God, porn and justice: uncomfortable bedmates

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft has directed his department to promote Christian virtue in the pursuit of law, order and justice. There is no interest in seeing that the scales of justice are balanced.

It’s another example how a twisted theology is being used to shape public policy. His latest crusade is against adult entertainment – an industry with links to conservative Republicans.

No Bush campaign donor, however, is being taken to task.

The Justice Department has increased resources to pursue more individuals and companies that distribute “obscene” or “pornographic” material. One case garnering much attention involves Extreme Associates of Los Angeles. The owners have been indicted on 10 counts for allegedly violating obscenity laws.

If Ashcroft had committed the valuable resources available to him to further the fight against the exploitation of children or unwilling young adults, he should be praised. It’s not the case. Instead, in the process of attacking the adult entertainment industry, Ashcroft has unintentionally exposed the Republican family’s dirty secrets.

Gerard Wright of the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald reported that the Comcast cable network “offers hardcore porn from the Hot Network channel as part of its premium package. Comcast’s CEO, Brian Roberts, helped organize the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.”

A family values convention was paid for in part with porn money – Comcast gave $1 million to support the GOP show.

Comcast also contributed to the 2000 Democratic National Convention, but the Democrats weren’t on a crusade of moral hypocrisy.

This year, both parties will again benefit from the largesse of such companies – Republicans more so than Democrats. It’s another reason why a viable third party in this country is needed. Deep-pocketed special interests – no matter how the money is made – have far more impact on policy decisions than average Americans.

Wright also reported that “hotel rooms across America that offer adult films include those of the Marriott chain, owned and run by prominent members of the Mormon Church.” According to OpenSecrets.org, in the 2004 election cycle, 71 percent of campaign contributions by the hotel’s political action committee, its owners or employees went to Republican candidates. ABC News reported that adult movies are a “small proportion of overall profits – but significant enough that the chains want to keep making them available. Marriott said in a statement that it saw the matter as a privacy issue.”

The Chicago Tribune, quoting “60 Minutes” as its source, reported that Comcast made $50 million from adult programming in 2002. According to ABC News, 750 million adult DVDs and videos were rented last year. It’s a multibillion-dollar industry that greases the gears of the two-party system in soft and hard money contributions.

Whether the Justice Department’s assault on aspects of the industry is a form of censorship is better debated by constitutional scholars. There isn’t any question that children must be protected from it. The Bush White House should be applauded for making important contributions to safeguard children.

Yet it seems incredible that President Bush would issue a “Protection from Pornography Week” proclamation while benefiting from the adult entertainment industry that he and his attorney general contend threatens the nation. The proclamation says that pornography “can have debilitating effects on communities, marriages, families and children,” and that through “Protection from Pornography Week,” the country can “commit to take steps to confront the dangers of pornography.”

Note the ambivalence – “can have” versus “does in fact have.” Perhaps the ambivalence is needed to rationalize accepting campaign donations from the industry.

Ashcroft has found no reason to indict or prosecute prominent contributors to the Republican Party who profit from adult entertainment. Nor has he urged that the Bush re-election team refuse campaign donations from what he considers ill-gotten sources. If Comcast or Marriott are protected from some existing loopholes, he should propose legislation to close them. He also should urge the GOP to boycott hotel chains providing adult entertainment, especially at this year’s presidential convention in New York City.

What is most remarkable about Ashcroft isn’t his puritanical, adolescent interest in the bedrooms of consenting adults, but the willingness to politicize God in an attempt to galvanize support for President Bush’s re-election. In doing so, he has disclosed an extraordinary double standard. His actions will only reaffirm the jaded attitudes many already have about God, spirituality and the integrity of their government.

The Right Rev. Paul Peter Jesep, an auxiliary bishop in the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Sobornopravna, is studying at Bangor Theological Seminary. The views expressed are his own and do not reflect the church’s position. He may be reached at VladykaPaulPeter@aol.com. Voices is a commentary by five panelists from a range of Maine’s religious and spiritual perspectives.