Military Honor and Decency Act (H.R. 5821)

By: American Decency Staff

Months ago I shared concerning reports regarding the subject of pornography on military bases.Quoting from Pat Trueman, former head of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Enforcement Section, from September 14, 2007 "Army and Air Force Exchange Service is defending its policy to sell sexually explicit magazines like Playboy, Penthouse, Nude Playmates, and a host of others, despite the federal Military Honor and Decency Act, (10 U.S.C. § 2489) which prohibits the sale of sexually explicit publications in military exchanges. They seem more concerned with the number of complaints received rather than the law. Military families are encouraged to file complaints. Here is a link: http://odin.aafes.com/feedback/default.asp Pat Trueman http://www.navytimes.com/benefits/stores/military_magazines_070911w/ Since that time U.S. Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) has introduced a bill to address this concern [The Military Honor and Decency Act – H.R. 5821] http://broun.house.gov/apps/list/press/ga10_broun/AntiPornography.shtml Broun’s legislation, the “Military Honor and Decency Act,â€Â closes a loophole in current law that is allowing the sale of sexually explicit material on American military installations located both within the United States and around the world. Although the “National Defense Authorization Act of 1997â€Â expressly prevents the Secretary of Defense from permitting the sale or rental of sexually explicit material on property under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense (DoD), subsequent regulations adopted by the Department of Defense have continued to allow the sale of sexually explicit material to occur. Congressman Broun’s legislation closes these existing loopholes in DoD regulations to bring the Department into compliance with the intent of the 1997 law so that taxpayers will not be footing the costs of distributing pornography. I had the opportunity to meet with Congressman Broun and his staff while at the capitol on Monday. In part, I heard Paul Broun share these concerns: “As a Marine, I am deeply concerned for the welfare of our troops and their mission,â€Â said Broun. “Allowing the sale of pornography on military bases has harmed military men and women by: escalating the number of violent, sexual crimes; feeding a base addiction; eroding the family as the primary building block of society; and denigrating the moral standing of our troops both here and abroad. Our troops should not see their honor sullied so that the moguls behind magazines like Playboy and Penthouse can profit. The ‘Military Honor and Decency Act’ will right a bureaucratic–and moral–wrong.â€Â At this writing, there are only 17 co-sponsors. Rep. Paul Broun, Georgia Rep. Todd Akin, Missouri Rep. Steve Chabot, Ohio Rep. Randy Forbes, Virginia Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, Nebraska Rep. Virgil Goode, Virginia Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, Colorado Rep. Joe Pitts, Pennsylvania Rep. William Sali, Idaho Rep. Mark Souder, Indiana Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, Maryland Rep. Peter Roskam, Illinois Rep. Steve King, Iowa Rep. Rob Bishop, Utah Rep. Mike Pence, Indiana Rep. Chris Smith, New Jersey Rep. Robert Wittman, Virginia Rep. Christopher Shays, Connecticut There should be at least 150. I will be placing a couple of calls to U.S. Reps that I know urging them to sign on as co-sponsors. I hope you will do the same. We'll be keeping you up-to-date on this in the days ahead. =========================== Thank you for helping us stay in the battle for Truth and decency. https://americandecency.org/folder.php?f=donate Bill Johnson, president ———- American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph:231-924-4050 fax:231-924-1966 www.americandecency.org

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