Pornographic Exploitation is "Free Speech?"

A news story just broke today reporting that a Federal Judge had just struck down an Internet Pornography Law. (Read the story here on Reuters and Associated Press). The 1998 law was designed to block children from viewing Internet pornography. The Judge stated that the violates the U.S. Constitution's free speech protections. The challenge was brought up by the American Civil Liberties Union ACLU), which had argued that the provisions of the Child Online Protection Act were too restrictive.

This just infuriates me. Our society is so careful about protecting our so-called "free speech" that we are neglecting to see the incredible harm we are doing to ourselves and future generations.

Interestingly enough in an unrelated story by Zenit.org today with an interview with Melinda Tankard Reist (Dealing Girls a Raw and Racy Deal), the founding director of Women's Forum Australia, stated that our culture is harming our young girls with the message that the must be sexual to be accepted. This is a direct result of the unfettered "pornization" of our culture. Melinda stated:

"The problem of the premature sexualizing of girls is one of the most serious issues confronting us as a society at the present time. Girls are being turned into sexual objects earlier and earlier.

The messages they receive through popular culture is that to be attractive, to be accepted, you have to dress and behave in a sexual manner. There are now lingerie clothing lines for preteen girls, and bras for girls under 10, T-shirts with sexual slogans, and even a pole dancing kit complete with a DVD that features "sexy dance tracks" for 6-year-olds."

She goes on to say that:

"The barrage of sexual images in popular culture cannot be justified on "free speech" grounds when it is causing so much damage to vulnerable children who need protection...Online networks of pedophiles also use "free speech" arguments when trading in images of children being raped."

So, we live in a culture where the Law protect a pornographers "rights" to exploit other human beings and feed this sickening garbage to our children.

I have to agree with what Melinda said at the end of her interview:

"We need a new global movement prepared to stand up against corporations, advertisers, the sex industry, the makers of violent video games and demeaning music clip and Internet sites. We need the same momentum as we've seen drive recent movements against global warming and world poverty propel a new movement for fighting our toxic cultural environment."

We have so many in our society who are ready to stand up and get indignant about "global warming" or "world hunger" but very little ready to stand up against the real and destructive "Plague of Pornography!"

Dear God help us...We Must Wake Up!

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Update: The government is expected to appeal the ruling, and the case may return eventually to the Supreme Court.

To contact respectfully the US District Court of Eastern Pennsylvania:

United States District Court
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Office of the Clerk of Court
U.S. Courthouse
601 Market Street, Room 2609
Philadelphia, PA 19106-1797
Phone: (215) 597-7704
Fax: (215) 597-6390

E-mail: PAED_clerksoffice@paed.uscourts.gov

To write a letter to the Governor send to:
Governor Edward G. Rendell's Office
225 Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120

To telephone the Governor call:
(717) 787-2500.
E-mail: PAED_clerksoffice@paed.uscourts.gov

A copy of Judge Reed's ruling can be found here:
http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/07D0346P.pdf


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