Porn Free

Now that the Marriott hotel chain has gone smoke-free, says a press release from Concerned Women for America, it should go porn-free as well. Don't see the connection? That's because you're not thinking hard enough.

"We've been after Marriott for years to stop providing pay-per-view porn," says CWA Chief Counsel Jan LaRue. "But their excuse is that some customers want it. What's that percentage? If it's only about 5 percent [the percentage of guests who request smoking rooms], they've lost that excuse. I'm guessing that their cut from porn is a lot bigger than their cut from cigarette machines in the lobby." Since the percentage of customers who watch dirty movies might be the same as the percentage who smoke in their rooms, says CWA, logic dictates that Marriott should stop catering to both groups, even if one is a much bigger source of revenue.

Not convinced? LaRue notes that Marriott cited Surgeon General Richard Carmona's recent report on secondhand smoke in explaining its decision. Well, back in the 1980s, Surgeon General C. Everett Koop (who also had a report on secondhand smoke) issued a "report on the dangerous consequences of viewing pornography." QED.

If LaRue had the courage of her convictions, she'd have clinched the argument by talking about the extra cleaning costs associated with both smokers and porn watchers.

I stood up for horny traveling businessmen in a 2002 column.