Hot, naked women "sully the honor" of U.S. Navy, Air Force, Marines and Army?

[coffeeseven]

More garbage law from our garbage government. Sometimes I don't know whether to laugh, cry or yell when I read idiotic crap like this. This story appears in all four of the military "news" magazines.

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_pornography_stores_042208w/

Concerned that the military is selling pornography in exchange stores in spite of a ban, one lawmaker has introduced a bill to clean up the matter.

"Our troops should not see their honor sullied so that the moguls behind magazines like Playboy and Penthouse can profit," said Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., unveiling his House bill April 16.

His Military Honor and Decency Act would amend a provision of the 1997 Defense Authorization Act that banned sales of "sexually explicit material" on military bases.

The new language would "close existing loopholes" in regulations to bring the military "into compliance with the intent of the 1997 law," Broun said.

"Allowing sale of pornography on military bases has harmed military men and women by escalating the number of violent, sexual crimes, feeding a base addiction, eroding the family as the primary building block of society, and denigrating the moral standing of our troops both here and abroad," Broun said.

Broun said he wants to bring the Defense Department into compliance with the intent of the 1997 law "so that taxpayers will not be footing the costs of distributing pornography."

Exchange officials noted that tax dollars are not used to procure magazines in the system's largely self-funded operations.

But Broun's spokesman John Kennedy contended that taxpayer dollars are involved — "used to pay military salaries, so taxpayer money is, in effect, being used to buy these materials," he said.

Broun's bill, which has 15 co-sponsors and has been referred to the House Armed Services Committee for consideration, would tighten the definition of pornography. One part of the provision states that if a print publication is a periodical, it would be considered sexually explicit if "it regularly features or gives prominence to nudity or sexual or excretory activities or organs in a lascivious way."

Previously, defense officials have said, they do not consider nudity in itself to be "lascivious."

"It's not our intent to have an art magazine banned," Kennedy said. "Our intention is to enforce the 1997 law so that magazines are banned that feature nudity in a way to develop a prurient interest in a reader."

He said Broun has specifically named Playboy and Penthouse because those two publications "were always intended to be banned and will now be covered."

Playboy was determined not to be sexually explicit by the Defense Department's Resale Activities Board of Review.

Although Penthouse initially was banned, new ownership and a new editing team have revised its format, and the Defense Department board allowed it to return to exchanges after another review last year.

"Few people will contest the notion that Playboy and Penthouse and others are sexually explicit," Kennedy said. "However, DoD officials with a wink and a nod do not find that these rise to the definition."

Kennedy said Broun "is a medical doctor and 'addictionologist' who is familiar with the negative consequences associated with long-term exposure to pornography," especially women in the military "who have to deal with this."

Until now, the board has been required to review only newly submitted material, and also reconsider material banned for at least five years, at the request of the publication.

Broun's proposed legislation would require the Defense Department to annually review all material that is not deemed sexually explicit now, and is therefore allowed in military stores, to determine if it should be prohibited.

The board did not meet between 2000 and 2005, Broun said. In 2006, the Defense Department changed its policy to let banned material be resubmitted for review every five years.

Former Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione challenged the 1997 law in court, claiming it violated his free-speech rights by using government bureaucrats as censors.

A U.S. district court judge agreed and barred enforcement of the law. But a divided appeals court overruled, saying military exchanges are "nonpublic forums in which the government may restrict the content of speech."

The Supreme Court sided with the appeals court and declined to hear the case in June 1998.

Just as an aside here are the committees the sponsor of the bill serves on:

From Wikipedia-

    * Committee on Homeland Security
          o Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection
          o Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology
    * Committee on Science and Technology
          o Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation
          o Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight

I wonder in which of these committees he came up with this bill?

[Puke]

Cool, now private porn vendors off base can make even more money.
I wonder if this prick would ban internet access as well?

I guess military recruitment will just continue to plummet while suicides rise.

[J’raxis 270145]

Exchange officials noted that tax dollars are not used to procure magazines in the system's largely self-funded operations.

But Broun's spokesman John Kennedy contended that taxpayer dollars are involved — "used to pay military salaries, so taxpayer money is, in effect, being used to buy these materials," he said.

Do these military stores sell religious materials? I'd be far more offended my tax dollars are being used to support religions I don't believe in (all of 'em) than pornography.


/offended my tax dollars are being used, period.

[Caleb]

Gee, and here I thought it was the bombings and the land wars that sullied the honor of the military.

[J’raxis 270145]

Gee, and here I thought it was the bombings and the land wars that sullied the honor of the military.

This is America. We all know sex is worse than violence.

[Puke]

This is America. We all know sex is worse than violence.

How true.   

[Free libertarian]

...this is my weapon, this is my gun, one is for shooting, one is for fun?



   

[41mag]

Obviously the author of this bill isn't familiar with the military.  Porn (and strip clubs) have always been popular. 

One of my instructors in the military was on a missile sub.  The missile subs have two complete crews (swap off crews to keep them out longer).  He was telling me that his Commanding Officer was called down to the police station.  Evidently the cops busted a prostitution ring made up of the wives of the other crew that was out to sea.  He did mention that was even run the by XO's wife.

Do these military stores sell religious materials? I'd be far more offended my tax dollars are being used to support religions I don't believe in (all of 'em) than pornography.

So would you be against the military putting priests, ministers, and rabbis on their payroll?  They recruit officers (chaplains) from the major religions/denominations.

[Tom Sawyer]

When we were stationed in Japan they packed us 14 to a room. We tried to make our living space a little better. Someone had put some centerfolds up on the wall. We get this written order down from the top that said "No female nude photographs".

Well, they shouldn't have been so specific, cause the next inspection we had put centerfolds from Playgirl up. 
Man, when they came through they went apoplectic! 

It took them a while to realize they couldn't win fighting us. 

[Puke]

It took them a while to realize they couldn't win fighting us. 

That's hilarious.
When in Iraq I cut out all of the liquor ads from some magazines and taped onto the break-room wall.
They didn't like that either. I used to say that "fun is not allowed" a lot.

[J’raxis 270145]

Do these military stores sell religious materials? I'd be far more offended my tax dollars are being used to support religions I don't believe in (all of 'em) than pornography.

So would you be against the military putting priests, ministers, and rabbis on their payroll?  They recruit officers (chaplains) from the major religions/denominations.

Yes. But like I also said, I'm against the military being on my tax payroll (or any other government agencies for that matter).

[ancapagency]

Oddly enough, Porn has always been considered contraband in the Army.  If it was discovered in your room during a "Health and Welfare Inspection" it would be confiscated and destroyed.  But it was sold in the "Stars and Stripes Bookstore" on post.  There are a lot of inconsistencies whenever you're dealing with any gooferment entity.

[Puke]

While in Iraq they threatened several times that the CO would order a search of everyone's personal computers in the hunt for vile porn. They never did though, it was just a lame threat.
They also would tell us that they could tell if we looked at porn sites while online. They could if one was using the Armie's net system, but in our trailers/rooms we had an ISP form off base that no one monitored.
The higher ups just liked to threaten everyone so that the stupid ignorant guys would follow along. Anyone with a basic knowledge of computers knew they where full of shit.

Ah, good times.