Censoring Internet Porn?

[Renegade]

Oh god... here we go again... Some yahoo blathering about censorship blah blah blah...

http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/14/vigorous-santorum-crackdown-may-catch-internet-porn-viewers-with-pants-down/

Internet pornography could conceivably become a thing of the past if Rick Santorum is elected president.

...

To black out foreign sites, Santorum would likely need legislative action requiring Internet service providers to use “a mandatory filter set up by the government or by the service providers,” said Volokh.

But the government could also prosecute individual citizens who view porn, and already has the legal authority to do it.

“Although the Supreme Court says private possession is constitutionally protected, it has said that private receipt of [pornography] is not protected,” noted Volokh. “You can’t prosecute them all … but you can find certain types of pornography that are sufficiently unpopular” for easy convictions, he explained.

How many data centers would instantly go bankrupt if porn were banned?

[KynloStephen66515]

Oh god... here we go again... Some yahoo blathering about censorship blah blah blah...

http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/14/vigorous-santorum-crackdown-may-catch-internet-porn-viewers-with-pants-down/

Internet pornography could conceivably become a thing of the past if Rick Santorum is elected president.

...

To black out foreign sites, Santorum would likely need legislative action requiring Internet service providers to use “a mandatory filter set up by the government or by the service providers,” said Volokh.

But the government could also prosecute individual citizens who view porn, and already has the legal authority to do it.

“Although the Supreme Court says private possession is constitutionally protected, it has said that private receipt of [pornography] is not protected,” noted Volokh. “You can’t prosecute them all … but you can find certain types of pornography that are sufficiently unpopular” for easy convictions, he explained.

How many data centers would instantly go bankrupt if porn were banned?

How many men would commit suicide...How many sluts would go bankrupt...How much water would the world save by the lower amount of socks needing to be washed? 

[Renegade]

How much water would the world save by the lower amount of socks needing to be washed? 

Socks? Hmmm... Apparently your porn is different than my porn...

[KynloStephen66515]

How much water would the world save by the lower amount of socks needing to be washed? 

Socks? Hmmm... Apparently your porn is different than my porn...

Yeah...mine contains women...!

HA just messin with ya!  - You did kinda walk right into that one 

[Deozaan]

It's a lot of hullabaloo about nothing, IMO. The article is based on a statement from Rick Santorum's website. Here's an excerpt from that statement (emphases added):

As a parent, I am concerned about the widespread distribution of illegal obscene pornography and its profound effects on our culture.

[. . .]

Current federal “obscenity” laws prohibit distribution of hardcore (obscene) pornography on the Internet, on cable/satellite TV, on hotel/motel TV, in retail shops and through the mail or by common carrier. Rick Santorum believes that federal obscenity laws should be vigorously enforced.  “If elected President, I will appoint an Attorney General who will do so.”

As far as I can tell, Rick Santorum is just saying that existing laws should be enforced. In other words, people who view or distribute pornography that is already illegal should face the penalties of the law.

[40hz]

He's playing a little fast and loose with what the law says as well as how the courts interpret those laws. But what did you expect. This isn't a news report. It's a rant.

And any discussion involving sexual topics traditionally generates far more heat than light when Americans get on a roll about it.

My biggest complaint about porn is mostly how boring and poorly done virtually all of it is. 

[TaoPhoenix]

And it's Rick Santorum. He's really trying to play the far right line "Oh gasp people should be pious churchgoers and never need to look at a picture because their almost-lovely loving wife will never leave them".

Sorry Rick. Someone convict him on a misdemeanor and order him to watch the movie Pleasantville 9 times. It's not 1954 anymore. Philip K. Dick agreed. (Eye in the Sky, etc.)

These guys take your average list of Uni Freshman in Philosophy's list of Logical Fallacies and race to employ every last one as often as possible because finally the poor workingman/woman's mind explodes and they vote for the guy.

[Renegade]

What is profane? What is obscene?

For many decades, the American public has actively petitioned the United States Congress for laws prohibiting distribution of hard-core adult pornography.

Is "hard-core" merely showing penetration? Or what is it?

There will never be any kind of consensus on any of this as everyone has different ideas. He's going down a dark path.

This is not one of those things that has the possibility of ending well.

Mind you, I'm all for the decriminalization of pot and prostitution as well. Criminalizing them hasn't worked out very well so far, and oh, it's only been how many decades? Centuries? Millennia?

There's a reason why the courts don't want to touch the issue.

How much water would the world save by the lower amount of socks needing to be washed?  

Socks? Hmmm... Apparently your porn is different than my porn...

Yeah...mine contains women...!

HA just messin with ya!   - You did kinda walk right into that one  

Hahahahah~! That was a good one! And yeah... I left myself open pretty wide there~!

[KynloStephen66515]

I left myself open pretty wide there~!

Thats what he said!

(Last one, I swear haha)

[40hz]

What is profane? What is obscene?

That's simple. Profane is anything I think is wrong - and obscene is whatever turns me off. Isn't it obvious?

Like Rita Rudner said: I don't know why men are so confused about what constitutes sexual harassment. It's really quite simple. If a guy comes on to me, and I like it, it's flirting. If I don't, it's sexual harassment. It all seems crystal clear to me. So...is there anything else I can help you with?

[Shades]

The Dutch solution is better...Prostitution is regarded as a profession, so the tax man can have his thing too 

Don't let the smiley fool you, the profession part is really true. Ah well, the Dutch stance on pot is already known around the world.