Hatch, 2nd Look [w/UPDATE]

While Sen. Orrin Hatch has somehow managed to rise above his cult leader personality a slight bit on stem cells, on other wedge issues he remains much like his fellow LDS faithful and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney: he still surely believes in Mormon magic underwear for all.

Glenn Greenwald, as he so consistently does, nailed what must be 99% of the content in Hatch's head and his every thought, (so eerily reminiscent of that schizophrenic obsession shared by former US Rep. Mark Foley):

Sen. Hatch: As he always does, Sen. Hatch makes clear that -- even as we battle the Global Epic War of Civilizations against Islamo-fascism -- his primary concern is that the Department of Justice is not doing enough to battle the evils of what even he calls "mainstream, adult pornography."

Hatch explains that "pornography and obscenity consumption harms individuals, families, communities." Unfortunately, Hatch said, the DOJ has a "terrible record enforcing adult obscenity law" -- such enforcement stopped during the Clinton administration and there is not much more to show for it during the Bush administration.

The problem, Hatch explained, is that the DOJ is only prosecuting "extreme" obscenity -- not what he calls "mainstream obscenity." Since most consumers only access "mainstream obscenity," not "extreme obscenity," this strategy is misguided -- it prosecutes "too narrow a range of obscenity." Also, warned Hatch, there are far too few FBI resources being devoted to "mainstream obscenity prosecutions."

Now this may or may not seem ok to a cult leader, but sheesh, how does he know? Hatch has a career dedicated in toto to dogma, not reason; to religious orthodoxy, not rationality. Remember how Friedrich Nietzsche DID instruct:

Morality is the best of all devices for leading mankind by the nose."

So then, why should we not peg Hatch as just one more wannabe despot, in a long line of control freaks?

At least Orrin Hatch provides us with a terrific modern day parallel by which to analyze the advent and working dynamics of the periodic historical Witch Trials.

I remember how Hatch once bragged on the floor of the Senate, how what he enjoys most about his office as senator is being able to use his power to get back at all of those that have, (in his mind), ever wronged him. That and I remember he had a penchant for reading raw FBI files.

Violate Blue at SFGate continues the points:

In a previous DoJ confirmation hearing, Hatch impressed on former Attorney General Gonzales that prosecuting "mainstream porn" was far more important than pursuing terrorism. Let's not forget how powerful a dude like Hatch really is. Gonzales later implemented this idea into policy, much to the protestation of his own departments, especially the FBI.

During and following the Reagan years, lawmakers advanced the notion that, the National Endowment for the Arts should not even exist, let alone continue making grants, for pornography.

Ha Ha. "You always have commercial pornography", they told us and then passed law after law, trampling the First Amendment, one law at-a-time. Judges, often colluded too. (.pdf)

I would even settle for a remake of Pretty Baby in just IMAX at this point.

[UPDATE]

from Reason, dated same day as this post:

[I]n substantial part to the rise of the Internet, where the United States alone has a staggering 244 million Web pages featuring erotic fare. One Nielsen survey found that one out of every four users say they visited adult sites in the last month.

So in the last two decades, we have conducted a vast experiment on the social consequences of such material. If the supporters of censorship were right, we should be seeing an unparalleled epidemic of sexual assault. But all the evidence indicates they were wrong. As raunch has waxed, rape has waned."

Submit To Propeller
Tweet