March 12, 2006...12:36 am
Legal fight against pornography
This week I met someone who I believe will be a hero and role model to me for the rest of my life.
One of my life ambitions — though not the strongest — has been to go to law school and become an attorney. (I worked one summer at a great law firm in Las Vegas and really enjoyed the work, the people, and the “banker’s hours”.) I envisioned practicing law for ~20 years to support my family, then retire early and use my legal degree and experience to mount a legal front against pornography.
This week I attended a luncheon with John Harmer, Chairman of the Lighted Candle Society, who has been doing this for decades. Mr. Harmer practiced law in California, became a state senator, and then in 1974 was appointed to be Lt. Governor under Governor Ronald Reagan. He has been litigating against pornographers since 1964. At the luncheon he explained the history behind the battle:
- In 1960s porn was produced by organized crime. Now there are four publicly-traded hard-core porn companies on Wall Street.
- In the 60s, it was easy to get a conviction in court against lewd material. Now mainstream magazines like Cosmopolitan and Vogue contain material more lewd that the material with which Mr. Harmer obtained convictions in the 60’s.
- Litigating against pornography became harder in 1973 after the Miller vs. California Supreme Court decision, which sets three criteria for defining what is considered lewd, one of which is that lewd material violates “contemporary community standards”.
- Up until 2004, AT&T made $220M/year from an adult TV channel it owned, one of many mainstream companies that profit from pornography.
- In 2004 Forbes said pornography was a $56 billion industry.
- The porn industry has used fake witnesses in court, who have received phony sexology degrees from mail-away colleges, to argue that pornography doesn’t violate “contemporary community standards”.
- Pornography is a huge productivity drain on businesses — 70% of pornography usage happens at work.
- Cherilyn Bacon, who hosted the luncheon, asked Kevin Rollins of Dell about pornography when he spoke at the BYU Management Society meeting last week and was impressed with his answer. Mr. Rollins said Dell has a zero tolerance policy for pornography — employees found using it are immediately terminated.
The point of the luncheon was to raise funds for the Lighted Candle Society. They have five goals or “smooth stones” (a reference to the David and Goliath story) — Prevention, Action Programs, Research, Guarding the Light, and Healing. Money donated to the society might fund, for instance, medical research to show the negative physiological effects of pornography or resources to help local attorneys properly prosecute pornography cases.
Come with me to the Lighted Candle Society’s fundraising dinner in May. A table of 10 costs $1500 so I’m hoping to get at least 9 other people to pitch in $150 each to go in on a table with me. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland will be the speaker that night, and the money will go to what I consider a great cause. It’s on May 3 at 7:00 PM at the Little America Hotel in SLC. If you’re interested, leave a comment below or email me at richardkmiller AT gmail.
I believe time will prove that pornography is damaging enough to families and societies that it’s worth fighting like an illegal drug. I also believe there are people ensnared in it that want our help to escape it. We can be the ones to do it.
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8 Comments
March 12, 2006 at 9:55 am
Count Candace and I in for two tickets. Let me know when/how to pay.
March 12, 2006 at 12:30 pm
March 13, 2006 at 2:22 am
One point to emphasize about the May 3rd dinner: the money raised will go toward the costs of medical and legal research, which is necessary to prove a causal relationship in a court of law to more effectively prosecute pornography producers and distributors.
We are also launching a business initiative with the working title “Businesses for a Prosperous Economy” to create a roundtable of business leaders who are concerned about the effects of pornography in the work place and community and wish to begin working together. The Salt Lake and Provo-Orem Chambers of Commerce have wholeheartedly endorsed this initiative. We are meeting to flesh out the details later this week.
In addition to the Chamber, after only two small private lunches, we also have the personal endorsements of the Dean of the Marriott School of Management, Ned C. Hill and the following business leaders:
1. Doug Horne, Horne’s Lodging Properties
2. David Jensen & Lamon Milner, Aviacode, Inc.
3. Arthur McKinley
4. John K. Carmack
5. Lynn C. McMurray, Kirton & McConkie
6. Frank Overfelt, Delta Healthcare Consulting
7. Carl W. Bacon
This is only the beginning. The time for fence-sitting has past. Either community leaders support pornography directly with their action (or inaction) or they oppose it and are willing to endorse this initiative and commit to assisting with their time and/or resources.
If anyone reading this blog would like to invite any key business leaders you know to a lunch or briefing to get on board with us, please email me at CherilynBacon@comcast.net
March 13, 2006 at 3:01 pm
March 14, 2006 at 11:10 am
Sincerely, Mitch
March 14, 2006 at 3:05 pm
April 6, 2006 at 11:56 pm
March 25, 2008 at 3:26 pm
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