel they are the only ones, but the truth is quite different. Also if the girl has any complications and requires medical treatment, the parents are legally responsible, and have to concent to treatment, since she's a minor.

There are a lot of messed up people out there and unfortunately no laws will change that.

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Originally posted by Xstr8guy
The Pledge of Allegiance did not have 'under god' until 1954, so that blows your argument to hell, Squirt. The Kights of Columbus put pressure on Congress to change it.
http://history.vineyard.net/pledge.htm

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I'm glad I prefaced it with "I think if the pledge of allegiance was created with "under God" then leave it that way."

Thanks for the information. I didn't know that! Fuck the religious bastards changing things to suit them.

The religious freak Muslims and religious freak Christians and Catholics are causing major world problems, as always. I can't wait till they all die down to a small minority in the world. We should put them all to the North Pole and let them fight it out themselves. :high:

Squirt - parents being a source of knowledge, comfort and support? what rose-tinted middle-class world do you live in? girls who would go through the trouble of getting the state to pay for an abortion and all the hassle it is to get an abortion are VERY unlikely to have these parents you describe.

i got an abortion when i was a teenager - it's difficult. it's hard work, and unencouraging. you would NEVER do it on your own unless your parents were scary as hell to you. if your parents weren't zealots or violent or cruel, you would have them take care of it.

the scenario you suggest - poor girl forced by the bf to get an abortion - could occur. it does - often on tv movies.

but most of the girls i know want abortions desparately. they're afraid they've ruined their lives. when i was young, and you had to tell your parents, lots of girls died because they tried to abort themselves rather than tell their parents. that is how much they don't want their parents to know.

and people like you - well-meaning, kindly people with the best of intentions - will start that whole mess again.

it is highly possible i'd have been dead at 16 if my parents had to be told. i believe you mean what you say with love and kindness, but thank goodness that people like you weren't in charge when i was a kid! at very least, i'd have been beaten and beaten and beaten, i would never have been able to finish school, and i would not have been allowed to continue my friendships with my friends. it is possible i'd have been put in y.a. (that's jail for minors) till i was 18.

who would that have helped? not me!

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Originally posted by basschick
..at very least, i'd have been beaten and beaten and beaten, i would never have been able to finish school, and i would not have been allowed to continue my friendships with my friends. it is possible i'd have been put in y.a. (that's jail for minors) till i was 18. who would that have helped? not me!

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I can tell you feel passionately about this and you know from experience what it's like to be in that situation. The closest I came was getting a girlfriend pregnant at 16 and we decided if it was a boy I'd take it, if it was a girl, she'd take it. Then we went on all the rides at the state fair and the next day she miscarried. Kids are so stupid :-D My experience pales to yours.

Teen pregnancy is a difficult thing and as human beings we all have a right to control our body and what we do with it, pregnant teen mothers included. It's law that Chilren have parental permission for tattoos, marriage, medical care, and even field trips, until the age of 18, but undergoing such an invasive medical procedure as an abortion (which often have difficulties), without a parents notification (not permission), is a scary thought to me, a carring father. But your right, some people would do the wrong thing by their child and that is very sad.

You know a bit about my past and should know better then to say I see the world through "rose colored glasses" lol

Another interesting development!

http://www.michaelmoore.com/_images/...elayEthics.jpg

By Edward Epstein / San Francisco Chronicle

Washington -- House Republicans adopted a rule change Wednesday that would allow their powerful majority leader, Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas, to keep his post if he is indicted on state corruption charges stemming from a fund-raising scandal that has already involved three of his associates.

The original rule was adopted by Republicans in 1993 when they were the minority party attacking the Democratic-controlled leadership as corrupt and arrogant. The rule required House GOP leaders to step aside if indicted for a crime that could bring a sentence of at least two years in state or federal prison.

Democrats, recalling how Republicans used the ethics issue to help end four decades of Democratic House control in 1994, criticized the GOP move.

"It's just interesting that the first order of business following the election, on the part of the Republican majority, is to lower their ethical standards for their leaders in the Congress by saying that if indicted, you can serve,'' Pelosi told reporters after the Democrats in the House unanimously re-elected her and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland.

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So basically porn is bad, but a party leader being charged with felony counts of corruption is ok and you should change your own rules to make it so? We are in for some serious fuck ups the next four years.

hey, gotta love them family values :-/

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Originally posted by basschick
hey, gotta love them family values :-/

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Sweetheart I highly suggest you take part in the Presidential Prayer Team and make a difference in this world :-D

Whenever theres political talk about porn, or a 60 minutes tv special on it, they NEVER talk about gay porn. Theyre always showing examples of the 18yo girl who head off into the big city to make it,and ended up in porn and getting taken advantage of.

Do you think that gay porn is under the radar?

Maybe because our industry is smart enough not to do crazy kinds of videos, most gay porn is vanilla fuck-n-suck with maybe a little leather thrown in. Nothing to raise any eyebrows.

Maybe because were mostly dealing with all men, theres no problems with it, since gay men love sex and so its no big deal to gay actors? But when dealing with women you have a lot more that goes into it with emotions and treatment of women.

Or do you think it would just be embarassing for politicions to make a big deal out of gay porn?

The gay community would fucking FLIP if gay porn were banned, its so integrated into our community and no big deal, imo.
Banning it would be like stonewall.

Marc - for over a year now, every attorney who works with first amendment issues felt that gay porn as a whole would be attacked if ashcroft continued with the doj. now, it will take a little time to get an idea what the new guy's priorities are.

you don't see gay porn in the news because usually - unlike straight porn - there's no victim. it doesn't fit their itinerary of showing a poor mislead, mistreated victim whose life is ruined. sure, there are some - but they don't want you to feel empathy for gay men because gay men are supposed to be seen as a threat - a threat to our "christian" way of life.

i doubt there would be a stonewall over porn, although who knows. but people feel like they've been heard when they post on the internet, and after they feel they've been heard, they don't have the level of anger that usually spurs people to do things.

anyway, that's how it seems to me.

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Originally posted by Marc
Do you think that gay porn is under the radar?

Or do you think it would just be embarassing for politicions to make a big deal out of gay porn?

The gay community would fucking FLIP if gay porn were banned, its so integrated into our community and no big deal, imo.
Banning it would be like stonewall.

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I don't think Gay porn is totally under the raydar. I've heard stories of sick child molesters with Gay porn and that's usually the association people have with the Gay community and porn.

I think that, just like normal porn, politicians would say Gay porn is "fill in the blank" then something like "trying to recruit the young men of America to be deviants. etc.etc.

I think if Gay porn were banned the Gay community would find a way. We are too educated and determined to maintain our rights. My .00002 cents