Copied below is a letter to President Bush, which I - on your behalf - signed, along the directors of 78 other profamily organizations across the nation.

 

Most of our work to curb the insidious, devastating affect that the proliferation of hardcore pornography is taking on our culture focuses on Ohio and Northern Kentucky.

 

However, success at the state and local levels demands cooperation at the federal level.  So I continue to meet with national and state leaders to coordinate strategy.

 

Through this letter you have joined hands with 25 million families in asking our president to make consistent and aggressive prosecution of existing federal obscenity laws a priority for the Department of Justice and the FBI, which Congress has charged with that responsibility.

 

 

September 1, 2006

 

The Honorable George W. Bush

President of the United States

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.

Washington, DC  20500

 

Dear Mr. President:

 

Greetings.  We are writing to you on a matter of great importance, one on which we know you agree with us.  That matter is the widespread availability of illegal, obscene material and its effect on our culture.  So-called "adult" hardcore pornography continues to inflict incalculable damage on children and families.  It contributes to the destruction of marriage, the demeaning of both women and men, and the sexual exploitation of children and adults.  We are compelled, then, by this ongoing victimization to ask you to expand the Administration's crackdown on this scourge.  

To discuss this issue further, we respectfully request to meet with you at the earliest opportunity.  We have organized successful efforts in communities all across America to stop the spread of pornography.  However, based on many years of experience, we know that it is crucial to have the Federal Government vigorously enforce obscenity laws.  We saw what an incredible difference efforts by the Department of Justice made in the enforcement of obscenity laws under your father and President Reagan.  Current research shows that the public still strongly desires greater enforcement of these statutes:

·        82 percent of American adults surveyed said that federal laws against Internet obscenity should be vigorously enforced (Wirthlin Worldwide, March 2004).

·        77 percent of adults polled supported the DOJ's crackdown on obscene material (Harris Interactive, November 2005).

 

Your help is essential because pornographers and sexual predators are increasingly targeting America's most vulnerable citizens: our children.  A recent report revealed 33 percent of youth had unwanted exposure to sexual material online in the past year, and 1 in 7 youth received unwanted sexual solicitations during the same period ("Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later," Internet Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire).  If we allow obscenity to go unchecked in our nation, it will only fuel this tragic exploitation.

We urge you to once again speak out publicly against illegal obscenity.  A meeting with the nation's anti-pornography leaders would afford an ideal forum to accomplish this goal.  We also request that your Administration step up its enforcement of federal obscenity laws by providing FBI field assistance to obscenity prosecutions and furnishing the Obscenity Prosecution Task Force at the DOJ with several additional prosecutors along with greater resources.  We applaud Attorney General Gonzales and Brent Ward for their initial efforts though the Obscenity Prosecution Task Force, but we recommend that the work of this vital office be expanded. 

Thank you for considering the importance of this issue.  We value the Administration's accomplishments in the fight against illegal obscenity thus far and trust that we can discuss ways to partner with you on this crucial endeavor to further protect children and families.  God bless you, Mr. President. 

 

Most sincerely,