While we have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting Muslim extremists, Christian extremist forces here in America are rivaling those of the Taliban in attempting to control sex and “obscenities” in our society.  Abstinence and “family value” propaganda, like that promoted by Sarah Palin, is out of control, and now we have the Department of Justice, under the Bush Administration, which formerly pursued actual criminals, focused on pursuing far more important cases against adults selling pornography to other adults.

 

Recently, a Federal Prosecutor from the DOJ’s Obscenity Prosecution Task Force, served as co-prosecutor in a case against a small video store owner in the tiny town of Staunton, VA.  The owner was arrested in a police “sting” operation, where an undercover officer bought an adult video from the store.

 

The DOJ website says the Obscenity Prosecution Task Force “is dedicated exclusively to the protection of America’s children and families through the enforcement of our Nation’s obscenity laws.”   One might think from that blurb that the DOJ OPTF is dedicated to eradicating images of child pornography or some other lofty goal. The store owner in Staunton, however, was accused of selling obscene video material, not to a child, but to another adult. The video in question was not child pornography, bestiality, or heaven forbid, gay or lesbian sex, but a standard vanilla pornographic video depicting men and women having sex.

 

The DOJ is on a mission, you see, to make all pornography considered obscene, and therefore illegal.  That is exactly why the federal government was interested in prosecuting a small video store in a tiny town in Virginia, because, as a local Staunton prosecutor commented. “They’re interested in how we do here…” before they go after bigger targets.

 

If successful in Staunton, Virginia, which is just a few miles from Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, who authored the Declaration of Independence, and from Montpelier, the home of James Madison, who wrote the Constitution, then perhaps the DOJ figures they can be successful anywhere. 

 

You may not think you have a problem with the censorship of pornography, but how about Harry Potter books Classic Paintings or Rolling Stone music CDs?  All of which have been targeted by the American religious right and conservative extremists in recent years. 

 

Sarah Palin, upon becoming Mayor, attempted to ban certain books in the Wasilla city library because they contained “objectionable” language.  According to Anne Kilkenny, who has known Palin since 1992, “While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from the library some books that Sarah wanted removed.”

 

If John McCain wins the Presidency we can look forward to Palin contributing her brand of religion to more legislated morality.

 

Once the DOJ classifies all pornography as obscene, and makes it illegal to sell or purchase, regardless of the material content, or your age, they will have simultaneously circumvented the constitution and paid homage to the very enemy US soldiers are combating daily.  

 

 

Sources: Dr.Marty Klein, Alternet Aug, 29,2008, DOJ website, Joe Mozingo, LA Times, Oct 9, 2007, Note to all by Anne Kilkenny, Aug 31, 2008