Frank Wolf and the Morality Police

By: Lowell
Published On: 8/12/2007 3:38:29 PM

It looks like it's Frank Wolf Day today here at Raising Kaine, but this article ("Federal Effort on Web Obscenity Shows Few Results") is just too funny - in a warped kind of way - to pass up.

In short, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10) earmarked $150,000 to pay two retired cops to surf the web for porn.  According to the article, "[i]n the last few years, 67,000 citizens' complaints have been deemed legitimate under the program and passed on to the Justice Department and federal prosecutors."  Yet, "[t]he number of prosecutions resulting from those referrals is zero."  That's right, Frank Wolf's anti-obscenity program has has nothing to show for it in the way of prosecutions or even arrests.  Lame.

But it gets worse.  It turns out that the program is run by an outfit known as Morality in Media, "a conservative religious group that has worked since 1962 to 'rid the world of pornography' and whose headquarters is, improbably, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan."  Among other things, this group works to restrict the display of magazines like Cosmopolitan because there are references to - gasp! - SEX on their covers,  Believe it or not, they're also on a crusade to prove that swearing or cursing can "break up a marriage," "lead to violence," "disrupt school order," and - worst of all, no doubt - "contribut[e] to an erosion of office etiquette." (so, that was the problem with my last job!)

No, this is not a joke.  This is the group that supposed "moderate" Frank Wolf has tasked to be the morality police for America, to make sure we're all using nice language and not looking at Cosmo as we wait to pay for our groceries (or use the exercise bike in the gym).  Boy, I can't wait to hear conservatives - who never miss an opportunity to rail against the "liberal nanny state" - defend Frank Wolf on THIS one.  Also, it will be interesting to hear their argument about how Wolf's program is a proper use of government resources, especially considering that it hasn't led to a SINGLE prosecution or arrest.

Ah, Republican "leadership" at its finest.


Comments



To Summarize (spotter - 8/12/2007 8:59:40 PM)
So, Frank Wolf made sure that religious conservatives were well paid with tax money to troll for porn on the internet. Don't they do that for free?


The Porn Squad--watching porn so you won't have to (Hugo Estrada - 8/13/2007 12:12:11 AM)
Wow, talk about a dream job for a perv: watch porn all day and get paid to do it.

I wander if they have badges. What would their seal look like?

I see some great comedy material coming out of this one.

I am going to complain to Wolf just to see what kind of a letter a get back from him justifying paying two retired guys to watch porn on government money :P



Wonder, not wander (Hugo Estrada - 8/13/2007 12:13:09 AM)
I keep forgetting that I can't edit these post after I commit them.


Remember this one... (Dianne - 8/13/2007 9:13:38 AM)
We don't just look....we do


What a waste of tax dollars. (David Weintraub - 8/13/2007 3:44:19 PM)
Tsk, tsk. Dick Black and sidekick John Grigsby would have provided this valuable service for nothing. Just ask the Loudoun County Public Library staff.

So much for fiscal conservatism.