Power To The People!

[MorningStar]

I have been growing increasingly annoyed about the things people find suitable to show my children at grocery stores. On Sunday, I gave a lesson about the Law of Chastity and there was a quote from President Kimball that said this:

We urge our families to protect their children in every way possible. We

live in a permissive world, but we must make certain we do not become a part of

that permissive world, that degenerate world.

Members of the Church everywhere are urged to not only resist the

widespread plague of pornography, but as citizens to become actively and

relentlessly engaged in the fight against this insidious enemy of humanity

around the world. …

… Teach your children to avoid smut as

the plague it is.

As citizens, join in the fight against obscenity in your communities. Do

not be lulled into inaction by the pornographic profiteers who say that to

remove obscenity is to deny people the rights of free choice. Do not let them

masquerade licentiousness as liberty.

Precious souls are at stake—souls that are near

and dear to each of us.

I really took this message to heart and felt like I can't talk about what I could do anymore - I have to actually do it! I picked up comment cards from Fred Meyer and handed them out to the women, asking them to fill them out and ask that they remove magazines like Cosmopolitan from the sight of our children. Frey Meyer has one Family Friendly line, which is nice, but you still have to walk past the other lines with the crap magazines that are at eye level with our kids. We are going to plan a day where we all get in line at the same time and when they offer to help us in another line, we will all say, "No, I only shop in the Family Friendly line." I wonder how long it would take for them to make more Family Friendly lines if we did that on a regular basis?

This morning I woke up to The Today Show and was delighted to hear an interview with a woman named Laura Ingraham who wrote a book called "Power to the People", which is about how we can fight against smut in the media. I have never heard of her before and learned she has a radio show. I got up immediately to write her an e-mail and thank her for standing up to this and told her I'm buying her book and shared with her what my plans are. She says our country has been pornified - She used to be able to watch The Today Show with her parents and there was actual news, nothing that made them have to change the channel, but now they show disgusting tabloid-like footage like Brittney Spears wiggling and jiggling on stage. She rejects the notion of just "turning it off". She said that's what "smutmeisters" teach, but you can't get away from it. You drive down the road and there's some Abercrombie billboard with people with no clothes on. How do you advertise clothing with naked people? I have no idea. It's like a restaurant advertising food with an empty plate.

Anyway, I took my son with me to Fred Meyer today and when I saw the cover of Cosmopolitan, I said, "THAT'S IT!!!!! WE ARE GOING TO TALK TO THE MANAGER!!!!!!" This is exactly what it said on the cover. Sorry to offend, but this is the garbage they put in front of our faces in the grocery store, a place where they do everything they can to make it kid friendly and they don't even do anything to protect our kids from this! They have a Playland, shopping carts with steering wheels, a bakery that gives free cookies out to kids, sugar cereal at eye level because they know the kids will beg for it, etc., and then they have the nerve to put this stuff up when they have created a kid friendly environment!

The Blended Orgasm

So deep, so strong, how you can have one

tonight

What Makes a Man Fall in Love

You Sex

Goddesss!

Crazy-A$$ Moves He Wants You to Do to Him

There

You

Must See It

Cosmo's Best Makeover

Ever

4 Things All Guys Keep

Private

(The First One's a Real

Doozy)

Your Gyno's Secret

Thoughts About Your Sex Life

How to Stay Safe

5 Places Sexual

Predators Look for

Women

I grabbed that stupid magazine, marched over to customer service, and asked them to speak to the manager. While waiting, I asked the lady what made them think that this was appropriate material for children to see. She said, "Oh. This is supposed to be covered up." I said, "I have been coming here for years and it has never been covered up. My son is 7 and he can read all of it."

The manager showed up and I showed it to him. I asked, "Why do you think this is the kind of material that belongs at eye level with children?" He said, "Oh. Was it in the Family Friendly line?" Before I could answer, the customer service lady told him, "It doesn't matter! It's supposed to be covered up." I added, "You have to walk by the other lines to get to that line, and although I appreciate the Family Friendly line, I don't appreciate the fact that my kids can stop and stare at magazines like this while we're making our way to that line. My son is 7, he's on the 4th Harry Potter book, and he can read every single word on this page! I want my son asking, 'Why is the sky blue?' Not, 'Mom? What's an - '" I then pointed to the word "orgasm" written in large letters. He said, "Oh. I understand. We'll get it covered up. Was there anything else there like that?" I said, "I don't know. I didn't want to look, but I would like anything objectionable to be covered or removed." By the time I was leaving, some of the Cosmos had already been covered. YEE HAAAAAA!!!!! I should've complained a long time ago.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!

I challenge everyone to do something this week to take a stand against this.

MorningStar

[avatar4321]

looks like you are on the warpath. Good job.

[Sheelah]

I checked my lines, they have a few of the tabloids on the top shelf and mostly Good Housekeeping and Better Homes and Garden type stuff lower down. I guess if you want the racier stuff you have to find the Magazine section because I've never really noticed those type near the registers.

[Guest Iggy]

In my old home town, if the stores wanted to sell Playboy, Penthouse, AND Cosmo - then they had to put them behind the register in a plain paper sack. Meaning you had to ask at the register in the grocery stores or ask the pharmacist at the drug store, and it was actually in a plain paper sack too. Not a sack with the store logo!

For the racy ones like the muscle mags, biker mags, etc- those were put at the very top shelf in the magazine rack. The women from all of the Church's united and got a city ordinance passed. This all happened in the 1970's - and they worded it in such a way to include any cover that showed too much skin or had words that were provocative.

The retailers found that it was easier and cheaper to just not sell them - Playboy, Playgirl, Penthouse and Cosmo. You can only get those at the pharmacy, or through a subscription. Even the postoffice makes sure they are in a plain wrapper before they deliver them!

Check to see if your city/town/state has an ordinance already in place. If they do, get a copy - and when you see that a store is not complying, remind them. If they don't keep it up - file a complaint that they are in violation of the ordinance. Most cities/towns/states do have ordinances regarding pornography, lewed reading material, etc. Check it out.

[MorningStar]

In my old home town, if the stores wanted to sell Playboy, Penthouse, AND Cosmo - then they had to put them behind the register in a plain paper sack. Meaning you had to ask at the register in the grocery stores or ask the pharmacist at the drug store, and it was actually in a plain paper sack too. Not a sack with the store logo!

For the racy ones like the muscle mags, biker mags, etc- those were put at the very top shelf in the magazine rack. The women from all of the Church's united and got a city ordinance passed. This all happened in the 1970's - and they worded it in such a way to include any cover that showed too much skin or had words that were provocative.

The retailers found that it was easier and cheaper to just not sell them - Playboy, Playgirl, Penthouse and Cosmo. You can only get those at the pharmacy, or through a subscription. Even the postoffice makes sure they are in a plain wrapper before they deliver them!

Check to see if your city/town/state has an ordinance already in place. If they do, get a copy - and when you see that a store is not complying, remind them. If they don't keep it up - file a complaint that they are in violation of the ordinance. Most cities/towns/states do have ordinances regarding pornography, lewed reading material, etc. Check it out.

Sweet! Thanks everyone!

[Steele]

[...]

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!

[...]

I challenge everyone to do something this week to take a stand against this.

MorningStar

Awesome! Congrats on taking a stand -- challenge accepted. I'll see what I can do myself.

[Traela]

Inspired by MorningStar, I went to Fred Meyer's yesterday ready to do battle. Lo and behold, the cosmopolitan magazines were covered up for the first time in I don't know how long. Go MorningStar!

[MorningStar]

Inspired by MorningStar, I went to Fred Meyer's yesterday ready to do battle. Lo and behold, the cosmopolitan magazines were covered up for the first time in I don't know how long. Go MorningStar!

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday I went to QFC, Target (that turned ugly), and then I went to a local store to thank them for having tasteful magazines in their check-out! Then I wrote letters last night to QFC, Fred Meyer, Target, and to our city council to see if they have some kind of decency ordinance that would require stores to cover it up or put it up high. The manager at Target told me that he would not move them or cover them and that it was my responsibility as to what my son reads. I really flew off the handle and feel bad about the way I acted. I repeated several times that I spend a lot of money at their store and sometimes I have to bring my children with me, and that they keep their magazines right at their level. My friend wants to picket Target now. That would be interesting. I can't even imagine how much money I've spent there on diapers, wipes, bubble bath, diaper rash cream, medicine, clothing (did all my Christmas shopping there one year), birthday gifts, wrapping paper for my kids' gifts, Easter candy, Halloween candy, and lots of other things. I give them a lot of money because of my children and they have the nerve to put this crap right next to them. They need to be reminded that we are doing them a favor giving them our money. They have a responsibilty to their customers. I came home yesterday and told my husband, "We don't shop at Target anymore." We shop at Fred Meyer because they listened! If people are going to create a store that encourages the presence of children, they had better protect them. My friend's husband wants a bunch of people to go to Target, put a bunch of groceries in their cart, and when they get to the check-out, ask them for a line without magazines. If they refuse, everyone abandons their groceries to be restocked and so they will see how much money they just lost.

Our schools have to obtain parental permission for our kids to attend their sexual education classes and these don't start until 4th grade, but the grocery stores are flaunting these magazines that discuss it in a crude and thoughtless manner. Parents should have the right to decide how and when their children learn about sex.

Traela, you just made my day! Seriously.

[checkerboy]

I never really liked Target anyway so I will support your ban on Target.

[MorningStar]

I never really liked Target anyway so I will support your ban on Target.

Thank you! My brother-in-law hates Target with a passion, so he is more than happy to express his disdain too. :)

[Still_Small_Voice]

I have decided against purchasing any Oil of Olay products made by Proctor and Gamble due to their sexual advertising. I just sent them an electronic mail. It read:

Proctor and Gamble,

I am writing to inform you that your Oil of Olay Regenerist product is very good. However, some of your advertising on television and in magazines is sexually explicit in nature particularly your Olay Quench advertising. Due to the offensive advertisments I have decided against purchasing Oil of Olay Regenerist products in the future until these ads have been removed.

If anyone else wants to electronic mail them their address is:

[email protected]

[MorningStar]

I have decided against purchasing any Oil of Olay products made by Proctor and Gamble due to their sexual advertising. I just sent them an electronic mail. It read:

Proctor and Gamble,

I am writing to inform you that your Oil of Olay Regenerist product is very good. However, some of your advertising on television and in magazines is sexually explicit in nature particularly your Olay Quench advertising. Due to the offensive advertisments I have decided against purchasing Oil of Olay Regenerist products in the future until these ads have been removed.

If anyone else wants to electronic mail them their address is:

[email protected]

Good for you! So which skin care products have wholesome commercials so we can praise them? I'm trying to do one praise for every complaint. :)

I would love to get rid of those stoopid dating hotline commercials. I am SO sick of them. They're annoying, offensive, and they must think we're a bunch of morons to believe that those women can't get a date in person.

And how do we get rid of spam? I keep getting e-mails for sexually explicit singles sites. They actually advertise that they are looking to have one night stands. I mark them as spam, but I keep getting them.

[Still_Small_Voice]

Good for you! So which skin care products have wholesome commercials so we can praise them? I'm trying to do one praise for every complaint. :)

I am going to use NIKKEN SWISS SOFLOWER instead of the other product. They don't advertise as far as I know, but I like the results the product gives.

[MorningStar]

I am going to use NIKKEN SWISS SOFLOWER instead of the other product. They don't advertise as far as I know, but I like the results the product gives.

I've never heard of that one. Where can I find it?

[Maya]

I fel so little...not that I wouldbe tall anyway...but I FEEL SOO LITTLE!

As I walk in the Oslo city or any city in Scandianvia... what do I see..... I kind of dont see them any more... if someone would ask me about the commercials on the streets... I probably would not even remember what they were about... they do not excist for me.... but as someone shows them to me I know I seen them and where I seen them... but there is NO WAY not to see the commercials around us: on busstops, big commercials on big walls, shop windows ... everywhere... naked people, suggesting body positions...bad taste if you ask me!

I think I know when I kind of closed them out of my system... I just had to do it... it hit me SOOO bad! I came to Oslo to do some shopping and to go to my dentist. And there is was. Underwear commercials were nothing compared to this. As big as a 7 store building reaching from 7th floor down to third or secong a HUGE picture of a naked man... well he had a slips on him... holding a fish that obviosly was trying to swallow a part of him... It just made me sick. There were also potrets of naked wemen and men together in various questionable positions. THINK of going there with your small kids. I wrote the the HM whose comercial it was... I adviced many to write there and tell them we do not want to see that in comercials. Do not know ifthat helped. I wish there were more people who care and complain so they do not think we all agree on such comercials.

[Still_Small_Voice]

Double post sorry.

[Still_Small_Voice]

I've never heard of that one. Where can I find it?

Look on E-bay for it. A fair price for it is around $25 in total costs. Another name for it is Swiss SoFlower.

[Jeny]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MorningStar @ Sep 13 2007, 08:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I have been growing increasingly annoyed about the things people find suitable to show my children at grocery stores. On Sunday, I gave a lesson about the Law of Chastity and there was a quote from President Kimball that said this:

I really took this message to heart and felt like I can't talk about what I could do anymore - I have to actually do it! I picked up comment cards from Fred Meyer and handed them out to the women, asking them to fill them out and ask that they remove magazines like Cosmopolitan from the sight of our children. Frey Meyer has one Family Friendly line, which is nice, but you still have to walk past the other lines with the crap magazines that are at eye level with our kids. We are going to plan a day where we all get in line at the same time and when they offer to help us in another line, we will all say, "No, I only shop in the Family Friendly line." I wonder how long it would take for them to make more Family Friendly lines if we did that on a regular basis?

This morning I woke up to The Today Show and was delighted to hear an interview with a woman named Laura Ingraham who wrote a book called "Power to the People", which is about how we can fight against smut in the media. I have never heard of her before and learned she has a radio show. I got up immediately to write her an e-mail and thank her for standing up to this and told her I'm buying her book and shared with her what my plans are. She says our country has been pornified - She used to be able to watch The Today Show with her parents and there was actual news, nothing that made them have to change the channel, but now they show disgusting tabloid-like footage like Brittney Spears wiggling and jiggling on stage. She rejects the notion of just "turning it off". She said that's what "smutmeisters" teach, but you can't get away from it. You drive down the road and there's some Abercrombie billboard with people with no clothes on. How do you advertise clothing with naked people? I have no idea. It's like a restaurant advertising food with an empty plate.

Anyway, I took my son with me to Fred Meyer today and when I saw the cover of Cosmopolitan, I said, "THAT'S IT!!!!! WE ARE GOING TO TALK TO THE MANAGER!!!!!!" This is exactly what it said on the cover. Sorry to offend, but this is the garbage they put in front of our faces in the grocery store, a place where they do everything they can to make it kid friendly and they don't even do anything to protect our kids from this! They have a Playland, shopping carts with steering wheels, a bakery that gives free cookies out to kids, sugar cereal at eye level because they know the kids will beg for it, etc., and then they have the nerve to put this stuff up when they have created a kid friendly environment!

I grabbed that stupid magazine, marched over to customer service, and asked them to speak to the manager. While waiting, I asked the lady what made them think that this was appropriate material for children to see. She said, "Oh. This is supposed to be covered up." I said, "I have been coming here for years and it has never been covered up. My son is 7 and he can read all of it."

The manager showed up and I showed it to him. I asked, "Why do you think this is the kind of material that belongs at eye level with children?" He said, "Oh. Was it in the Family Friendly line?" Before I could answer, the customer service lady told him, "It doesn't matter! It's supposed to be covered up." I added, "You have to walk by the other lines to get to that line, and although I appreciate the Family Friendly line, I don't appreciate the fact that my kids can stop and stare at magazines like this while we're making our way to that line. My son is 7, he's on the 4th Harry Potter book, and he can read every single word on this page! I want my son asking, 'Why is the sky blue?' Not, 'Mom? What's an - '" I then pointed to the word "orgasm" written in large letters. He said, "Oh. I understand. We'll get it covered up. Was there anything else there like that?" I said, "I don't know. I didn't want to look, but I would like anything objectionable to be covered or removed." By the time I was leaving, some of the Cosmos had already been covered. YEE HAAAAAA!!!!! I should've complained a long time ago.

You Go Girl!!!!!!!

[MorningStar]

I fel so little...not that I wouldbe tall anyway...but I FEEL SOO LITTLE!As I walk in the Oslo city or any city in Scandianvia... what do I see..... I kind of dont see them any more... if someone would ask me about the commercials on the streets... I probably would not even remember what they were about... they do not excist for me.... but as someone shows them to me I know I seen them and where I seen them... but there is NO WAY not to see the commercials around us: on busstops, big commercials on big walls, shop windows ... everywhere... naked people, suggesting body positions...bad taste if you ask me!I think I know when I kind of closed them out of my system... I just had to do it... it hit me SOOO bad! I came to Oslo to do some shopping and to go to my dentist. And there is was. Underwear commercials were nothing compared to this. As big as a 7 store building reaching from 7th floor down to third or secong a HUGE picture of a naked man... well he had a slips on him... holding a fish that obviosly was trying to swallow a part of him... It just made me sick. There were also potrets of naked wemen and men together in various questionable positions. THINK of going there with your small kids. I wrote the the HM whose comercial it was... I adviced many to write there and tell them we do not want to see that in comercials. Do not know ifthat helped. I wish there were more people who care and complain so they do not think we all agree on such comercials.

That's horrible! I hope you can help make a change. I'm afraid it will eventually get that bad here, so best to start complaining now. I'm so sorry you have to deal with images like that.

Look on E-bay for it. A fair price for it is around $25 in total costs. Another name for it is Swiss SoFlower.

Thanks!

[MorningStar]

You Go Girl!!!!!!!

Thanks for the support, Yedi! Last night I got a letter back from my city council and it was pretty interesting. I think I might attend the next one. Basically, there is a law that states if material is erotic, the court can label it as such and the stores would have to cover them and put them away from children, but they would have to decide if the legal costs would be worth it. The lady who wrote me back was nice and sympathetic, but they tend to go by what their lawyer recommends. Maybe I'll pull the last year of Cosmo from the library, read them the headlines, and the definition of "erotic". From what I've seen, it definitely qualifies, but they think people will cry free speech violations. There was a big stink years ago when Playboy and Penthouse weren't covered, but they won that one. As mainstream magazines push the limit, I don't see why they shouldn't be put under the same category. There doesn't have to be nudity for something to be erotic. The lawyer said this:

"The closest state law comes is Chapter 9.68 RCW, which allows a county prosecuting attorney to go into court to have materials declared to be "erotic materials," which the statute defines as including materials that "appeal to the prurient interest of minors in sex." If the court finds the materials to be erotic materials, then the seller is required to label them as such and to keep them out of store windows, outside news racks, and other areas where minors have access.

[MorningStar]

From communtiesfordecency.org:

Are You A Silent Shopper?

You purchase groceries and notice some indecent magazines as you check out... you are silent.

You rent a movie at the video store and see a rack of sexually explicit videos... you are silent.

You check out a book at your local library and notice a man accessing pictures of naked women at his computer terminal... you are silent.

You drive past a billboard with an inappropriate image and tag line on your way to work. you are silent.

Indecency has become the norm. We have become desensitized. Much of what used to upset us no longer affects us. Yet, we have the legal right and the moral obligation to decide the types of advertising, products, businesses, and entertainment, allowed in our community. The following are quotes from The Attorney General's Commission on Pornography.

"At the outset, it should be clear that citizens have every right to condemn a wide variety of material that is protected, and properly so, by the First Amendment. That governmental action against a certain variety of communication is unwise and unconstitutional does not mean that the communication is valuable, and does not mean that society is better off for having it.

"That the Communist Party is a lawful organization does not prevent most Americans from finding its tenets abhorrent, and the same holds true for a variety of sexually oriented material. Most of that material is, as we have explained, protected by the First Amendment, but it does not follow that the material is harmless, or that its proliferation is good for society."

"The act of condemnation, of course, is itself central to what the First Amendment is all about. Just as speaking out against government has long been part of what citizens are both entitled and indeed encouraged to do, so too is speaking out on matters of concern not directly related to the functioning of government. Expressing a point of view about sexually explicit materials in general, or about particular sexually explicit materials, is plainly the very kind of activity that First Amendment properly protects . To the extent that citizens have concerns about the kinds of sexually explicit material that are available in contemporary America, they should not only recognize that the First Amendment protects and encourages their right to express these concerns loudly and often, but should as well appreciate the fact that in many aspects of our lives, to keep quiet is to approve.

"A citizen's right to free speech is guaranteed under the First Amendments to the United Sates Constitution. . citizens are encouraged to be vigorous, well-informed, but responsible advocates ."

We have all been guilty of "being silent." Our silence has created a chain reaction across our nation, a reaction that is causing more harm than we will ever know. Your words, or lack of them, make a difference. Think about it. We challenge you to no longer be a "silent shopper."

[Garden Girl]

MorningStar...

I'm with you on the phone date commercials... a guy would have to be an imbecil to think those gals are what's on the other end of the line!! Ha!!

And with you on the magazine thing also... see, with just a few people speaking up, a real difference can be made... the problem is we just give in and don't take a stand. We think we can't make a difference... but you've shown that we can, particularly when others are enlisted to help...

The Garden Girl

[SMG]

Way to go!! I need to go on the warpath too! I guess I need to undo all that "repressing" of my "pushy" (read that as overly assertive or whatever descriptor you prefer) personality traits and get to work!

[MorningStar]

MorningStar...

I'm with you on the phone date commercials... a guy would have to be an imbecil to think those gals are what's on the other end of the line!! Ha!!

And with you on the magazine thing also... see, with just a few people speaking up, a real difference can be made... the problem is we just give in and don't take a stand. We think we can't make a difference... but you've shown that we can, particularly when others are enlisted to help...

The Garden Girl

There was this episode of Beavis and Butthead where they call one of those numbers and the lady is really overweight, hanging out in her unattractive jammies, she's older, and she has really hairy legs. Years later I met a girl in college who worked for one of those hotlines and she was definitely not what the guys were imagining either.

[MorningStar]

Way to go!! I need to go on the warpath too! I guess I need to undo all that "repressing" of my "pushy" (read that as overly assertive or whatever descriptor you prefer) personality traits and get to work!

RIGHT ON!!!!!!

There are times to unleash your pushy traits!

Last night I went back to QFC and Cosmo wasn't covered like they said it was going to be. I complained again and the checker told me he was glad I was because he works with a youth ministry. That was so nice to hear! The night manager is awesome and I know he is aware that I come there a lot. He asked me the name of the manager I talked to and I said, "I don't remember his name." He said, "Well, it wasn't me! I'm going to throw these in back and make sure they don't make it there again." They were seriously two feet off the ground. He was very understanding about it. I told them I would shop there again when I was sure the problem was taken care of. Then I headed over to the grocery store that doesn't have anything like that in their check-out and I was so happy to see they just happened to have some great sales on stuff I really needed.