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Did you know that pornography is against the law?  There are five different federal laws banning the sale and distribution of pornography within the United States as well as several state laws.  Many of these laws were passed over ten years ago, but the media and liberal democrats have purposely ignored them.  It is extremely difficult to find any reference to these laws online and even harder to learn how to report violations of these laws.  Most of the agencies entrusted by Congress with the enforcement of these laws have adopted a solely informative role instead.  They are very willing to present statistics and recommend filters, but none of them want to admit that they can investigate and prosecute based on citizen complaints.  Because of this reticence, I have compiled a list of resources that we can use to stop this blight on the character of our country.

Federal Laws Against Pornography

The federal government has passed into law six different statements prohibiting the distribution of obscenity (the legal term for pornography) within the United States.  One of those laws is currently suspended while the courts determine its constitutionality, but the others have all been upheld by the Supreme Court.  The five laws currently upheld are:

The Communications Decency Act
-   Law requiring age verification for pornographic websites
-   (Link deleted per rule 3.3)
-   Class E Felony
-   Two years imprisonment
-   $250,000 fine for individuals
-   $500,000 fine for organizations

Title 18 Section 1462
-   Law against the transportation of obscene material (also applies to the internet)
-   (Link deleted per rule 3.3)
-   Class E Felony
-   Five years imprisonment
-   $250,000 fine for individuals
-   $500,000 fine for organizations

Title 18 Section 1465
-   Law against the production of obscene material
-   (Link deleted per rule 3.3)
-   Class E Felony
-   Five years imprisonment
-   $250,000 fine for individuals
-   $500,000 fine for organizations

Title 18 Section 1468
-   Law against distributing obscenity by cable or subscription services
-   (Link deleted per rule 3.3)
-   Class E Felony
-   Two years imprisonment
-   $250,000 fine for individuals
-   $500,000 fine for organizations

Title 18 Section 2252
-   Law banning the use of misleading domain names by pornographic sites
-   (Link deleted per rule 3.3)
-   Class E Felony
-   Two years imprisonment
-   $250,000 fine for individuals
-   $500,000 fine for organizations

Federal Racketeering Laws
-   Law against dealing in pornography across state lines (also applies to the internet)
-   (Link deleted per rule 3.3)
-   Class C Felony
-   Twenty years of imprisonment
-   Forfeiture of all property used in racketeering activities
-   Fined double the amount of profit gained through racketeering activities

What The Courts Define As Obscenity

The Supreme Court has established a three part definition of obscenity which is banned by the laws mentioned above.  Material is considered obscene if:
1.   When taken as a whole, it appeals to the prurient interest in sex; and
2.   Depicts or describes hardcore sexual content in a patently offensive manner; and
3.   When taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, and scientific value.
(Link deleted per rule 3.3)

State Laws Against Pornography

Most states also have laws against obscenity.  For a listing of the laws in your state, go to (Link deleted per rule 3.3)For example, North Carolina has passed the following laws against obscenity:

General Statute 14-190.1
-   Law against disseminating obscenity (also applies to the internet)
-   (Link deleted per rule 3.3)
-   Class I Felony

General Statute 14-190.15
-   Law against disseminating harmful materials to minors (also applies to the internet)
-   (Link deleted per rule 3.3)190.15.html
-   Class 1 misdemeanor

NC Law on the Protection of Minors from Harmful Materials
-   (Link deleted per rule 3.3)
NC Racketeering Laws
-   Law against dealing in pornography (also applies to the internet)
-   (Link deleted per rule 3.3)
-   Forfeiture of all earnings and property associated with crime.

Reporting Illegal Pornography

We cannot expect the wicked to enforce these laws voluntarily, nor can we expect the laws to enforce themselves, and like the judge in scripture, our bureaucracy often moves only at great importunity.  To provide the government with the proper impetus, a letter referencing these laws and providing information on violations of these laws can be sent to the appropriate government agencies.  The more of these letters that are sent, the more likely they will be to produce the desired results.

This enemy must be attacked on all fronts, from the magazine in the checkout line to the adult content on TV as well as the large-scale pornographic publishers in America.  Distributing pornography across state lines is a federal offense, so most of the magazines found in the checkout line can be reported to federal as well as state authorities.  

It is important that you inform those against whom you will be filing a complaint.  Most gas station attendants and supermarket managers simply do not know that the material displayed on their shelves is illegal.  Informing them of your intentions to file a complaint will often be the only action necessary to have the offensive material removed.  

Federal Addresses For Complaints

Attorney General Eric Holder
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

U.S. Department of Justice
10th & Constitution Ave., NW
Criminal Division, (Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section)
John C. Keeney Building, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20530

U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division
Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS)
1400 New York Avenue, 6th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20530

Federal Bureau of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20535-0001

U.S. Department of Justice
Organized Crime and Racketeering Section
1301 New York Avenue, NW - Suite 700
Washington, DC 2005

State Addresses For Complaints

Your state's attorney general
Your district attorney
Your state's bureau of investigation

Sample Letter

The format below may be used to report obscenity crimes to federal agencies.  For state agencies, you will need to substitute the applicable state laws in place of the federal laws.  For your complaint to be properly filed, you should send a separate letter for each report, but multiple letters can be included in the same envelope.  I also recommend that you send a copy of all letters to the Morality in Media organization (Link deleted per rule 3.3)  This will let each agency know that your complaint is being properly and publicly documented.  The names and addresses of adult entertainment companies can be found at (Link deleted per rule 3.3) It is not necessary for you to actually view any pornographic material before making a complaint.

(Date)

(Your Address)
(Your Phone Number)

(Recipient's Address)

Dear Sir:

I would like to thank you for all of the hard work that you have been willing to invest in service to the citizens of this country.  Let me assure you that your efforts are greatly appreciated by those who benefit from them.  I would like to assist you in this great task by requesting that your office investigate and prosecute Playboy Enterprises Inc. (680 N. Lake Shore Dr. Chicago, IL 60611) for the following offenses:

1.   This company is in direct violation of the Communications Decency Act in that they use an interactive computer service to display in a manner available to a person under 18 years of age, obscene material including ultimate sexual acts and lewd exhibition of the genitals.

2.   This company is in direct violation of Title 18 section 1462 of the United States Code in that they knowingly use an interactive computer service for carriage in interstate commerce of obscene, lewd, lascivious, and filthy publications of ultimate sexual acts and lewd exhibition of the genitals.

3.   This company is in direct violation of Title 18 section 1465 of the United States Code in that they knowingly produce obscene, lewd, lascivious and filthy publications of ultimate sexual acts and lewd exhibition of the genitals with the intent to distribute these publications in interstate commerce, or use an interactive computer service affecting such commerce.  

4.   This company is in direct violation of the racketeering laws set forth in Title 18 Chapter 96 of the United States Code in that they have used income gained from a pattern of racketeering activity in the operation of an enterprise which is engaged in interstate or foreign commerce.  The income thus used has been gained through actions which are indictable under sections 1462 and 1465 of Title 18 of the United States Code.

Thank you once again for your hard work in this area.  Please acknowledge receipt of this complaint and keep me informed of your progress in these investigations.  I look forward to hearing of your successful prosecution of this company that seeks to bring harm to our communities.


Sincerely,


(Your Name)


CC: Morality in Media, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115

Sample Letter 2

(Date)

(Your Address)
(Your Phone Number)

(Recipient's Address)

Dear Sir:

I would like to thank you for all of the hard work that you have been willing to invest in service to the citizens of this state.  Let me assure you that your efforts are greatly appreciated by those who benefit from them.  

According to NC General Statute 14-190.15, it is unlawful in North Carolina to sell, furnish, present, or distribute to a minor material that is harmful to minors.  The North Carolina Law on the Protection of Minors from Harmful Materials defines material harmful to minors as any picture, photograph, drawing, or similar visual representation or image of a person or portion of the human body which depicts nudity, sexual conduct or sadomasochistic abuse; and which

a.   Predominantly appeals to the prurient, shameful or morbid interest of minors,
b.   Is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable materials for minors, and
c.   Is utterly without redeeming social importance for minors.  

Nudity is further defined by this law as the showing of the human male or female genitals, pubic area or buttocks with less than a full opaque covering, or the showing of the female breast with less than a full opaque covering of any portion thereof below the top of the nipple, or the depiction of covered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state.

Sexual conduct is also further defined as acts of masturbation, homosexuality, sexual intercourse, or physical contact with a person's clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks or, if such person be a female, breast.

In accordance with the North Carolina Law on the Protection of Minors from Harmful Materials, I am seeking adjudication that the following material is harmful to minors and a permanent injunction against any respondent prohibiting him from selling, commercially distributing, or disseminating in any manner such material to minors.  

Please find attached to this letter a photograph of the cover of the February, 2009 issue of the Cosmopolitan magazine which is sold and displayed in gas stations, supermarkets, and grocery stores throughout North Carolina including Wal-mart, Food Lion, Ingles, and Bi-Lo.  According to the laws referenced above, the cover of this magazine is harmful to minors in that it displays nudity by showing the female breast with less than a full opaque covering of any portion thereof below the top of the nipple.  

Please proceed in accordance with the public policy of this State which requires that all proceedings prescribed in the North Carolina Law on the Protection of Minors from Harmful Materials shall be examined, heard and disposed of with the maximum promptness and dispatch.

Thank you once again for your hard work in this area.  Please acknowledge receipt of this complaint and keep me informed of your progress in these investigations.  I look forward to hearing of your successful prosecution of those who seek to bring harm to our communities.


Sincerely,


(Your Name)


CC: Morality in Media, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115


Conclusion

Pornography is against the law.  We have been given the weapons to successfully combat this danger to our communities.  All that remains is for us to take up our weapons and wield them.  Please use the information that I have presented to send as many letters of complaint as you can and encourage your friends to do the same.

Well researched, WSF.

I live in the UK, and so none of the above applies to me.

More importantly, however, I am not really that bothered about winning the war against pornography.  I am interested in fighting the good fight generally.

So far as I can make out, most people who are Christians have little or no interest in obscene material.  OTOH, many non-Christians derive a lot of pleasure from hardcore pornography, and I wonder if we are really going to bring non-Christians to Jesus by trying to deprive them of something which brightens up their godless lives.

So here is a question WSF - leaving aside your own personal views on the matter, why should we fight against pornography?

In answer to your question, let me present some material that is available (Link deleted per rule 3.3)

Quote1. Mr. Justice Harlan, concurring in Roth v. United States, supra, said:

         "[E]ven assuming that pornography cannot be deemed ever to cause in an immediate sense, criminal...conduct, other interests within the proper cognizance of the State may be protected by the prohibition placed on such materials. The state can reasonably draw the inference that over a long period of time the indiscriminate dissemination of materials, the essential character of which is to degrade sex, will have an eroding effect on moral standards."

  2.   In Paris Adult Theater I v. Slaton, 413 U.S. 49 (1973), the Supreme Court identified several valid governmental interests that justify a prohibition on obscenity:

      1. "In particular, we hold that there are legitimate state interests at stake in stemming the tide of commercialized obscenity, even if it is feasible to enforce effective safeguards against exposure to juveniles and to passersby...These include the interest of the public in the quality of life and total community environment, the tone of commerce in the great city centers, and, possibly, the public safety itself."
      2. "Although there is no conclusive proof of a connection between antisocial behavior and obscene material, the legislature... could quite reasonably determine that such a connection does or might exist. In deciding Roth, this Court implicitly decided that a legislature could legitimately act on such a conclusion to protect the social interest in order and morality."
      3. "The sum of experience...affords an ample basis for legislatures to conclude that a sensitive, key relationship of human existence, central to family life, community welfare, and the development of human personality, can be debased and distorted by crass commercial exploitation of sex."
      4. "As Mr. Chief Justice Warren stated, there is a 'right of the Nation and of the states to maintain a decent society.'"

Pornography should be fought against for the same reason that we fight against illegal drugs, namely because it is detrimental to society as a whole.  

In answer to pokhara, I have heard that there are a very large number of Christians worldwide who look at porn, in fact it is a very serious problem in the church generally according to several people who I have heard and things that I have read. I have heard reports that up to 1/3rd of men in church regularly look at porn. yes it is shocking and also hidden, so few of us really know the extent of what is happening.
One shocking report I read said that hotel staff know that when there is a Christian conference, the use of the porn channels on the tvs in the rooms goes up. What a terrible witness that is to them. What must that make them think of us as Christians, what hypocrites we can be sometimes..

I heard another true story of a pastor who took his elders on a weekend conference and when he got the bill for the rooms couldnt understand why they were so hugh, until he was told that they had all been watching the porn channels. He decided that he needed to also watch them to see what it was that they had been watching so that he could confront them about it and guess what, he also got hooked and it took him 6 months to break free from this.
Many Christian leaders are also regular users of porn.I think the percentage is similar to lay people.
I think that if you go onto most Christian forums, expecially those who have marriage and womens sections you will read countless accounts of mainly women whose Christian husbands are hooked on porn. It is a growing and very damaging problem as it destroys marriages, and renders those incolved weak and inneffective for God. (which after all is Satans intention) 

Porn and all that is associated with it is one of Satans strongest tools for doing his dirty work I believe.

I acknowledge the points raised above, but I think some of you may be overstating the case.

If people watch porn channels in hotel rooms, then that is their business, although I think to be fair they ought to pay for it themselves rather than expect the conference facilitator to meet the bill.

Porn can be addictive, but so can lots of things.  If someone needs to be treated for porn addiction, then that does not mean we should outlaw porn.  As it happens I find porn far from addictive.

Another point is that porn can mean a lot of things in practice, and anyone who seeks to ban it needs to be able to work out where exactly to draw the line.

Quote from: Pokhara on Thu Feb 19, 2009 - 06:57:48
I acknowledge the points raised above, but I think some of you may be overstating the case.

If people watch porn channels in hotel rooms, then that is their business, although I think to be fair they ought to pay for it themselves rather than expect the conference facilitator to meet the bill.

Porn can be addictive, but so can lots of things.  If someone needs to be treated for porn addiction, then that does not mean we should outlaw porn.  As it happens I find porn far from addictive.

Another point is that porn can mean a lot of things in practice, and anyone who seeks to ban it needs to be able to work out where exactly to draw the line.

I dont think it is only their buisiness if they are Christians and especially church elders! Leaders of a church are supposed to be walking closely with God, and lusting after naked women who arent their wives is harldy the way to do this.We are supposed to live pure lives and to be faithful to our spouses, and looking at others who arent our spouses having sex or naked is being unfaithful, and isnt something that any of us should be doing. We are told to flee immorality, so looking at porn in a hotel room is hardly fleeing from it is it?

You state that porn isnt addictive for you, so does that mean that you look at porn? If you do, do you feel that it is ok to do so?Most do find it very addictive and usually want to look at more and more of it and more and more serious porn to satisfy them.Even if someone can look at it without becoming addicted it is still wrong and damaging to the body the soul and the spirt. Getting into this can open the door for the enemy to enter with spiirts of lust etc which makes it harder and harder to break free.
There are countless stories of Christians who have been or are trapped into this addiction and of wives whose husband are addicted. It ruins lives marriages and ministries.
 

Quote from: Pokhara on Thu Feb 19, 2009 - 06:57:48
I acknowledge the points raised above, but I think some of you may be overstating the case.

If people watch porn channels in hotel rooms, then that is their business, although I think to be fair they ought to pay for it themselves rather than expect the conference facilitator to meet the bill.

Porn can be addictive, but so can lots of things.  If someone needs to be treated for porn addiction, then that does not mean we should outlaw porn.  As it happens I find porn far from addictive.

Another point is that porn can mean a lot of things in practice, and anyone who seeks to ban it needs to be able to work out where exactly to draw the line.

I strongly agree with Pokharas comment re. this issue. I don't
believe porn can be effectively banned.

Quote from: anniejane on Tue Feb 24, 2009 - 01:40:57

Quote from: Pokhara on Thu Feb 19, 2009 - 06:57:48
I acknowledge the points raised above, but I think some of you may be overstating the case.

If people watch porn channels in hotel rooms, then that is their business, although I think to be fair they ought to pay for it themselves rather than expect the conference facilitator to meet the bill.

Porn can be addictive, but so can lots of things.  If someone needs to be treated for porn addiction, then that does not mean we should outlaw porn.  As it happens I find porn far from addictive.

Another point is that porn can mean a lot of things in practice, and anyone who seeks to ban it needs to be able to work out where exactly to draw the line.

I strongly agree with Pokharas comment re. this issue. I don't
believe porn can be effectively banned.

It cannot be effictively banned as long as Satan is allowed to use it so effectively, but it is still extreemly damaging and harmful and ungodly.