From LifeSiteNews
By Kathleen Gilbert
The U.S. Senate yesterday confirmed David Ogden as the next deputy attorney general, ignoring a flood of protest against Ogden's extensive record in defending pornography. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) joined the senators in voting in favor of Ogden, despite having been chief sponsor of the Children's Internet Protection Act, an act designed to keep porn off public library computers that Ogden opposed.In 2003, Ogden wrote a brief on behalf of fifteen library directors objecting to the Protection Act, claiming that, "By demanding that libraries be censors and devote resources - not to facilitating - but to interfering with patrons' pursuit of information and ideas, Congress has subverted the role of librarians and public libraries and violated the First Amendment rights of library patrons."
The vote was split down party lines, except for eleven Republicans who voted in favor: Senators Alexander (TN), Bond (MO), Collins (ME), Graham (SC), Gregg (NH), Kyl (AZ), Lugar (IN), McCain (AZ), Snowe (ME), Specter (PA), and Voinovich (OH). One Democrat, Sen. Casey of Pennsylvania, voted against the nomination. Ogden was sworn in today by Attorney General Eric Holder Jr.
Pro-family voices issued a volley of opposition to prevent the confirmation after Ogden was nominated by President Obama earlier this year. Ogden's record, they pointed out, shows a steady predilection for defending the pornography industry. He has represented clients including Playboy, Penthouse, ACLU, and the Consenting Adults Telephone Rights Association in numerous cases.
In his private practice, the 55-year-old lawyer has also established himself as completely opposed to legal protections both for the unborn and for traditional marriage.
"David Ogden is a hired gun from Playboy and ACLU. He can't run from his long record of opposing common sense laws protecting families, women, and children," said Brian Burch, President of Fidelis, a pro-family watchdog group that assembled a dossier on Ogden's porn background.
The Senate Judiciary Committee's top Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter, reportedly told National Public Radio that he had never seen so much opposition from voters against a nominee. According to Specter 11,000 phone calls, letters and other contacts poured in to the committee by the beginning of March protesting the Ogden pick.
Ogden insisted to the Judiciary Committee at his confirmation hearing last month that "child pornography is abhorrent," and otherwise downplayed his extreme record. Burch described Ogden's words as "a textbook example of an ambitious nominee saying whatever he needs to say to get the votes for confirmation."
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, dismissed pro-family advocates' alarm over Ogden as "a scurrilous attack on him."
However, according to Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., Ogden "is more than just a lawyer who has had a few unsavory clients. He has devoted a substantial part of his career, case after case, for 20 years, in defense of pornography."
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., said he was "alarmed that President Obama has nominated a candidate to serve in the No. 2 post at the Department of Justice who has repeatedly represented the pornography industry and its interests," calling Ogden's record "shocking."
3 comments:
ummmm....are you stupid or just plain dumb?
Are you actually claiming that (legal) pornography involving consenting adults is exactly the same as (illegal) child pornography involving children against their will (or adults against their will for that matter)?
That an attorney who provides legal representation to clients who produce or promote adult pornography is EXACTLY THE SAME as underground criminals who illegally produce child pornography involving the use of children against their will?
Is everything really black & white for you people? If so, you should be ASHAMED of all the pasty white Republicans consistently charged with bizarre sexual behaviors unbecoming for a party that promotes your not-so-perfect "family" values.
All your pretentious repression is the cause of sexual perversion...so enjoy. The person in the pew next to you, the minister of your church, &/or the GOP politicians who claim to represent you are likely next in line for shoe tapping in a restroom somewhere.
You are narrow-minded & sick.
In addition to his work on behalf of Big Smut, David Ogden has defended the ALA in their efforts to keep internet filters off of library computers – thus exposing children to pornography. Ogden has also defended individuals possessing child pornography. And he has represented Planned Parenthood in their efforts against parental consent laws involving minors receiving abortions. Finally, Ogden claims that children reared in homosexual homes are no different psychologically than children from heterosexual homes.
As far as "toe tapping" hypocrites, they are repugnant to me, as are rude defenders of porn and child abuse.
Pornography is not art -- it is a gradual spiral into a dangerous abyss. Deeper and more bizarre perversions are required to achieve the same level of incitement; children are becoming the disposable prop of choice.
So, yeah, Ogden is a lousy choice. He is apparently incapable of defining and upholding ethical boundaries for society.
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"Everyone did what was right in his own eyes"
~Judges 21:25
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