Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 11:51:31 -0400 To: Matthew Gaylor <freematt@coil.com> From: Matthew Gaylor <freematt@coil.com> Subject: Salt Lake City Response to Pornography As Terrorism? Cc: Sarah Thompson <righter@therighter.com>, Michael00X1@webtv.net (Michael Greene) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"[Note from Matthew Gaylor: Long time Freematt's Alerts reader Sarah Thompson is a Salt Lake City Psychiatrist <http://www.therighter.com>. See my response to Sarah below.]
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 20:27:18 -0600 To: freematt@coil.com From: Sarah Thompson <righter@therighter.com> Subject: Re: Pornography As Terrorism?
Matt,
Yes, Women for Decency is easy to ridicule when they make statements equating porn with terrorism. But your generalization from the specific (a small group of women) to the general (collectivism and drone-like behavior) is unjustified - not to mention poor logic.
It's true that Utah's pornography and liquor laws are not very libertarian, and I guess for the more "libertine" libertarians it's not a very pleasant place.
But for those of us who are more concerned with protection of the rights to privacy, to keep and bear arms, freedom from psychiatric abuses, freedom from drugged water, forfeiture reform, parental rights, etc., Utah is one of the last bastions of liberty left in this country. I honestly believe that if Utah ever falls to the forces of tyranny, it will signal the ultimate demise of freedom in the US.
There are a LOT of libertarians and objectivists here. Most of them (including me) affiliate with the Republican Party, not the LP. in part because of the current problems with the national LP, and in part because drugs and sex simply don't sell to the public in Utah for religious reasons. And Utah's political system lends itself to grassroots citizen involvement.
I note that you haven't launched any wholesale ridicule attacks on California or Maryland for their dangerous and idiotic laws against self defense, or on Massachusetts or Pennsylvania for their state liquor laws, or on the majority of states that force people to take psychiatric drugs while living peacefully in their own homes. You're not holding all of New York responsible for the Muslim center that is blaming "Jews" for bombing the World Trade Center. So why are you singling out Utah for such contempt?
Is this hypocrisy, or do you really believe it's more important to be able to watch "Debbie Does Dallas" than to defend yourself against government tyranny, civil unrest and common criminals?
I'm a Utahn by choice, and I love my adopted state. It's a long way from utopia, but it's a LOT better than anyplace else I've lived. And I say that as a minority who's not a member of Utah's dominant religion/culture.
If you're looking to root out enemies of freedom, you don't need to worry much about Utah. While our politicians stink, the ordinary people here are generally committed to a strict interpretation of the Constitution, individual responsibility, and self determination.
Finally, I thought that we were at least past the days when a woman's physical attractiveness was a subject for political and ideological discussions. :-)
Best wishes, Sarah
[Response from Matt Gaylor: Hi Sarah- In reference to your Porn "Czar" I did mean to be disrespectful, to her, not to Utah. Freematt's Alerts reader Michael Green who I think is from Provo pointed out that it had been reported in the media that Czar Paula Houston had never been married and is a virgin (See below). Now I'm no Psychiatrist, but Ms. Houston's preoccupation with what adults read or watch seems, at least to me, unhealthy. Sure, it was a cheap shot of me to point out her physical unattractiveness. But I'm not encumbered to obey politically correct speech (Or thought). But as a Psychiatrist, don't you find it odd or noteworthy that a dour unattractive virgin would end up as Utah's Porn Czar? But you had asked me this question: "Do you really believe it's more important to be able to watch "Debbie Does Dallas" than to defend yourself against government tyranny, civil unrest and common criminals?" I realize that your Jewish, but I want to point out what Ben Franklin, who sure wasn't a Mormon said ""Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech." So to be perfectly frank, or Franklin in this case, I'm going to fight like hell against prohibitionists who want to ban speech be it "Debbie Does Dallas", "The Pearl of Great Price", "The Talmud", or the "Bible" (which have been banned in various places and at various times and locales.]
At 7:08 AM -0600 10/17/01, Michael Greene wrote: >From: Michael00X1@webtv.net (Michael Greene)
>Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 07:08:29 -0600 (MDT)
>To: freematt@coil.com (Matthew Gaylor)
>Subject: Re: Pornography As Terrorism?
>
>Matthew reported that "Utah's Women For Decency is making the even more
>absurd claim that porn can be as destructive as Terrorism." Well, the
>State Legislature must have thought there was a serious problem here in
>Utah in order to establish such an uptight office as "Porn Czar."
>
>It came out in the early days of her appointment that she has never been
>married and is still a virgin. In Utah, this evidently qualifies one to
>know and dictate what is acceptable for adults to view in the privacy of
>their own homes.
>
>Her only activity has been to attempt to shut down the three all nude
>girlie bars in town. Yet these are the only three bars within the entire
>Salt Lake County that don't allow the sales of alcohol or intoxicated
>patrons and have defined demarcations to the stage. One would think that
>anything that would keep idle men off the streets and sober would be a
>valid interest of the State.
>
>On the contrary, the State would rather have a room full of drunken men
>gawking at nude women with two little "pasties" covering their breast's
>areolas and "g strings" covering their bottoms. Busy Bodies is an apt
>description for the controlling political bodies here in Utah.
At 02:48 PM 10/16/2001, you wrote: >[Note from Matthew Gaylor: The crazed religious right has made the
>absurd claim for years that porn is the same as murder- Now Utah's
>Women For Decency is making the even more absurd claim that porn can
>be as destructive as Terrorism. I might point out that Utah is
>fittingly known as the Beehive state- A description that captures
>both their collectivism and drone like busy body activities. Judging
>from the photograph of Utah's Porn Czar Paula Houston she has
>nothing to fear personally from the pornographers as she's rather
>unattractive both physically and ideologically.]
>
><http://www.sltrib.com/10142001/utah/140181.htm>
>
>
>Women Uniting For War on Porn
>Sunday, October 14, 2001
> Utah porn czar Paula Houston recently met with a Women For Decency
>chapter in Provo to discuss plans for a citizens' battle against
>pornography in the state. (Douglas C. Pizac/The Associated Press)
>
>
> If anyone thinks taking on saucy magazines and movies and
>suggestive lingerie ads in magazines should take a back seat to
>tackling terrorists, members of the fledgling organization cropping
>up across Utah suggest otherwise.
>
> "The parallels between [smut and terror] are uncanny," says Women
>For Decency Director Janalyn Holt. "Pornography destroys families.
>It's not a one-time shot like an airplane flying into the World
>Trade Center. But little by little, blow by blow, it can be just as
>destructive. We are getting bombarded on all sides."
>
>[...]
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