Folks, I am not a card carrying member of the Republican Party because of people like this:

U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., has introduced legislation that would close a loophole in the current law that allows the sale of some sexually explicit material on military bases by lowering the threshold required to deem material “sexually explicit.”

A Department of Defense committee that reviews materials sold on bases ruled last year that magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse are not pornographic. But Broun’s Military Honor and Decency Act includes language that could make those magazines eligible for the ban. (…)

Broun, a Marine veteran, told Newsweek recently that the magazines sold in military exchanges are partly responsible for a rise in sexual assaults in the military and other problems.

“Allowing the sale of pornography on military bases has harmed military men and women by: escalating the number of violent, sexual crimes; feeding a base addiction; eroding the family as the primary building block of society; and denigrating the moral standing of our troops both here and abroad,” Broun says on his Web site. [Seth Robson - Stars & Stripes]

I would like the good Congressman to point to one sexual assault that was committed by someone reading a Playboy? Just one. I’m sure he can’t because if he could he would already be pointing it out. What primarily causes sexual assaults is alcohol. So is that what the Congressman is going to prevent servicemembers from buying next? Make sure to read the rest because Congressman Broun plans on not only banning Playboy, but even Maxim and FHM style magazines.

This ban isn’t a big deal for soldiers stationed in the states because they can just go off post and buy the magazines. However, in places like Korea, Afghanistan, or Iraq you cannot find these magazines off post to buy thus making the PX the only place to buy them. This ban would effectively prevent these soldiers from being able to buy these magazines in deployed and overseas locations. When I was deployed to Iraq soldiers loved reading Maxim and FHM style magazines. Ironically the people who loved looking at the magazines more then them were the Iraqis. You could actually trade your old FHM style magazines to buy things from Iraqis.

The Congressman’s reasoning for the ban even gets sillier if you can believe it:

Exchange officials noted that tax dollars are not used to procure magazines in the system’s largely self-funded operations.

But Broun’s spokesman John Kennedy contended that taxpayer dollars are involved — “used to pay military salaries, so taxpayer money is, in effect, being used to buy these materials,” he said. [Army Times]

So why isn’t the Congressman and his 16 co-sponsors trying to pass a bill to stop all government employees including Congress from buying certain magazines since they to are paid with tax payers dollars? It is incredible that with all the issues are nation is facing a bunch of Congressmen figure deciding what magazines are military should be able to buy with their own hard earned money is of importance right now.

Banning these magazines would be a huge hit to morale in the military. A soldier cannot buy a beer until 21 but can fight and die for their country. If these Congressmen have their way, no soldier can buy a men’s magazine but can still fight and die for their country. At some point soldiers are going to start to wonder if this a country worth fighting for if you can’t even read a Maxim. By the way Congressman Broun’s district has no military bases. Anyone surprised?

More over at Milblogs.

Popularity: 6%