Idaho Conference

On May 9th there is a symposium called Idaho Anti-Pornography Conference, Pornography – A Big Deal, A Great Lie in Idaho Falls.

For more information go to www.citizensfordecency.org.

Utah Conference

You are all invited to a conference sponsored by the Utah Coalition Against Pornography on Saturday, April 25th at the South Towne Expo Center. We have impressed with this organization and are anxious to network with them. Many of the members of the Arizona Family Council will be attending.

2009 UCAP Conference

Online Registration and Agenda It's only $10 for the conference.

More Porn On Cable

Because of the money crunch cable companies are feeling, some companies are beginning to promote pay per view pornography on cable channels that are directed to men. As always, everything is motivated by money. The article says:

In addition to economic woes and increased competition for cable services from phone companies, the cable industry is motivated by the tremendous profits involved. While profits from movies and TV programs on other cable networks are split with Hollywood, approximately 90% of the revenue from pornography is kept by the cable industry.

Enough Is Enough

EIE sent out this email. This organization knows the effects of pornography and they are doing what they can to combat it.

NEWSFLASH:
Pornography Isn't Just 'Harmless Fun'

Earlier this month, columnist Marcia Segelstein interviewed Dr. Jill Manning, a marriage and family therapist who specializes in research and clinical work related to pornography and problematic sexual behavior about what parents need to know about pornography and their kids. As Dr. Manning--also an Enough Is Enough (EIE) Internet Safety Council member and Internet Safety 101 featured expert--highlights, many parents are too trusting of their kids and are naïve about the intensely graphic, violent and deviant nature of material accessible online.

When a child or adolescent encounters Internet pornography, it can have lasting negative or even traumatic effects on the child's sense of security and sexuality. Pornography promotes the belief that superior sexual satisfaction is attainable without having affection for one's partner, thereby reinforcing the commoditization of sex and the objectification of humans. Children who have been exposed have an increased risk for developing sexual compulsions and addictive behavior. And growing levels adult addictive behavior is becoming a major workplace problem in contemporary American society, as was highlighted in a recent editorial in the Washington Times.

Dr. Manning stressed her belief that "pornography is the most successfully marketed attack on our nature as human beings that has ever existed. There has never been anything so calculated, widespread and effective at reaching so many people at such a young age."

The bottom line: 'No Child is Immune' to Internet Dangers! To find out how to protect your children, EIE urges parents to implement Rules N' ToolsSM on all Internet-enabled devices.

To read more from Marcia's article, click HERE.

"I was just looking up pictures of reptiles to make a card for one of my friends," an eleven-year-old began, shifting nervously in her rainbow canvas sneakers, "when I came across some scary pictures. There were images and videos of naked women... with snakes. I haven't told my parents or anyone... I thought I would get in trouble."
Dear Friend:

EIE President Donna Rice Hughes presents to a packed house of parents and educators at the Ritz Theater in Rockville, in an event sponsored by the Park County School District on February 10th, 2009. At the end of a recent presentation to 4th and 5th grade children, girls and boys lined up to talk with EIE staff; each young face held a different story of how they first encountered graphic Internet pornography.

For each one of them, their innocence was shattered by accidental exposure; each child was wrestling silently with what to do with the harmful messages they encountered online. Once exposed, these images can never be erased from their young minds.

We cannot afford to leave our children unprotected online, which is why EIE continues to educate, equip and empower you with the simpleInternet Safety 101: Empowering Parents basics that will help you protect your children from threats online. Every child deserves a protected 'Age of Innocence'.

For Their Sake,

The Enough Is Enough Staff

David Ogden Is Confirmed

Although we expected David Ogden to get a majority of votes in the Senate, it was still a disappointing day to all those who believe pornography is destructive and harmful. Ogden's past clearly demonstrates that he will be sympathetic to pornographers since he has close ties to them by representing them. I have low expectations in that Ogden will not prosecute obscenity and he will not uphold the existing obscenity laws. This was a step back for families.

Both Jon Kyl and John McCain voted for David Ogden. This seems very out of character for both Senators. I have personally met with Jon Kyl and discussed his commitment to fighting pornography. I have called and emailed both senators for an explanation of their vote. I will keep you updated when I receive a response.

If you want to find out more information how each senator voted check here.

Happy for No Reason Video

You can't help be happy after watching this video.

Fatherhood

Since it is Spring Break, I wanted to start the week out with some good news. Enjoy!

Music Influences Sexual Behavior

National Coalition Reports:

New Study Links Music to Teen Sex

Parents have another compelling reason to monitor the music their teens are consuming. A new study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh indicates teenagers who listen to sexually aggressive lyrics are twice as likely to have sexual intercourse. 

The lead researcher of the study, Dr. Brian A. Primack, said, "This study demonstrates that, among this sample of young adolescents, high exposure to lyrics describing degrading sex in popular music was independently associated with higher levels of sexual behavior. 

"In fact, exposure to lyrics describing degrading sex was one of the strongest associations with sexual activity...These results provide further support for the need for additional research and educational intervention in this area."

Read Press Release Here.

Let's Go To the Movies!

Despite what Hollywood would lead you to believe...

According to a recent Newsweek/Washington Post article,

 in 2008 family-friendly movies were more successful at the box office 

than those that feature explicit sex, language and violence – in some cases, 

by as much as a 2-to-1 margin.

Most audience members prefer films which do not force them to witness behaviors or language that make them uncomfortable. This is simply common sense.

 

READ MORE HERE!

Facebook & MySpace Remove Sex Offenders.

Since last May, Facebook has removed more than 5,500 Sex Offenders from it's 

Social Networking Web site.

MySpace reports the removal of 90,000 predators in the last 2 years.

It's refreshing to see companies take measures to help protect children!

Click here to read the whole story.

11,000 People Opposed!

A big THANKS to all those who opposed the nomination of David Ogden. I thought you would like to know this:

The Senate Judiciary Committee dealt a blow to cultural morals last week by approving David Ogden's nomination for deputy attorney general, meaning the full Senate could vote anytime.

Sen. Arlen Specter, the committee's ranking Republican, reportedly told National Public Radio he had never seen so much opposition from voters — 11,000 phone calls, letters and other contacts with the committee.

Read more here.

Prop 8

On Thursday, Proposition 8 goes before the California Supreme Court for the judges to determine if this is legal. Prop 8 had more than a 600,000 vote margin to put the definition of marriage into the California Constitution.

From a Protectmarriage.com email:

The main issue before the court is whether the people had the right to enact Prop 8 in the first instance. Our opponents argue that Prop 8 was so sweeping that it constituted a fundamental revision of the constitution

You can watch the hearing online at www.calchannel.com at 8am MST.

Southwest Airlines

For those of you who would like to take action regarding the newly 'designed' Southwest Airlines plane, you can send an email.

If you are unsure what the new 'design' is, scroll down to a previous post.

Pro Life Video

Victory In Virginia Community

A porn shop closes its doors after a year and a half of 

defending the business in court.

Krial (the porn shop owner)

told the newspaper that if his store stayed open, 

"They were going to come at me with all the charges they could. 

Nobody needs this kind of aggravation."

This is a perfect example of a community taking action!!

Read the whole story here.

SI One

Just when you think you've seen it all. . .Southwest Airlines has put a decal of a Sports Illustrated swim suit model on the ENTIRE airplane. This is just despicable. Do you know how Southwest Airlines views this? The title of their blog post is -Raising the Bar.

"This plane, N922WN, is wrapped with a temporary decal featuring the cover model, from the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. This definitely seals the deals on Southwest Airlines’ FUN and edgy factor!" (SWA blog)

Why does an airline business promote the Sports Illustrated Issue? There are serious problems with this. The obvious problems of sexualizing women and not protecting our young children from images.

I wanted to put a picture on this post, but I will spare you the image.

I appreciate some of the comments from the SWA blog:

I am a Southwest Pilot. I will not fly this plane. I am offended.

I am a SWA Employee and am disgusted and embrassed by this!!!!!!! To our SWA Customers...."I am sorry!"

This is not art, it's just plain old bad taste. I feel very sorry for the female employees of Southwest Air. This is just sign that it's time for me to sell my shares and get out of the airline business.

i agree with the other posters who believe that this was in poor taste. At some point we'll make the full connection that these types of images are damaging...attention getting, obviously, but overall they are demeaning and diminishing to women in our society.

Victory in the Court

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a law that requires pornographers who take photos of people engaged in sexually explicit acts to provide "proof of age," a ruling that strengthens prevention on the exploitation of children by pornographers.

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a law that requires pornographers who take photos of people engaged in sexually explicit acts to provide "proof of age," a ruling that strengthens prevention on the exploitation of children by pornographers.

The full panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit upheld the Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1988, after a three-judge panel ruled it unconstitutional in October 2007.

The law requires pornographers who take photos of people engaged in sex acts to keep records of their names and ages to prove they are not minors.

(Taken from Illinois Family Institute email alert.)


Thanks to the Alliance Defense Fund and Alan Sears!

Breaking News- David Ogden

Unfortunately, after all the calls and emails, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve David Ogden by a vote of 14-5. His name will now be sent to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.

"All Democrats voted in favor of Ogden's nomination. Those opposing Ogden were Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)." (story here)

Thank you Senators!

Now we are on our way to have David Ogden as the #2 spot in the Department of Justice. Ogden has a long history of fighting for pedophiles, Playboy and Penthouse. We can only hope the Senate will fully research his record and vote to protect our children.

Thanks again for contacting John Kyl and the Senate Judiciary Committee to oppose this nomination.


The Arizona Family Council worked hard to voice our opposition to this nomination. We sent out a press release and were able to get Patrick Trueman on the Glenn Beck Show to talk about David Ogden.

Thanks, Pat, for speaking up on this critical appointment!

The Three C's - Tips on Contacting Lawmakers

I know I have felt nervous when asked to contact lawmakers regarding different issues.  

There is no need to feel anxious or hesitant!

Keep these tips in mind next time you contact your Representative or Senator!

The Three C's - From Focus Action:

1.) Be Concise - State your name and the reason for the call or email.

2.) Be Confident -  Your Representative or Senator works for you. 

3.) Be Courteous - No matter what happens, be polite and courteous to those you are contacting.

To read more, click here.

Facebook

I never had intentions of becoming a regular Facebook user. Now that I have a Facebook page, I've had a great time reconnecting with some old friends and keeping in touch with people I talk with regularly. I never would have imagined which friends I would meet up with. I guess it's important to be nice to everyone in Jr. High & High School, because you'll reconnect with them on Facebook.

Parents, your kids likely have a Facebook page. Have you asked them? Do you have one yourself? Have you talked about Internet safety with them? Now is the time. Here's some advice from Common Sense Media to get you up to speed.

WATCH A SHORT VIDEO HERE.

It only takes a moment to learn.

Facebook. Our teens love it. We hear lots of negative things about it -- the sex, the bad behavior, the drinking pictures, the irresponsibility. And all that stuff can be there. But Facebook can also be a great way for kids to stay in touch with their friends and showcase their interests (and have fun). Take a look at our 90 second video because it will help you learn the essentials for creating your own page. Once you do that, you can ask your kids to link to you. Even if they don't, there's nothing like understanding how something works to lessen our anxieties. Read our review, watch the video, then have fun exploring.

Tips for "friending" on Facebook

Start with your kids' age. If they're in middle school, it may be a sound policy to know what they're posting, since kids that age don't necessarily understand that they're creating a digital footprint that will long outlast the passions of the moment.

Talk to your high school-aged teens about whether or not they're comfortable letting you friend them. Many will be. This is a case of "know your kid," and it comes down to trust. But establish rules: No drug talk, no nudity, no pictures of drinking, no hate speech, no bullying, and no posting party locations -- all of these lead to ruin. Most of all, remind your teens that whatever they post will be in the cyberworld forever. (Keep watching Facebook's Terms of Service, by the way, since a recent -- and almost as recently recanted -- update said that the company owned everything anyone posted forever.)

Don't fill your kids' pages with your comments. As it is, simply having parents is mortifying enough at this age. Their friends don't need evidence of your existence (and you can always send them private messages).

Don't friend your kids' friends. See reasons above.

Remember: They can see what you post. If you're a friend, also be a role model. Keep your nose clean.

Choose your battles. You will see the good, the bad, and the truly unfathomable. If you don't want your kids to unfriend you, don't comment on every transgression. Keep it general.

Remember, you're the parent. Even if you aren't your kids' Facebook "friend," your job is still to pass your values along to them and to help them learn how to be safe and responsible on or offline.

Note- After reading these tips, I did go in and adjust my own privacy settings. Also, the Arizona Family Council will be coming soon to a Facebook near you.