Higher Morale or Higher Morals For The Troops?

Many a Serviceman over the years has enjoyed viewing magazines like Playboy and Penthouse. When you are far from home, fighting an enemy, sleeping and eating in dirty unsanitary conditions, facing death and dreaming of "the World" (the United States for Civilians), viewing such magazines has been known to lift spirits and remind the Troops what awaits them and what they fight for.

Add now that more women are serving in similar duty near or on the front and I'd imagine viewing magazines like Playgirl helps alleviate their stress as well.

If a newly elected Congressman from Georgia, Paul Broun has his way all that may come to a crashing halt. Broun, described by many Republicans from Georgia as the "Accidental Congressman," has introduced a bill, The Military Honor and Decency Act (H.R. 5821) that Broun claims "will right a bureaucratic and moral wrong" closing what the Georgia Baptist says is

"a loophole in current law that is allowing the sale of sexually explicit material on American military installations located both within the United States and around the world."

Pornography and pornographic materials are already banned for sale on Military Bases. A Department of Defense review commission deemed just last year that magazines such as Playboy, Penthouse and Playgirl are not pornographic, but Rep. Broun's proposal would lower the threshold required to deem material sexually explicit.

Broun, who compares himself to Texas Congressman Ron Paul, although they differ on the Iraq Battle claims,

"Allowing the sale of pornography on military bases has harmed military men and women by: escalating the number of violent, sexual crimes; feeding a base addiction; eroding the family as the primary building block of society; and denigrating the moral standing of our troops both here and abroad. Our troops should not see their honor sullied so that the moguls behind magazines like Playboy and Penthouse can profit."

Some Male Troops responded by saying this legislation, if passed, may hurt the morale of the deployed Troops. Not unexpected, some Female Troops would support the ban.

Apparently not taken into consideration is the hard-core pornography and extremely explicit sexual material that is readily available just off base at nearly every Military Base in existence, save the current combat zones. This ban would only affect the sale of the magazines on Base through the Post Exchanges and not the numerous 'Adult' Shops.

Is it really necessary to ban these magazines so coveted by deployed Troops for so many years?