This week we will be discussing one of CP80's proposed bills (we will share 5 and then pick which is most popular) and state resolutions they are trying to pass throughout the country about making it in a state's interest to focus on solving the internet pornography problem. We encourage you to read about these legislative pieces before the meeting. After our discussion we will head over to the McKay computer lab and write our representatives.
In terms of news, this past week Senator Orrin Hatch asked the new Department of Justice nominee Michael Mukasey about his intents to fight against pornography. Hatch has been complaining about the DOJ's track record with enforcing obscenity laws, only doing so in extreme cases. The San Francisco Gate mistakes Hatch's argument in asking the DOJ to redouble its efforts on attacking mainstream obscenity. The author poses that Hatch is misconstruing obscenity community standards. If it is mainstream, it is supposed to be protected according to the author. Hatch understands this, but is arguing that the DOJ is not attacking what communities are defining as obscene as a whole. They are only attacking the most extreme cases. Besides this, dozens of anti-pornography groups are asking the U.S. Congress to force the Pentagon to keep sexually related material from being sold in military stores. Pornographic material was banned from being sold in military establishments nearly 10 years ago, but Penthouse and Playboy material, is still being sold in the stores. The Pentagon deemed those materials aren't explicit enough to pull from its stores. Discussions are under way.
