President Bush designated October 26 through November 1 as “Protection From Pornography Week,” and pro-family groups are mobilizing efforts to educate people about the dangers of pornography and pressure the Justice Department to go after more smut peddlers.

Pornography, a pervasive international problem, has exploded in the U.S. over the past two years. Jan LaRue of Concerned Women for America (cwfa.org) says that is partly because the porn industry is taking advantage of the 9-11 terrorist attacks to expand its productivity.

As evidence of the way pornographers are engaging in pernicious exploitation of the 9-11 tragedy and the ongoing war on terror, LaRue points to columns in Adult Video News, a prominent trade publication for the smut industry. According to LaRue, these columns are “constantly criticizing the Department of Justice for even intimating that they’re going to prosecute obscenity when, according to the smut peddlers, they ought to be focusing on terrorists.”

But LaRue feels the people who produce, promote, and profit from pornography are themselves carrying out a sort of terrorist attack on America. The pro-family activist says the porn industry poses a grave threat to the nation and its future. “In our estimation, this is a form of domestic terrorism because it is taking our culture into the sewer, and millions of children along with it,” she says.

Most concerned citizens who have been active in the struggle against the multi-billion dollar porn industry would agree. But some leaders in the fight against pornography are concerned that far too many people are unaware of the scale and seriousness of the problem.

Phil Burress, who was addicted to porn for 25 years, is now the president of the Cincinnati, Ohio-based Citizens for Community Values (ccv.org) and a passionate crusader against pornography. He says most adult Americans, even Christians, have no idea how harmful porn is and what long-term damage it can do to young minds.

Burress says his concern for parents and grandparents is that they do not understand how exposing a young child to pornography changes that child’s attitudes about sex and toward women because “that’s what pornography is — it’s sex education.” The anti-porn spokesman warns, “If you want your young people to grow up thinking that women are to be used and abused, then ignore the problem. But I would hope that today’s parents will not ignore this problem.”

Phil Burress and his wife Vickie, who works with Citizens for Community Values as well, have waged successful campaigns to combat issues of pornography and obscenity in local businesses.

Vickie Burress also serves as the national coordinator of the Victims of Pornography (victimsofpornography.org) campaign. She says it is vital for concerned Christians to be proactive in the fight against smut peddlers.

All too often, she says, people are complacent about the problem until it strikes close to home. “Until pornography hits them in the face or affects one of their family members, they really don’t see this as an issue that is encroaching on their community,” she says; “but what we’re saying is that it’s better to be proactive and talk about this with your kids.”

Vickie Burress founded the American Family Association of Indiana (afain.net) in 1994 and serves as its chairman of the board. She urges people who care about children and families to become informed about pornography and take early action. “Prepare your community and protect it before it [is affected by porn], because it’s a whole lot easier to handle,” she says.