Don’t be silent!

By: American Decency Staff

Written by Chris Johnson: One question that gets thrown around when there is a political or cultural change is “how will it affect the next generation?â€Â Some of the latest headlines from local papers across the country bump legislation to second place on my list of concerns. I started doing some research when one of our supporters called to draw our attention to a story in Detroit. Here’s the headline: “Cops: Detroit Strip Club, All Star, Employed 14 Year-Old Girl.â€ÂÂ  The girl seems to have been employed at the strip club for several months, working several days a week and bringing home about $350 dollars a night. According to Police Chief Warren Evans, “It's clear to us the club knew she was underage, or should have known she was underage." More importantly the “customersâ€Â should have known she was under-aged! This made me wonder if there were things like this happening around the country or just in shady neighborhoods like Detroit’s 8 Mile Rd. Here are some more stories I found (via Pornharms.com). Lakeland, Fl. – Fla. Sheriffs Arrest 50 in Year Long Child Porn Bust – “In the largest operation of its kind in Florida's history, the Polk County Sheriff's Office has arrested and charged 50 people with varying degrees of child pornography possession and distribution. …â€Â Bellevue, WA. – Police: Rapist, Others Forced Teen to Sell Sex at Bellevue Hotels – “Bellevue and Seattle police are investigating a 20-year-old man currently behind bars on suspicion of forcing one teen into prostitution while possessing nude photos of another girl… Police suspect the man, a convicted rapist living in Mukilteo, helped two juveniles force an 18-year-old to work as a prostitute at two Bellevue hotels. Investigators Worry that Child Porn Suspects are Getting Younger – "We have a suspect right now who's 15 who has some of the worst child porn I've ever seen, involving infants and dead children," said San Jose police detective Kendra Nunes, who is part of the department's child exploitation unit. "It's scary." El Cajon, CA – Warrants Suggest Calif Killer Followed 11 Year-Old – An 11-year-old girl told police a man followed her home from school the day before registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III raped and murdered a 17-year-old girl in a nearby park, according to search warrants unsealed Monday. These stories are obviously sickening on so many different levels, and they raise a lot of questions. As in the case of the 14 year-old topless dancer, how do minors even get these ideas and why do they think they’re ok? Why are so many adults ready to pay for various kinds of sexual stimulation by children? How does the middle man sleep at night knowing what he’s doing to these kids? Why isn’t this a priority to the Department of Justice?â€Â In a report on a government commissioned investigation of the link between the sexualization of young girls and violence against women, Dr. Linda Papadopolous gives an answer to at least a few of these questions. “Children and young people are not only being exposed to an increasing number of hyper-sexualized images; they are also being sold the idea that girls should look ‘hot’, regardless of their age. As such, they are facing pressures that children in the past simply didn’t have to face.â€Â Chris Cloke, head of child protection awareness at The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children says that “The danger is that in this climate girls are being seen simply as sex objects and nothing else. And if they are dressed in what might be interpreted as a provocative way it can allow sex offenders to use this as an excuse when they are accused of sexually assaulting a child.â€Â One thing that Cloke’s account doesn’t mention is that pornography is often the path that leads the sex offenders to a state of mind where assaulting a child is ok. J.Hunter reports in the Chicago Sun Times that “One of the men arrested, who allegedly abused his 18-month-old daughter said he started watching child pornography after getting “burned outâ€Â by regular porn. He needed something a little more titillating. Something a little sicker. That’s not unusual for people addicted to porn.â€Â In Morality in Media’s report on “How Adult Pornography Contributes to Sexual Exploitation of Children,â€Â Robert Peters gives many examples of convicted child pornographers who have acknowledged starting with adult pornography and, when they grew desensitized to that, escalated to child porn. Today in the news, all over the country, their will be reports of sexual abuse and exploitation of children. Internet pornography is a huge catalyst in the vast majority of these cases. One thing that average citizens can do is report obscene material, any obscene material you stumble across on the internet, to Morality in Media (www.obscenitycrimes.org) and obscene material involving children to the Cyber Tipline (www.cybertipline.com or 1-800-843-5678). As always, pray that the organizations on the front lines fighting internet and child pornography would have God’s blessing. Lastly don’t be silent in your outrage! We could use some righteous indignation in this nation. Your friends need to know the sick things that happen in our culture. A lot of people being passionate on this subject is the only way anything is going to change. =============================================== Your support is important to our ability to make a difference! Donate online at: https://secure4.afo.net/ada/donate.php American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph: 231-924-4050 www.americandecency.org http://www.twitter.com/billwjohnson

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