Oh god, I really hope that Ashcroft continues his war on porn. If this goes anywhere, his stupidity will put the final nails in the coffin of the Bush administration and the right wing culture wars.
Ashcroft must have slept through that history class where it was discussed why Prohibition didn't work.
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Yes sir, I love the War on Pr0n because it's provided me with a lovely modification to my arguments against Homeland Sec in general and Ashcroft in particular.
Not long after Sept. 11, '01, when the shape of things to come became visible, I began to argue with any and all takers about this Ashcroft fellow's fitness for the job at hand.
'He's doing what needs to be done' nearly everyone said. Invariably, these were folks who knew nothing about the Ashcroftian DOJ's special un-relationship with the Constitution, immigrant rights or reality, never mind its passionate affair with the Patriot Act.
'Listen,' I'd say in reply, 'he's not the guy for the job; we need Phillip Marlowe, fair minded, intelligent, tough but suspicious of authority, not Pastor GetRight. Any guy who's offended by the sculptor created boobs of the Goddess of Justice and orders them covered to preserve his perilous hold on modesty is not an effective counter-terror dude -- believe me.'
Well, it's gotten easier -- much easier -- since that time to make my argument and this war on the simulation-stimulation product of tens of millions, a 10 billion dollar biz, may be, as you say Chuck, the final nail.
Every conservative, pro-Bush guy I know is a pr0n consumer (most light, some disturbingly heavy). No one considers it to be a perversion. Not suitable for children? Yes, of course. A reasonable diversion for adults? Yup, that's the quiet consensus.
Attacking the baby oil and tissue industries' best friend in the entertainment field (it's a sort of unofficial joint venture) will not make the Bush admin any new friends and will probably lose it more than a few.
.d.