Daniel Herbster reporting
Congressman Paul Broun, who represents Georgia’s tenth district, is one of the newest members of Congress—having won a special election last year after the previous Congressman for the 10th district, Charlie Norwood, passed away. I was privileged to interview Rep. Broun about his proposed bill the “Military Honor and Decency Act” which would fully prohibit the sale of obscene and pornographic material on military bases. The following is my interview with Rep. Broun.
DH: Congressman, thanks so much for doing this interview for us. First of all, I’d like to ask you the question I always love to ask politicians. Why did you decide to get into politics and specifically why did you run for your current office?
PB: When I ran for office, I was not seeking a title or political position. I ran because I firmly believe that our nation has lost sight of its core principles, and I want to make fundamental changes to how our government operates.
In Psalm 11, God asks a question, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” And God tells us the answer to that question is to return to His precepts and commandments, because a righteous Lord loves righteousness and He will uphold our efforts on His behalf.
We have lost our righteous zeal, and lost our once cherished principles of personal freedom, individual accountability and responsibility, and limited government. I ran for office to restore those principles, and I believe that He calls each one of His children to uphold those principles. That is what I am trying to do in Congress, at home, and everywhere I go.
DH: You’ve recently proposed the Military Honor and Decency Act (H.R.5821) which deals with the sale of pornographic or obscene material on military bases. What would this bill do?
PB: Essentially, it will close the loophole in current law that allows pornography to be sold on military installations across the United States and around the world. The Defense Authorization Act of 1997 included a provision to prohibit the distribution and sale of all sexually explicit material on property under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense (DoD). Sadly, DoD has failed to strictly enforce this law, and has allowed blatant, obviously pornographic material such as Playboy and Penthouse to continue to be sold on military bases. My bill will end this practice and force the DoD to submit to the law.
Let me be clear – if military personnel want to buy pornography, that is their prerogative. However, the U.S. Military should not be involved and facilitating the transaction. The U.S. Military should not be using its resources to deliver it right to the doors of these military personnel. My bill does not make pornography illegal, but it would remove the U.S. military and the U.S. taxpayer from the transaction.
DH: How did you become aware of the need for this legislation, and what are some of the facts that convinced you this legislation was necessary?
PB: Thankfully, constituents of mine contacted my office to point out this unlawful and immoral activity. When my staff researched the issue, we were shocked to learn that it was true. After all, I knew it was already against the law and assumed that DoD was enforcing the law. After further research and contacting DoD directly, it became apparent that DoD would not change its policy and the current statute was inadequate. So it was clear that I must take action to reverse this sad situation.
DH: As I understand it, current regulations should be sufficient for banning such objectionable material but they are not properly enforced. How does this new legislation solve this problem, and why do you think it will be successful?
PB: Yes, as one would expect, selling pornography on military installations is already prohibited by federal law. However, DoD has decided that—due to broad definitions and unforeseen, gaping loopholes within the current statute—Playboy and Penthouse, and a host of similar material are not pornographic. My legislation corrects this error by lowering the threshold required to determine if material is sexually explicit and enacting a stricter standard of review. Notably, my bill includes clear and specific definitions of words such as lascivious and nudity in an attempt to clarify the existing statute with the original intent of the law.
DH: How could our readers find out more about this legislation, and what could they do to support its passage?
PB: I encourage those interested to visit my website at broun.house.gov, where the text of the bill and related information may be viewed. I also encourage your readers to contact their respective congressman and senators and urge them to cosponsor the Military Honor and Decency Act so we can get it signed into law as soon as possible and stop this dishonorable practice.
DH: I’ve heard you have a four point test by which you judge every piece of legislation (including earmarks) on which you vote. Would you mind sharing this test with our readers, and why do you feel it is important to have such a legislative test?
PB: My four-way test is fundamental to how I view the proper role of government and how I will serve my constituents and the good people of this country. As you noted, I use the following four questions to analyze every piece of legislation that is considered in Congress:
1) Is it right (is it morally right)
2) Is it constitutional? (as the framers intended)
3) Is it needed? (is it really necessary)
4) Is it affordable? (can our country really afford it)
In order for me to vote yes, a bill must affirmatively answer all four questions of the test, otherwise I will be forced to vote no. This is important because I believe we must return to the foundational principles upon which our country and form of government are structured. We know what the framers intended, because they wrote it down for us in the Federalist Papers. Furthermore, Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution clearly outlines the powers of Congress. The 10th Amendment further clarifies that all powers not specifically delegated to the federal government are reserved for the states or the people. We are clearly passing unconstitutional language on a regular basis in Washington. I am here to change that practice.
I should note that the Military Honor and Decency Act is perfectly consistent with all four parts above.
DH: Thanks for taking time out from your busy schedule to share your thoughts with our readers.