Georgia- The Rev. Billy Ball has started a new organization, Coweta Citizens Against Pornography, to educate people about Coweta County’s ordinance regulating sexually-oriented businesses and the dangers of pornography.

He also wants to work to tighten the county’s ordinance and, he hopes, put a stop to the Starship adult store planned for Thomas Crossroads.

Coweta’s ordinance requires sexually-oriented businesses to be located deep in industrial areas, far from homes, schools or churches. There are also strict standards that the owners and employees of the sex businesses have to meet.

But Starship isn’t considered a sexually-oriented businesses under Coweta’s ordinance, because the store owners say that less than 25 percent of their merchandise will be adult items as defined under the county’s ordinance.

Though Starship’s president has said only adults older than 18 will be allowed in the store, there’s nothing in Coweta’s ordinances that requires that — because the store will be a normal business just like the gas stations nearby, under the terms of Coweta’s ordinance, Ball said.

Ball wants to see if the county’s ordinance can be made tighter, either by reducing the percentage or eliminating it altogether.

Newnan’s ordinance is very similar to Coweta’s, except the threshold is only 5 percent.

The 25 percent threshold applies to most sexually-oriented businesses, including one that gives Ball particular concern, the “adult encounter parlor.”

“The people need to know that this store, even though it is an adult porno store, is not classified as an adult porno store,” Ball said. “I think it is my responsibility as a man of God to alert my people and try to work alongside the authorities to see if we can’t get the strictest ordinance possible.”

“Even if we can’t stop them from coming in,” the ordinance can make such businesses “uncomfortable,” he said.

The ordinance almost seems welcoming to such businesses, Ball said. He compared it to burglars scoping out homes.

“I think they do advance work,” he said of owners of sexually-oriented businesses. “I think in Coweta they have found a house that doesn’t have an alarm system. They are going to go in the back window.”

Ball wants people to go to the group’s Web site, www.cowetacap.com , and read the ordinance for themselves. The site also has information on the effects of pornography, and a link to a lawyer who specializes in writing ordinances regulating sex businesses.

At the bottom of each page is a quote from serial killer Ted Bundy. Bundy is speaking about early experiences with pornography he found in a neighbor’s garbage. Bundy said that sexually-violent pornography “brings about behavior that is too terrible to describe.”

Visitors can also leave comments on the guest book.

Ball and his church, Faith Baptist in Meriwhether County near Grantville, are infamous for their in-your-face, hellfire and brimstone street preaching and demonstrations.

Ball said he is forming Coweta Citizens Against Pornography because he has children, grandchildren and parishioners in Coweta — and because nobody else has.

“I will gladly give up my role in this if another pastor or Christian, would take it over,” Ball said. “But I can’t sit around and wait because I’m not from Coweta County, or because people don’t like other things I do and say.”

Ball knows that plenty of people don’t like the way he and his church do things.

But that shouldn’t stop them from working to keep adult stores out of Coweta, he said.

“All I need is for them to dislike porno more than they dislike me,” he said. “And if they dislike me more than porno, we’re in a mess.”

Nathan Lee, assistant county attorney for Coweta County, said he believes Coweta has an enforceable ordinance.

In 2000, the county adopted a slightly tweaked version of a model ordinance distributed by the Association County Commissioners of Georgia to its members.

“My understanding was that they felt that would withstand a challenge,” Lee said. “I’m not saying that one cannot be stricter. We feel like the one we have is enforceable.”

Coweta’s commissioners “want to do everything possible to regulate this business as strictly as they can,” Lee said.

Incoming fourth-district Commissioner Rodney Brooks said his impression was similar, that anything stricter than the 25 percent would be thrown out in court.

“If there is something new out there that has withstood federal scrutiny, I would definitely be willing to adopt it,” Brooks said. But “with my limited knowledge, I think the ordinance we currently have is the best that this land has to offer.”

Brooks said he is very much opposed to the Starship store coming to Coweta, and his district especially. He’s not scared of a fight, and said he will do everything in this power to oppose the store.

“I don’t think it’s over,” he said. “I think it’s just getting started.”

Ball wants the commissioners to hear from some other attorneys on the matter. He hopes Coweta officials will “lay pride and egos down and say we’re open to look at it,” and not dislike the message because they dislike the messenger.

Ball and his followers plan to demonstrate outside of the store when it opens. Ball said one Coweta businessman has already pledged to help with funding a “come to Starship today and be seen on Youtube tonight” program.

He wants other churches and individuals to get involved, to read the ordinances themselves and talk to their commissioners.