CYBERSPACE – A column from pro-censorship conservative activist Judith Reisman is causing quite a stir in some online adult entertainment circles. Reisman, upset that porn actress Mary Carey will be attending a dinner with President Bush, claimed in her column published on WorldNetDaily.com that the adult entertainment industry would like to legalize child pornography.“Despite present denials, pornographers would like to see us legalize prostitution and child pornography, as well as all mind-altering drugs like marijuana, LSD, cocaine,” Reisman wrote.
Reisman offered no reason for making this claim, and no evidence that anyone from the adult entertainment industry would like to legalize child pornography.
“It’s absolutely outrageous,” said Connor Young, Editor of YNOT and a member of the Free Speech Coalition Board of Directors. “What I find so upsetting is that people like Dr. Reisman can just make up whatever they want to make up about this industry and spew it out there without any consequences whatsoever. The Republican Party really needs to take a look at what kind of person they are associating with here in Dr. Reisman, and whether they want to continue that association. Her opinions seem to go way beyond mainstream Republican values.”
Reisman also continued arguments used recently by several censorship groups that pornography is tied to sexual slavery.
“Pornography is no joke. Thousands of children are kidnapped each year and forced into sex slavery – commonly preserved as pornography. In 1999, the U.S. Department of Justice recorded 58,200 children kidnapped by non-family members,” Reisman claimed.
According to Young, the sex slavery angle is the latest attempt by censorship groups to get past the First Amendment.
”They are dishonestly trying to tie constitutionally protected adult entertainment to illegal acts like child abduction or child pornography because their other arguments against adult entertainment are striking out with mainstream America,” said Young. “The goal here is censorship of all adult entertainment, and to achieve that goal they are trying to tie legitimate adult businesses to real criminals through leaps of logic – the consequences of these lies be damned. In the process they are degrading the serious discussion of vitally important issues like child pornography, and they are spitting on real victims of sexual assault and child abuse by exploiting their horrible experiences.
“We saw certain groups use the Terry Schiavo tragedy for political purposes, and now we see that trend continue,” Young added. “Sexual assault victims should never be used for some politically charged effort to force an intolerant sense of morality on the entire country. Sexual assault and child abuse are serious issues, but when people hear these right-wing groups use them for low political purposes like censorship campaigns, they start to tune out altogether. Reisman may want readers to infer that 58,200 kidnapped children somehow ended up victims of the adult entertainment industry, but people with good sense know better. People with sense demand evidence. That’s why none of this has caught on with many congressmen, or with the president.”
The one congressman who has taken Reisman seriously is Senator Sam Brownback (R–KS), who in the last year has held two separate “hearings” on pornography. At these hearings it was argued by Reisman and other censorship group representatives that pornography’s “effect” is comparable to that of crack cocaine. Reisman was invited by Senator Brownback to speak at his second hearing, but no member of any other group was allowed to rebut Reisman’s questionable testimony.
Young did find a silver lining in Reisman’s most recent comments, however.
“It must be a sign that adult entertainment is finding its place in America,” Young added. “If these pro-censorship businesses are so desperate that they have to resort to simply making things up about the adult industry then that must be a sign the industry is doing a good job being responsible contributors to American society. If we weren’t then these censorship groups could rely on facts rather than fancy. I have a feeling these censorship extremists are on their way out of any sense of relevance, and it’s about time.”
Reisman’s entire column can be read here: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44463
