I posed a question at Dims... and would like to share it here, too...
----- Who decides what is "obscene"? -----
I've been reading about Ira Isaacs' upcoming trial and it really bothers me.
I have not seen any of his films, but after reading about them, they sound like something I would never want to see. "Poo" porn isn't really my thing. In my own personal opinion it's gross, but I don't know if I would call it "obscene".
Who has the ultimate say in how "obscene" is defined anyway?
Quote:
The prosecution is the first in Southern California by a U.S. Department of Justice task force formed in 2005 after Christian conservative groups appealed to the Bush administration to crack down on smut.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,4510463.story
:End Quote.
So what if it is smut? If the business is conducted legally with consenting adults, then in the United States, let them have their smut!
What the fuck is wrong with someone watching legal porn in the privacy of their own home? Why does this "task force" even exist??? And to blame it on Christians? I'm not a Christian, but I'm surrounded by them and most of the ones I know don't give two hoots what someone does on their own time.
Y'know Ira Isaacs might be a real slime bag. But isn't that his right as a free American? Isn't his art (however disgusting it may or may not be) protected under the First Amendment?
I realize there are a lot of people in this country and in our government who would dearly love to restrict everything we see, read, write and create. I realize a lot of those people will claim those restrictions are in the name of "decency" and the protection of polite society. But what a slippery slope! Even when the PMRC came about some years ago with their censorship bent trying to damn the pop music industry, I never thought they'd get away with it. And mostly, they did not.
This one though, this one has me worried. What if they get away with it? Then what? What's next to go? Are they going to take away Comedy Central? South Park? Beavis and Butthead? Are they going to close down my own paysite?
How did this happen? From where did this "task force" come? How do we make it go away?
(By the way, the task force who is prosecuting Ira Isaacs is NOT the same federal agency that deals with child porn. That's an ENTIRELY different ball of wax. We're talking about consenting adults and their First Amendment rights here.)
This guy stands a chance of going to jail, depending on the outcome of the jury's decision. If he's convicted, then in a roundabout way, I stand a chance of going to jail some day for flashing my boobies. It's a coin toss... he could get a very open-minded jury; there are no guarantees.
Either scenario could totally happen. One of my relatives, whom I love very much, is 19 different varieties of uptight. If she ever knew about my website, I think she would be "offended" to the point that she would never speak to me again. No one is perfect, y'know. She's just one of those people with a very narrow mind and extremely conservative tendencies, but I still love her because she has a good soul. She's also the kind of person who might sit on a jury. And there are other people like her who might sit on a jury with her. It only takes twelve. Twelve people who are "offended" by boobs or BBWs could potentially put my porky butt in the pokey.
But that's totally unlikely right? ... Or is it?
-I'm scared.-
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Some pretty awesome folks responded and we have had a fun and interesting discussion.... but since I don't have their permission to post what they've written, I'll just share my end. If you want to see it all, visit Dims. You know the addy.
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(The following is in response to someone saying the conservatives want to take away our porn while the liberals want to take away our un-green engines.)
Holy crap... I hadn't even thought about that AC. That's fucking perfect. I'll have no paysite AND no horsepower. Thanks US Government. Just kill me now.
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(Later in the discussion, someone jokingly asked if my site had anything to do with beastiality or poo porn, since much of Ira Isaacs' material apparently covers those topics, ahem...)
Ha ha! Nope... no beastiality or poo porn for me, Risible. I can barely clean the occasional kitty hair ball without dry heaving.
For the record, I think beastiality is unethical. Animals can't give their consent, so I think they should not be made to perform any sexual act with a human. I don't know if I would consider it malim in se or malim prohibitum, or even if it is a crime at all. But it is yuck-o, in my very humble opinion.
I fully agree with what you're saying about art being in the eye of the beholder, though. Example... my father-in-law has this effing polar bear sculpture. It's HORRIBLE. The ugliest thing ever ever ever. Stupid thing is also apparently worth quite a dime and my husband is most eager to inherit the forsaken paperweight. Thinking about that dreadful chunk of crap collecting dust on the mantle where visitors can see it makes me cringe. Absolute waves of horror shake me at my core. BUT... my father-in-law and his dingbat son think the friggin thing is art in the highest degree. A pièce de résistance to display with pride in the most high-traffic area of the house. If he could mount the son of a bitch on the hood of the car, he probably would. To me, it's heinous. Plain and simple.
So which one of us would win in a court of law when it comes to the angry polar bear statue? I think that question is just as useless as the question of obscenity currently posed to Ira Isaacs' jury.
(Someone else said "the post thickens" instead of saying "plot" in reference to recent information regarding the judge on the case and his personal website containing material that might be considered 'obscene'.)
Hee hee Les... the post thickens... in a way, that's appropos. LOL I thought you were being clever. I read about the judge's problems earlier today. What another slap in the face! Geezus.
It's like we all have to live underground. No jokes, no laughing, no porn, no fast cars with big engines, no nothing. You get up in the morning, pray, go to work, come home, pray, eat, pray, shower, pray, go to bed, repeat until Saturday, get up, pray, shower, pray, read religious books and political propaganda, pray, eat, pray, go to bed, get up, pray, go to church, pray, sing, pray, secretly judge the person sitting in front of you, pray, stand up, pretend to pray while the guy up on the podium talks about how you'll rot in hell if you think about the woman at your office with the extremely nice ass, sit down, put some money in the plate, pray, go home, pray, eat, pray, got to bed, start over from the top, repeat weekly and pay taxes annually and never question what those in authority tell you to do. Is that what the government actually wants? Do our representatives and legislators actually think that is POSSIBLE, let alone practical?
I'm in Missouri and my community seems to be undecided on how "conservative" or "liberal" they want to be. There's a church on every corner but there's also a topless bar or adult-magazine shop within about 5 or 10 miles of anywhere you'd go in the Kansas City area. As for laws, my website is not breaking any laws, state or federal. I am of legal age; I pay taxes on my income; and don't do anything that would constitute indecent exposure.
While I don't really lose any sleep over being personally prosecuted on obscenity charges, since I read about this case, I now realize it IS possible that I *could* be.... however unlikely. Then I think, y'know what, it may not be as unlikely as I would let myself believe. That's why I gave the example of my super-uptight relative. If she were on my jury she would definitely vote to convict me. She does think all porn should be illegal. My point is... she is NOT alone. She's not even that much of a minority. Her husband is of a very similar mindset. It only takes 12 jurors to seal one's fate and finding 12 people like her and her husband would not be a difficult task. So I oscillate between thinking it's wildly impossible that a no-core pin up model like myself would be prosecuted; and thinking it is not only possible but could be probable if the current trend continues.
The whole situation is just junk. Honestly, leave the porn guy alone. Leave the judge alone. Leave everyone alone! Let's go after those who are really causing a problem... serial killers, anyone? Child molesters? Repeat offender drunk drivers? After we get rid of all of those, then maybe if we just have nothing better to do, I suppose we can start picking on innocent people to pass the time.
Sorry for prattling on so long, but obvsiously my mind hasn't had enough to occupy itself the past day or so. LOL
Let me also say I'm so glad to see that there are people here who would not throw me or others like me under a bus for flashing a little leg. I do appreciate that and find real comfort in it. Thanks you guys.
... Now back to your regularly scheduled programming ...
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Your thoughts? Am I "obscene"? ... Yes. But foul language aside, all other things considered where consenting adults and legal business are concerned, where do we draw the line?
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