Washington D.C.: On Monday, May 19, pro-decency and pro-family organizations will hold a Prayer Breakfast (8 to 9 am) and Conference (9 to 11 am) at the National Press Club (Murrow Room) to call attention to U.S. Justice Department and FBI obscenity law enforcement policies that undermine Government’s ability to strengthen the family, protect children from pornography and curb sexual exploitation of children and sexual trafficking.
The Conference will be followed by an orderly demonstration at the Justice Dept. (950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW) from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. The Press are invited. Speakers will be available for questions after the Conference and at the Demonstration.
Speakers include:
Ted Baehr, President, Christian Film & TV Commission
Larry Cirignano, Founder, CatholicVote.org
Janice Crouse, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Beverly LaHaye Institute
Brad Curl, President, Athletes & Business for Kids
Bill Johnson, President, American Decency Association
Rabbi Yehuda Levin, Spokesperson, Rabbinical Alliance of America
Mike McManus, Co-Founder, Marriage Savers
Robert Peters, President, Morality in Media
Maureen Proctor, President, Family Leader Network
Cathy Ruse, Senior Fellow (Legal Studies), Family Research Council
Sarah Seitz, Esq., Liberty Counsel
Arthur Taylor, Past President, CBS, Inc.
Aaron Titus, Board Member, Maryland Coalition Against Pornography
Pat Trueman, former Chief, U.S. Justice Department’s Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section
Daniel Weiss, Senior Analyst for Media & Sexuality, Focus on the Family
Wendy Wright, President, Concerned Women for America
Ralph Yarro, Founder, CP80 Foundation
Robert Peters, President of Morality in Media had the following comments:
“There is still time for the Bush Administration to make needed changes so that the Justice Department’s Obscenity Prosecution Task Force can begin to fulfill its vital mission. That Task Force is now hampered by inadequate staffing, a Justice Department seemingly more afraid of losing an obscenity case than of losing the war against obscenity, an FBI policy that permits investigation of only the most extreme cases, U.S. Attorneys who won’t enforce obscenity laws.
“We recognize that the Bush Administration has prosecuted more commercial distributors of hardcore ‘adult’ pornography than its predecessor. But that doesn’t change the fact that there haven’t been nearly enough cases to stem the floodtide of destructive obscenity.
“We want the next President to know that failure to vigorously enforce federal obscenity laws is undermining government efforts to, among other things, strengthen the family, protect children from pornography, curb sexual exploitation of children and curb sexual trafficking.
“We also we want the next President to know that widespread availability of obscene materials is not proof of community acceptance. According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive in April 2008, 75% of adult Americans said they would support the next President were he or she to ‘do all in his or her constitutional power to ensure that federal obscenity laws are enforced vigorously against commercial distributors of hardcore pornography.’
“We have asked the Presidential candidates to make their views known about vigorous enforcement of federal obscenity laws. The American people deserve an honest answer.”