Many a Serviceman over the years has enjoyed viewing magazines like Playboy and Penthouse. When you are far from home, fighting an enemy, sleeping and eating in dirty unsanitary conditions, facing death and dreaming of "the World" (the United States for Civilians), viewing such magazines has been known to lift spirits and remind the Troops what awaits them and what they fight for.
Add now that more women are serving in similar duty near or on the front and I'd imagine viewing magazines like Playgirl helps alleviate their stress as well.
If a newly elected Congressman from Georgia, Paul Broun, has his way all that may come to a crashing halt. Broun, described by many Republicans from Georgia as the "Accidental Congressman," has introduced a bill, The Military Honor and Decency Act (H.R. 5821) that Broun claims "will right a bureaucratic and moral wrong" closing what the Georgia Baptist says is
"a loophole in current law that is allowing the sale of sexually explicit material on American military installations located both within the United States and around the world."
Pornography and pornographic materials are already banned for sale on Military Bases. A Department of Defense review commission deemed just last year that magazines such as Playboy, Penthouse and Playgirl are not pornographic, but Rep. Broun's proposal would lower the threshold required to deem material sexually explicit.
Broun, who compares himself to Texas Congressman Ron Paul, although they differ on the Iraq Battle claims,
"Allowing the 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. Our troops should not see their honor sullied so that the moguls behind magazines like Playboy and Penthouse can profit."
Some Male Troops responded by saying this legislation, if passed, may hurt the morale of the deployed Troops. Not unexpected, some Female Troops would support the ban.
Apparently not taken into consideration is the hard-core pornography and extremely explicit sexual material that is readily available just off base at nearly every Military Base in existence, save the current combat zones. This ban would only affect the sale of the magazines on Base through the Post Exchanges and not the numerous 'Adult' Shops.
Is it really necessary to ban these magazines so coveted by deployed Troops for so many years?
7 comments:
If this Legislation passes I could see The Troops buying Laptop computers or Cell phones with Internet access in droves. There quest for the "HUNT FOR MISS OCTOBER", will be a difficult one to stop.
PS: Congrats Billary on your victory tonight in Indiana.
You should Thank OPERATION CHAOS volunteers for helping your campaign.
The Republicans tried the same thing early in 1995... stopping the sale of everything but Playboy in the BX.. and as soon as the law sunseted.. the BX went back to selling the previously banned magazines.
If a serviceman really wants to see the stuff.. they go off-base or on their personal internet accounts..
Keep in mind the military has internet filters in place.
Last I heard, not only could you NOT go to Pr0n sites, they also banned sites like YouTube, StumbleUpon, and LiveLeak.
Not sure where that ended up though.
We need to get rid congressmen like this. There are much more pressing issues that trying to push your Personal morals on a majority, esp when they arent involved in said majority.
You would think a congressman has better things to do. While the Government has the right to ban the sale on Government installations, it will not stop the troops from getting it.
Where is the ACLU when you need them?
todash19
You are correct. there are filters in place to keep you from going to those sites on government computers.. I know.. part of my job was to make sure the users under my control were using the computers for official use.
Now the Air Force has even blocked Blogs.. and I did a check.. this site would be blocked from being seen.
But the military can not restrict a members personal system at home. Only systems that the government supplies access and equipment too.
I would hope that the congress had better things to do with their time than to worry about troops having easy access to these magazines.
I have seen these magazines.
I have seen more offensive advertisements on mySpace and YouTube and various other non Porn websites (not necessarily on the surface, but that is where the soft porn entices the individual to click, which quickly leads to harder porn).
In the case of the internet, I feel the stuff is being shoved in people's faces, with the goal of enticing those who might otherwise have had no interest.
In the case of the magazines, they are more likely to be obtained by someone actively seeking that type of entertainment.
I see no point in banning them.
I figure that since we provide these magazines for prisoners in the County Jail, if it is good enough for them, then it is good enough for our troops.
Besides, a little T & A never hurt anybody. Helps with the fantasy of being somewhere else.
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