The South Carolina bill, proposed by Republican Rep. Ralph Davenport, would make it a felony to sell devices used primarily for sexual stimulation and allow law enforcement to seize sex toys from raided businesses.
A felony. For selling vibrators. A felony. In a state where selling Uzis and AK-47s is just fine, Republican Rep. Ralph Davenport wants to make selling vibrators a felony.
People convicted under obscenity laws face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Five years. $10,000 fine.
Other states that ban the sell of sex toys include Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas, said Mark Lopez, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union.
You can tell that these states are big on "family values" since all four are in the top 20 states for most divorces per capita. Apparently South Carolina (#32) is jealous.
(Article via Boing Boing)
28 comments:
Good to see that they have their priorities right.....
Yes, higher than the Red State Divorce Rate or the Bible Belt Divorce Rate. By those paragons of family values, Newt Gingrich and Bob Barr, and those young women who epitomize virtuous Christian-Red State-Bible Belt womanhood, Jenna and Barbara Bush.
'primarily'? I guess a carve-out for those oscillating shower heads. (Not to mention cigars.)
I really don't get it. Isn't sex still legal in South Carolina? I mean, were do all the little South Carolinians come from? How about lingerie? Is that okay? (I'd love to see the anti-push-up-bra legistlation.)
Maybe all of this is just an attempt to reduce masterbation, which I can fully understand, since it does, after all, cause blindness and liberalism.
And to think, I've been focusing on health care and education.
These are the folks who use the word "Massachusetts" to scare people.
ri-ight. I'm glad to see the land of the free is still going strong!
But honestly I'm flabbergasted! Since when does no sex aids = family values. I know plenty of married couples who use sex toys. Most single people don't bother - they just go pick up someone and have wild sex with them cos the first time with someone is always fun:-)
And you are fighting to make sure those poor repressed peoples around the world have the chance to experience freedom of religion, expression and lifestyle? Perhaps you should send the army to look a little closer to home!
Mrs. A: You don't understand U.S. Red State/Bible Belt guys. Here's the thought process:
Guys, if they have sex, will climax with or without sex toys most of the time.
Women need more time.
Women shouldn't be having great sex with someone they just met (hence the restrictions on birth control) and are sluts if they have good sex without marriage, particularly one night stands.
Women in marriage don't need good sex either. They need pregnancy. Hence: sex toys giving married women sexual satisfaction are evil. Women should have anorgasmic sex with Newt Gingrich, Bob Barr, Trent Lott and all of their evil twins throughout the South, Southwest, and West.
Once the guy is bored with the woman he hasn't been bringing to orgasm in the marriage bed, he'll trade her in for a newer model and go on about family values.
Is that clear?
Leave it to the "small government" Republicans to focus on what's important.
...a government so small it fits in your bedroom...
I was aware that it is illegal to sell vibrators in Alabama. But making it a felony offense? What harm do they see here?
I can only assume that foilwoman is right: there's something very threatening about women having orgasms. If women actually enjoyed sex, the destruction of civilization would rapidly follow.
Speaking as a Canadian, I have to say it: many Americans are deeply, deeply disturbed when it comes to sex.
Elf: Teensy-weensy 2-inch penis sized government, really. When you think about it. Why else would a dildo be so threatening?
Q: You can just say "many Americans are deeply, deeply disturbed" and you need say no more. The "when it comes to sex" is implicit.
A FELONY? As in, an orgasm for a woman is just as dangerous to society as, say, murder?
This is so bizarre. In fact, it's sick and twisted. Perverted. In fact, I think you need to legislate against this. Quick!
In a new book called "Do as I say, not as I do" , liberal democrats are taken to task for their hypocracy. For example, althought Hillary Clinton says she feels that a 14 year old girl is mature enough to make the decision to have an abortion, she nixed her 14 year old daughter's Chelsea decision to have her ears pierced, stating the girl was too young.
Although John Kerry is all for a graduated tax, he personally pays taxes at the same rate as someone making 10% of his income through a wonderful manupulation of the tax laws he so puts down.
It would be nice if you stop demonizing those you with whom you disagree. Think about what it says about those who criticize.
Asher: And the connection with felonious sex toys (and female orgasm) is . . . ? And everyone is capable of hypocrisy, that's no surprise, and is an essential part of the human condition. It's also not that hypocritical for a parent with a reasonably good relationship with an adolescent child to limit things yet know that other adolescents (perhaps those with an abusive parent who impregnated her or who believe that sex before marriage should be punished by stoning or the like) need access, under certain circumstances, to abortion. Anyway, if children of politicians are anything to judge them by, Bill and Hillary have Dubya and Laura whupped. Dubya and Laura have two kids who between them don't seem to be half the person that the no-ears-pierced-at-age-14 Chelsea Clinton was or has become. JMNSHO, but there you are. But back to sex toys . . .
Unworthy, JA. As the article you linked to goes on to say "Rep. Davenport, who is from Spartanburg County, did not return several messages Friday to talk about his bill, which was introduced last month. No other legislator has signed on as a co-sponsor and its passage this year seems unlikely."
In other words, he did it off his own bat and nobody else is touching it with a bargepole. So where do you get off with Republican*s* (plural)? And can I take it from this that you would regard it as completely reasonable for some right-wing blogger to trawl every statehouse and assembly in the country to find one (count 'em) Democrat who'd said something stupid, and then use this as a brush to tar everyone (including, presumably, you) who shares their ideological affiliation?
Ooh classy, FW. Ignoring for the moment that Asher was clearly attacking liberal hypocrisy not presidential brats, is your hatred for Bush such that you really have to resort to sliming his kids?
"Anyway, if children of politicians are anything to judge them by, Bill and Hillary have Dubya and Laura whupped. Dubya and Laura have two kids who between them don't seem to be half the person that the no-ears-pierced-at-age-14 Chelsea Clinton was or has become. "
For the record, Jenna is working as a teacher in a poor Washington DC public school and Barbara is working for an AIDS charity in Africa. Chelsea Clinton on the other hand is pulling down a six-figure salary at management consultants Mckinsey's, one of the organisations that did so much to help build up the corporate culture at such places as, erm, Enron. Truly, who is the more admirable role model for today's young people?
Random:
In other words, he did it off his own bat and nobody else is touching it with a bargepole. So where do you get off with Republican*s* (plural)?
Although this particular bill is Republicans only, as the article writes, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas (all Republican-run) also ban the sale of sex toys. Hence Republican*s*, plural.
Random: Ooh, you think I'm classy, thanks so much. Your good opinion just lifts me up. You could try just disagreeing without rating me one way or another, but where would be the fun in that? And of course, neither you nor Asher addressed the total disregard for female sexuality (or women) inherent in the great felonious sex toy caper. Or the sheer mindnumbing stupidity of the people behind it. Republicans, with an s. Religious zealots. Be proud of them. If you don't want people to get sexual satisfaction, unless through vaginally penetrative sex (preferably without contraception?), stand up and say so, here and now. Or admit that the SC legislation is a bad idea.
JA,
Where those states republican run when the legislation passed? And did it pass only with republican votes in each case? Did you even check? Presumably not, given that the statement is factually incorrect in any case - in Alabama for example the State House is split 62/43 Democrat/Republican and the State Senate is 25/10 D/R. so again, why "Republicans" without any further qualifier? It seems to me there's more than enough stupidity to go around.
And FW - another wild swerve off topic there. I've no idea how you get from me defending the integrity of the Bush girls to thinking I must have a violent fear and hatred of female sexuality. But very well - I think this sort of legislation is ridiculous and stupid in the extreme and anybody who indulges in it should be mocked loudly and often. Now that I've answered your question, can you answer mine - do you really believe it's more praiseworthy and mature for a privileged, well connected young woman to use those privileges to make a fortune in the private sector than it is for her to put something back by working with the poor and the sick?
As in the case of Texas arresting drunk people in bars, this is yet another fundamentalist effort to stop human beings from having any fun not explicitly mentioned in the Bible.
Among the list of fun family activities mentioned by the Bible are:
1)Incest (Lot & his daughters)
2)Taking female slaves
3)Killing of witches, Canaanites, Amalekites, oh hell....anyone you want!
4)wandering around the desert chasing clouds
5)throwing goats off a cliff (known as goat-tossing)
I'm sure there are more.
(BTW There was such an outrage from the hotel and bar industry that Texas stopped the practice.)
*coming out from lurking*
Random--
I'm impressed and I'm getting tired of nodding my head in agreement.
*wink*
*goes back to the shadows*
late to the party again... I have to echo what Foilwoman said. Generally speaking, many societies impose restrictions on female sexuality. If you look into the history of this practice, it's linked to the emergence of feudal land ownership and patrilinial inheritence. You must control women's sexuality if you are to be certain who the father of a particular child is because your land ownership and lineage and inheritance depended on it. Now that we have DNA testing, this is a moot point, but the culture of controlling women's sexuality persists.
Sex toys are illegal in many states, mostly in the south. This is linked primarily to the unhealthy Christian mode of thinking that has equated sex with sin ever since St. Augustine graced the world with his epiphanies.
"The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation." - Pierre Eliot Trudeau (yes, he's a dead Canadian but he was a treasure trove of excellent quotes)
Have to agree with Laura and Foilwoman, here. This appears to be about repressing female sexuality, which is completely unacceptable. And making it a felony is completely ridiculous. Aren't your prisons overcrowded enough as it is?
It might just be that the wives (and mistresses) of the uber-christian control freaks have been giving more time to their sex-toys than to their men.
Jealousy is a nasty thing.
JA: Come on, do you really think that republicans have a monopoly on stupidity? It is inherent in the political class.
You guys are all missing the point.. If they're illegal you can't tax them and you can't regulate them. Okay. Case closed.
Another anon
I'm sick of coming here and seeing the word 'dildos' since April 22.
*laughing*
UPDATE!
I'm sick of coming here and seeing the word 'dildos' since April 22.
*laughing*
lol! Sorry, been busy with work. (!) I'll try to update tomorrow.
These guys need to get out more.
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