Mississippi Cracks Down on Pleasure

This bizarre story via feministing:

Jackson Police make three arrests after an undercover operation uncovers illegal sex toys at two adult bookstores on East McDowell Road in Jackson.

Police told News Channel 12 phone calls from neighbors led them to investigate Secrets Adult Bookstore and the McDowell Adult Bookstore….

The three arrested face charges of posessing sex toys with the intent to resale.

And Mississippi isn't the only state with a law against pleasure aids; it is also illegal to sell toys shaped like sexual organs in Georgia, Texas and Alabama. Of course it's one thing to have a Puritanical law. It's another to mount a whole investigation into violations of it.

Back in February Nick Gillespie had instant blog reaction when Alabama upheld its sex toy ban.

Comments

[Warren]

When plastic dicks are outlawed only law enforcement will be... no wait

They government banned fake dicks because they were afraid of the competition... no umm

They can have my... oh no no...

Yeah I got nothing

Well not nothing. Actually I'm quite well umm

OK shutting up now

[Reinmoose]

This scandalous behavior is penetrating our society! It must be choked off immediately! While ridding ourselves of this filth may tie up our law enforcement resources, we have no choice but to lash out against that which holds our communities hostage!

[Randolph Carter]

we have no choice but to lash out against that which holds our communities hostage!

holds our communities in bondage?

[jtuf]

it is also illegal to sell toys shaped like sexual organs in Georgia, Texas and Alabama.

So why do NASA and Lockheed Martin have centers in Texas?

[Michael Pack]

Who's running that stae? Michell Malkin?

[Troy]

This isn't bizarre, this is becoming normal. What the fuck is the state's interest whether I am using a pocket pussy myself or using a vibrator on my girlfriend?
I wonder if there is a threshold like in drug cases. Like say, a 12 inch vibrator is a class 5 felony whereas a 6 inch dildo is only a misdemeanor.
To the pigs and legislators of Texas, Georgia, and Mississippi: I am sorry that you were born with an inferior complex regarding in your inadequate cock. If you were actually literate or actually listened to women, you'd understand that even though you feel practically cockless, you can still make a woman happy.
By the way, not all police officers are pigs. The ones who enforce this stupidity are.

[Nick]

Were they SWAT raids?

When I typed that last sentence, I was laughing... but the more I think about it... the less I'd be surprised if they were.

Now I'm just sad.

[jimmydageek]

Yes, forbid people from using sex toys so they are forced to have promiscuous sex with actual people. They must really love their STDs.

[Jack]

Much like drug prohibition, this will also create a black market where people smuggle things over the border in their rectums

[Lamar]

These bans were put in place after stiff lobbying from big cucumber. (My first "big" joke)

[ed]

I think it's because they're scarred for life by that passage in the Bible
describing a strap-on and a certain apostle...

[Zoomie Junior]

The "illegal sex-toys" are penis and vagina shaped, with features like folds and veins. The non-descript cylindrical shaft of a standard vibrator and Hello Kitty are still safe from "Puritanical Tyrany".

[Chris S.]

Somewhere out there, Dinesh D'souza is smiling.

[Zoomie Junior]

Former comment was for clerification, not in defense.

[Jake Boone]

Ed is absolutely correct. When the Bible talks about "the disciple whom Jesus loved," it's not talking about that namby-pamby agape crap. You think Jesus learned how to wield that whip against the moneychangers in the temple by watching Indiana Jones movies? He was a hardcore, triple-X messiah all the way.

[Reinmoose]

Yes, forbid people from using sex toys so they are forced to have promiscuous sex with actual people. They must really love their STDs.

STDs are God's way of punishing those who engage in sins of the flesh. By using sex toys, they are avoiding the consequences that come with their sins. The only way to restore God's order is to make sure people always pay the consequences for their offenses against Him!

(HA! See how I capitalized "Him?" It makes it look so authentic and sincere!)

[ed]

I have it on good authority that Mary liked to watch.

[Rattlesnake Jake]

"Who's running that stae? Michell Malkin?"

Is she a prude? It's hard to believe she was ever associated with Reason.

[Rattlesnake Jake]

"a 12 inch vibrator is a class 5 felony whereas a 6 inch dildo is only a misdemeanor."

Because then if a rapist who has a 6" penis rapes somebody, he's only guilty of a misdemeanor.

[Rattlesnake Jake]

"STDs are God's way of punishing those who engage in sins of the flesh. By using sex toys, they are avoiding the consequences that come with their sins. The only way to restore God's order is to make sure people always pay the consequences for their offenses against Him!"

God could cause us to get cancer by having prolonged contact on or in our genital regions with plastic devices. That would serve us right.

[Ken]

Was there any pleasure in MS to begin with? Shouldn't that state be downgraded to a territory?

[Rattlesnake Jake]

I knew a white guy from Mississippi. His sexual experience was always with black girls when he was growing up. He said he was 25 years old before he knew white girls had vaginas.

[SugarFree]

namby-pamby agape crap

Jack, I'm pretty sure there was some gaping later on...

Plastic vaginas? Man, those must be hard to clean properly. The dishwasher does have a "sterilize" cycle, but I'm not sure that the water pressure is high enough to get into all the nooks and crannies. Maybe they banned them because it was a public health issue. A greased tube sock in a Pringles can does clean up a lot easier.

[jimmydageek]

Rattlesnake Jake | July 6, 2007, 10:36am | #

I knew a white guy from Mississippi. His sexual experience was always with black girls when he was growing up. He said he was 25 years old before he knew white girls had vaginas.

So before his 25th birthday the white girls he was with had...something other than vaginas?

The horror!

[SugarFree]

something other than vaginas?

Were they ladyboys? Maybe it was just dark...

[Warren]

I'll take 4 to 1 that within three years you will be required to show ID and sign in order to purchase balloons and fresh fruit in Mississippi.

http://www.homemade-sex-toys.com/

[Rattlesnake Jake]

You beat me to the punch, Warren. I was going to say they will probably oulaw bananas and sausages.

[ChicagoTom]

These bans were put in place after stiff lobbying from big cucumber. (My first "big" joke)

Lamar, nice except I would say you need to capitolize the B& C : "Big Cucumber"

[Ken]

I just sat here and read this, and must really say WTF!!! What sane person could possibly be against sale of such toys? What in the WORLD is the harm?? I hereby call on those conservative tools SIV, John H and others to stand and deliver how, oh how, considering this, they can find equivalence between conservatives and liberals. At least with liberal nannyism there are (supposed) direct threats to welfare. But this, what the f%^k is this?

[Ken]

I for one can't wait for SIV's arguments aiming to show that the bans in Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Miss are realy the result of the mighty progressive blocks in those fair states...

[Rhywun]

Of course it's one thing to have a Puritanical law. It's another to mount a whole investigation into violations of it.

Because silly laws aren't meant to be enforced...

Except in New York City, where Mr. Softee must now shut off his jaunty tune when stopped. The fine is $350, as some criminal noise-polluters are now finding out.

[Rattlesnake Jake]

"oh how, considering this, they can find equivalence between conservatives and liberals."

The economic liberals try to regulate our pocket books and the social conservatives try to regulate our bedrooms.

[Rattlesnake Jake]

"Because silly laws aren't meant to be enforced..."

It's a good thing, otherwise in Oklahoma, they'd be searching the lakes for whale hunters. There's a law in Oklahoma against hunting whales.

[Warty]

it is also illegal to sell toys shaped like sexual organs

So what about ones shaped like rubber duckies? Or Harry Potter broomsticks?

[Dan T.]

The police can't pick and choose what laws they want to enforce. If you don't like the current laws on the books where you live, either vote for a pol who'll change the laws or move to a place where the laws are more to your liking.

I really don't have a huge problem with this law anyway. Sex toys are extremely degrading to women and I really don't want my child to get a hold of one of those things.

[SIV]

Guess who controlled the legislatures in these States when the laws were passed Ken?

(hint: they weren't Republicans)

[Ken]

Were they liberals though SIV (the parties are not synonomous you know, especially in the South). Was it progressive legislators SIV? Or was it Satan? I think it was probably your conservative buddies, what do you think?

[Ken]

Besides, except for Alabama, Texas was GOP controlled in the legislature, as well as Georgia and Miss was split (do you even check things before you say them, or is that part of your partisan condition?).
http://www.ncsl.org/statevote/partycomptable2007.htm

[ed]

The police can't pick and choose what laws they want to enforce.

They do it all the time.

[Timothy]

I bet a finger wasn't all Thomas stuck in the Messiah's wounds.

Just saying.

[Rattlesnake Jake]

"I really don't have a huge problem with this law anyway. Sex toys are extremely degrading to women and I really don't want my child to get a hold of one of those things."

Shouldn't it be up to the women whether or not to use them regardless of what other people may think of them?

[Rattlesnake Jake]

"I really don't want my child to get a hold of one of those things."

That's your responsibility, not the state's.

[SIV]

Actually Ken I bet they were "progressives".
You are welcome to prove me wrong.

Leftists like to define their own as Right Wing whenever they support something embarassing.

I remember after the Kelo descision NPR and the rest of the MSM "explaining" that 3 of the 5 Justices in the majority were Republican appointees.

[CFisher]

The police can't pick and choose what laws they want to enforce. If you don't like the current laws on the books where you live, either vote for a pol who'll change the laws or move to a place where the laws are more to your liking.

Not entirely true. Because they have limited resources, they have a certain amount of discretion in how aggressively they pursue certain 'crimes'. And D.A.s have even more leeway in what 'crimes' they wish to pursue, which would also consequently affect how many resources the police assign to this.

Presumably, these officers have nothing better to do.

I really don't have a huge problem with this law anyway. Sex toys are extremely degrading to women and I really don't want my child to get a hold of one of those things.

Presumably, you have to be at least 18 to get into one of those stores, so it's doubtful your child would see one unless they and their friends were snooping through someone else's night stand.

[SIV]

Ken

Are you literate? Who was in power when the laws were passed

[Tony Borell]

SIV:

Who cares? Stop with the red herring.

[Ken]

Sorry SIV I usually take the time to look up facts to prove folks like yourself with partisan turrets syndrome wrong. I think the average reader here realizes that the ACLU is more likely to protest this than your buddies at the Christian Coalition, that is that this is a conservative position, and as usual a really nutty sexually repressed one. These states are also notorious for being conservative, not progressive. You are welcome to prove that wrong, provided you can pull yourself away from the cocks long enough.

[Scooby]

But, but, but... the pols that passed this law were Democrats, not Republicans. They must have been liberals.

That, or they were Bible-Belt arch-conservatives, but not Republican, since they held a century-old grudge against the Party of Lincoln.

[SIV]

Tony,

Ken seems to care a great deal.

Prohibition and prostitution laws arise out of the progressive tradition. I would not be suprised if the sex toy laws did as well.

[SIV]

So when feminists advocate pornography bans are they being Bible-Belt arch-conservatives

[SIV]

......or Progressive?

[Ken]

SIV does seem to be suffering from some kind of partisan retardation. He speaks in defense of conservatives without any knowledge. I recently showed his ass concerning the 1984 drug laws (where only one GOPer objected compared to most of the Dem black caucus, and more importantly several Dem. leaders (Conyers and Frank) of today). The VERY FIRST attempt to verify his nonsensical ramblings prove him wrong.
The texas law in question is from 2003:
Stats. 2003 78th Leg. Sess. Ch. 1005, effective September 1, 2003.
The GOP was in charge then. Of EVERYTHING.
Are you retarded SIV?

[SIV]

Ken,

So was the sale of sex toys perfectly legal prior to 2003? If so, I stand corrected.

[daniel k]

Troy: pocket pussies, pocket pussies!!? Why wasn't I informed?

They can have my sex toy when they pry it out of my cold, dead or hot, slippery (heh heh "insert" favorite phrase)...
Although our freedoms are diminshed, the increase in dirty joke potential almost makes it worth it.

[dhex]

on a serious note, since i really can't wrap my head around it (HAR HAR HAR)...how are sex toys degrading to women?

[SIV]

The Texas obscenity statute is a slang name for a Texas state law. In 1973 the state legislature passed Section 43.21 of the Texas Penal Code which, in part, prohibits the sale or promotion of ""Obscene device[s]" mean[ing] a device including a dildo or artificial vagina, designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs."

The law appears to pre-date Rpublican control in Texas. I was really hoping Ann Richards signed it but it was before she was Governor.

[SIV]

So was this section of the law revised in 2003?

Or are you making up things again Ken?

[Ken]

Part of SIV's retardation comes from an inability to understand history or change. SIV refers to how some prominent "progressives" were at one time (many decades ago) very prudish on some matters (drugs or sex). Of course, these were much more conservative times overall (being decades ago, that is kind of what conservative means, to conserve the mores of the past), so yes, even the more "progressive" elements of the past were more conservative than many folks today. The question of course is, in the past and most importantly today (since we live in that time), who is more supportive and responsible for laws banning things like sex toys or drugs? Is it folks we think of as progressive, like the ACLU, or folks we think of as conservative, like the Conservative Coalition? SIV's inability to answer that question without reverting to half assed assertions (I mention that because he almost never backs up anything) to 50+ or more years ago demonstrates that he would likely find that answer to not favor his partisan views. Anyone who argues that it was what we today think of as liberals who dominate or have ever dominated the legislatures or Texas, Georgia, Alabama or Mississippi is a fool of course. A "progressive" Democrat in 1930's Georgia would be far to the right of any GOPer today, that was the times. But were the more progressive elements (compared to so called conservatives of the day) responsible for these restrictions or what? Put up or shut up SIV and others...
Liberals engage in too much nannyism for my taste. I've always been into guns, against affirmative action/busing and p.c. censorship. But today's conservatives are the religious right heirs of those who supported Comstock, Byran, and other anti-intellectual censors of anything that smacks of non-conformity whether in matters scientific, sexual or lifestyle. Some of these folks in the past (Bryan for example) found homes in the Democratic Party, others (Comstock) did not. But it's clear who resides where now, and while it is silly to say liberals are not guilty of infringing on liberty, it is downright retarded to content that they are as bad as modern day conservatives (who openly admit scorn for liberty, which they call 'liscense').

[Ken]

I meant Christian Coalition of course, and I might add that group has WAY more power in the GOP than the ACLU does with Dems.

[SIV]

Yup

Write a longer one next time Ken.
Make up your own definitions for "progressive"
and "conservative" too.

[Ken]

Any fool that cannot realize that the ACLU is what would be considered a "progressive" org and that the Christian Coalition would be considered a "conservative" org and where they would fall on this current issue is living in a cave somewhere.

[Ken]

For the record, the ACLU has been one of the only orgs involved with some of the suits to break the ban. SIV, I welcome your arguments that the ACLU is not considered progressive by today's standards (this should be fun)...

[Jennifer]

on a serious note, since i really can't wrap my head around it (HAR HAR HAR)...how are sex toys degrading to women?

I guess you might worry that if a man can get a plastic vagina he'd have no use for those of us with the real thing. But to say that, you must assume that men value women only for sexual purposes. Therefore, saying sex toys are degrading to women is degrading to women.

[Dennis]

Illuminating excerpts from a documentary on the Texas law.

[Robert]

It should be recognized that although the particular statutes in question may be relatively recent, they're probably no more than a narrowing recodific'n of obscenity laws on the books pretty much throughout North America for over a century. I'm guessing the 1973 Texas statute was drafted in response to court decisions which had narrowed the sorts of things that could be considered obscene. Most porn and birth control devices could no longer be outlawed, so the laws had to be redrawn to cover only what was constitutionally permitted to be outlawed.

The usual way these things had traditionally been marketed is as multi-purpose items such as massagers with different attachments. It's only recently that they've been marketed as novelties for their looks.

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton]

on a serious note, since i really can't wrap my head around it (HAR HAR HAR)...how are sex toys degrading to women?

Didn't 70s feminist lesbos push the idea that strap on dildos were "male fantasy tools of oppression" until they were rediscovered by 80s dykes who felt really guilty ,at first, for using something so un PC.

Seems like something I read by one of those "pro-sex" feminists years ago.

[SIV]

A "progressive" Democrat in 1930's Georgia would be far to the right of any GOPer today

Well you have to go a few decades earlier but..........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Watson

Down here in Georgia we consider this guy a big liberal.

I find your views of the South as amusing as your notions of a leftist, progressive based "liberty".

[bill]

its not about selling sex toys in mississippi, its about money, they got to pay the law off, its always been about the money in missippi
ever state in union sold whiskey but missippi. its still igeal in differents parts of the state its about the money
you pay the law off you sell anything you want, so the sex toys just another money game for mississippi