Bill Would Make Sale of Sex Toys Illegal In South Carolina

[ruggerson]

http://www.independentmail.com/and/home/article/0,1886,AND_8195_4641568,00.html

COLUMBIA — Lucy’s Love Shop employee Wanda Gillespie said she was flabbergasted that South Carolina’s Legislature is considering outlawing sex toys.

But banning the sale of sex toys is actually quite common in some Southern states.

The South Carolina bill, proposed by Republican Rep. Ralph Davenport, would make it a felony to sell devices used primarily for sexual stimulation and allow law enforcement to seize sex toys from raided businesses.

"That would be the most terrible thing in the world," said Ms. Gillespie, an employee the Anderson shop. "That is just flabbergasting to me. We are supposed to be in a free country, and we’re supposed to be adults who can decide what want to do and don’t want to do in the privacy of our own homes."

(more)

[Mikimouse]

1. Whaaaaat? No more...

cheerleaders gone wild? :evilgrin:

[VegasWolf]

60. More like religion gone mad. nt

[Jack from Charlotte]

114. "When dildoes are outlawed, only outlaws will have dildoes." (nt)

*

[Radio_Lady]

117. Or, when dildoes are outlawed, the gals in SC will be growing --

LONG cucumbers!

***

[BlueStorm]

2. So then what would they use? nt.

[Demeter]

7. Vegetables, of Course n/t

[Memory Container]

49. Darn, beat me to it...

I was going to say, "Time to invest in cucumber futures".

[Eurobabe]

52. make that

english cucumbers!

*rotfl*

[WCGreen]

104. no seeds to give you heartburn,.....

[Jack from Charlotte]

115. I'm going to open a dildo shop here in NC at the state line just outside

Charlotte. Imagine the South Cackalackians flooding north across the border to smuggle dildoes into their state.

[Radio_Lady]

118. Oh, Jac, from Charlotte, you're terrific! I wonder if my little Conair

vibrator qualifies as a sex toy...

[sarcasmo]

3. This is no Joke, the Christian Taliban in Grand Rapids Michigan

are trying to close the three lousy strip clubs here in Michigan's second largest city. This is only the beginning for sending us further back to the stone age. Ladies get ready to pick out your new head scarfs. Kick and Nom.

[Us vs Them]

33. I grew up in G-Rap. Really relate to the Christian Taliban comment

And I still take the train back every month to visit my parents. Even though it seems the VanAndel/Devos crowd has slapped their name up and down the entire river, and dominated the political landscape with their fancy 'Christian Values,' the Liberals are the ones who are actually re-building a sense of community that was sorely lacking in my youth. Eastown, Heartside, Wealthy and Cherry streets are bustling with local businesses and progressive institutions. West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC)'s new office with a green roof gives tours to environmentally concious developers. Honestly, the city has made an about-face since the time I've moved away, and I don't predict it slowing down any time soon.

However, removing the strip clubs from a town that just invested millions in a new convention center might be shooting ourselves in the foot. Out of town businessmen need SOMEWHERE to play!

[sarcasmo]

77. Heartside and Eastown are mere shadows of what they once were.

Downtown is booming and the Right wing here throws it's BS moral message around as often as it can. FYI, if you didn't know the Intersection is now located Downtown.

[mhr]

4. Republican Men Support Frustrated Woman Law

Why, more opportunities for sex with same Republican men.

Think outside the box.

[justice1]

5. Maybe they should cut off mens hands?

[XanaDUer]

14. LOL!

My thought exactly! After all, men can use their hands for, ummm, well , you know.

[LoKnLoD]

6. What a bunch of dildos...

:rofl:

I kill myself..

[justice1]

10. Funny! What did the banana say to the vibrator?

What the hell are you shaking for she's going to eat me.

[Tight_rope]

92. LMBAO...

[Liberal Veteran]

8. Next up: SC to outlaw enjoyment during sex.

[justice1]

11. They would outlaw sex with their wives first.

[northzax]

108. no, just enjoyment for women

don't you know that s-e-x is only for procreation? once a month, by the timetables, wham, bam, thank YOU ma'am.

[DemoTex]

9. Anderson=Upstate=BoJoLand (Bob Jones "University")

Rep. Ralph Davenport (R-Spartanburg) is a typical upstate GOPer, too. He is a 59 year old businessman and member of the 1st Baptist Church, Boy Scout Leader, PTA Lifetime Member, etc., etc., with no military service mentioned on his official GOP-bio. Sounds like Mr. Davenport might have his eye on a bigger office, say in DC. Nothing like banning dildos to get the fundies on your side. However, dildo is as dildo does.

[Seen the light]

18. I've met him before

He's a strange one even for a Republican politician in SC.

[pokercat999]

44. Boy Scout Leader? Hmmmmm, the idea of this person

alone with boys makes me nervous somehow.

I just get this creepy feeling up my back.........

[bliss_eternal]

12. It's not like people in south carolina can't get them on-line...

:eyes: What a dumb bill. You can't legislate sexuality. I know they have (legislated sex acts, toys, etc.), but it certainly isn't going to stop anyone that really wants to.

[Tight_rope]

93. Damn...all people have to do is go on vacation to another state...

say like NY or Florida, or go to cities like New Orlands, Atlanta, Houston (I live here), or DC to name a few and they will find their favorite sexual pleasure toy.

[mongo]

95. Correction

All FINANCIALLY SECURE people have to do is go on vacation to another state...

The blue collar couples with both working hard, who would love to spend $30.00 on a new toy can't afrord the time or cost of a vacation.

Plus, won't somebody think of the sex store workers?

[Jack from Charlotte]

120. S. Carolina is going to have border checks, too. (nt)

*

[justice1]

13. It's time for women to march on Washington and...

sit on the Washington Monument in protest.

[Ian David]

65. They can march while holding aloft Flaming Dildos of Freedom

Tip o' the hat to Edward Bernaise

[Binka]

74. Ian That Is Some Funny Shit They Could Chant "Free Steely Dan"

[tabasco]

15. Wow! I think I'm moving to South Carolina !

It must be a really great place with no social or economic problems to deal with if legislators can spend time working against the dildo menace.

Legislating morality. Typical from the party of "get-the guvmint-out-of-our-lives." Fucking morons.

[XanaDUer]

19. Rotflmao!

But, isn't SC the place where fundies want to take over the state to institute God's Law?

[wordpix2]

64. "dildo menace:" LOL

[PublicWrath]

16. Such laws already exist in Indiana and Alabama, I believe. n/t

[Faygo Kid]

17. Finally, politicians with courage to deal with a really important issue

I hope that they will also consider hearings into why male dolls have no penis. Definitely not God's plan.

[colorado_ufo]

30. Ken in restraints?

Bondage Ken?

[0007]

41. Get your add-ons here -

[Shipwack]

20. Do floggers, paddles, and cuffs count as sex toys?

The question came to mind as I was traveling westward last month and a state trooper followed me for a while....

(For what it's worth, I was planning on claiming that they were "tools for disciplining my children", and I had multiple ones in case they were so filled with the devil I broke one (paddle, that is...).

[mongo]

57. Yes and no

If they were for sale in a sex shop, then yes they would count.

But actually, the only thing that is illegal is the sale of sex toys. Ownership would still be legal.

So, if you're vending at an event, take the price tags off the paddles while you are traveling.

And don't give the cops a load of BS. They probably relax with a little CBT administered from their wives/GFs after a hard day being macho men.

[fshrink]

21. As long as these other sex-toys (38 and the like) are not.

[Charlie Brown]

22. So you can possess sex toys, but not sell them?

What in the world is the rationalization for this crap law?

[mongo]

58. why to close down all the sex shops, of course

Most states have laws against "pandering obscenity", but getting a conviction is a hard and expensive process and the parameters are well spelled out.

In order to find a book, magazine or movie obscene, the prosecution must prove to a jury that:

-- the work appeals to a "purient" interest in sex
-- The work is utterly lacking in redeaming social, litterary, artistic, educational or scientific value.
-- The work is against "community values".

First of all, that means you have to show the jury the entire film. You have to bring in expert witness to testify that the work appeals to an unhealthy interest in sex.

The defense is going to challenge that notion, with expert witness of it's own. It may show similar movies that were found not to be "obscene" by another jury in the same state. (bring your popcorn).

The defense is going to challenge the idea of "community values", when you can pay-per-view a similar movie on a cable system given a franchise by local government, or when any citizen in the community can get on-line and see the same movie.

It's hard to find 12 people who will decide that a movie is sooo bad that no one has any right to see it.

Now sex toys -- all they have to prove is "is this device meant to stimulate sexual organs". Juries are instructed to follow the law, regardless of their conscience -- with threats of contempt of court if they do not comply. Much easier to get a conviction.

[genieroze]

75. device meant to stimulate sexual organs?

What's next, cutting off peoples hands? They should close down grocery stores as well, with their naughty zucchinis and cucumbers.:eyes:
This nut is a BOY scout leader????? Hummm

[savemefromdumbya]

23. Ralph Davenport doesn't need toys - he is probably a closet pedophile

well it makes you wonder about these people who promote these weird bills

[Tempest]

24. I see a lucrative business opportunity

Selling sex toys out of the trunk of my car.

It would be easy to stay one step ahead of the law, and I bet there would be a lot of housewives willing to hide me from the cops.

[nashville_brook]

25. on the heels of Tennessee's anti-dildo bill

http://johnsoncity.blogspot.com/2006/03/im-not-making-this-up-bill-to-outlaw.html







more
http://johnsoncity.blogspot.com/2006/03/help-for-moving-cause.html

[HuffleClaw]

26. puritan politics in an ELECTION year i guess

funny how the same folks don't seem to get the hypocrisy of trying to control what people do in their own bedrooms and their own insistence of placing THEIR ten commandments on public lands or their religion into public schools.

[sofa king]

27. Because women view vibrators like conservative men view women?

Think about it. What are some reasons to like a vibrator? Because they shut up when you tell them to and you can keep them locked up and ignored in the closet until you want to fuck 'em.

I believe that also defines the conservative asshole male's dream wife.

[raccoon]

96. Great post. nt

[wizdum]

28. Christian conservatives are a bunch of boring dorks...

...don't they have anything better to do like volunteering to feed the poor or something useful. If they pass this law, citizens will start trafficking in sex toys. How ridiculous is that? The only thing it proves is that South Carolina conservatives are complete psychos.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

29. Why not outlaw the imagination, while they're at it?

After all, a little imagination can turn anything into a sex toy.

[Dunvegan]

31. So, if states start banning contraceptives, will they also ban Viagra?

Just askin'....

And just what is the point of banning sex toys? What is it the right is trying to gain? What is the issue that makes sex toys "dangerous" enough to be outlawed? How is a sex toy elevated to relevance enough to make it a danger that requires criminalizing the sale of these items?

Really, I'm curious as to the RW reasoning here.

[JI7]

32. want us to become like Iran and Saudi Arabia

[Dunvegan]

34. Okay...But what is the issue that requires criminalization of sex toys?

What is the inherent "danger" that requires a jail sentence or the courts' involvement?

(Hate to see someone imprisoned on this new law trying to explain to their jailmates why they're in the slammer awaiting trial.)

[bitchkitty]

82. Orgasms are dangerous.

If their wives find out about orgasms....

[OnionPatch]

94. Maybe it's the southern conservative men....

are lacking in something that the vibrator can provide?

I think they are threats to their itty-bitty masculinity. ;)

[ContraBass Black]

35. Why?

:shrug:

[NVMojo]

37. that's what I want to know? It's not as if they can outlaw water vents

in the tub or hot tub or a good faucet. The stupid idiots. Obviously they are jealous for they know not how to please a woman.

[Zorra]

36. Republican women leave SC in droves searching for orgasm.

[Jazz2006]

38. Unbelievable. The new W.A.S.P.

War Against Sexual Pleasure.

Sheesh.

[depakid]

39. These bills are spreading all across the South

I expect to see a LOT more of this kind of thing.

That's what you get when you embolden the Fundies and confirm a Roberts and Alito.

[bling bling]

81. Maybe these people need their own state.

In their state they can make whatever laws they want to and leave the rest of us alone. They could all finally live in peace and purity and stop feeling so persecuted and angry all the time.

As long as they STAY there in their own state, we could all live in peace again.

[wickerwoman]

40. Then how am I supposed to get the kink out of my neck?

;-)

[melm00se]

42. yup

but personal lingerie "modeling" will still remain legal.

[supernova]

43. I guess Adam & Eve won't be selling next door then

LOL! No more shipping product from NC to SC. :-)

[melm00se]

83. hell

Adam and Eve can't ship within their own state

[Retired AF Dem]

45. "Dildos don't diddle people; *people* diddle people!"

The 'criminals' will still get 'em anyway.

[Strong Atheist]

47. Good one! nt.

[Vinca]

46. The time has come for a crossed leg protest.

Lock those knees together, ladies. 'nuff said.

[Notoverit]

48. Um, so Dildo Reilly will be banned from airing there too, I hope?

[Memory Container]

50. I've got it!

The people behind the push for this legislation are produce growers!

[Eurobabe]

51. Typical fodder from small minds that can't grasp

there are larger issues to deal with right now: useless wars, weaning US from oil, global warming, corrupt govt., etc.

June can't come fast enough for me, and that has nothing to do with dildoes.

[Ilsa]

53. Breaking news: Amazing increase in flag pole finial-polishing jobs

taken by SC women! :woohoo:

[onager]

54. The Internets to the rescue!

http://www.divine-interventions.com /

:evilgrin:

I grew up very close to Anderson, SC and still have relatives there. Much of the population is hillbillies (including my relatives) who re-located to work in the (now-all-closed) cotton mills. They generally don't like people meddling in their private business, and especially not the guv'mint.

And TOWNVILLE? That's almost in spitting distance from my Mom's back door. It's literally just a wide place in the road.

Townville has been moribund since farmers started buying Model T Fords. Before that, it was a major hotel stop for farmers using horse-and-wagon to take their cotton crop to Anderson and sell it.

OK, a little context, at least IMO. One of worst Communist-inspired Demonic Master Plans in the wonderful state of SC is zoning laws. Because of that, my mother has to suffer with an asshat next door who has a yard full of old Fords, not one of which has been on a highway since the Carter Administration.

The cars and their greasy parts share yard space with all the other items that are de rigeur for yard decoration among certain Southern classes: rusty kitchen appliances and gutted couches.

He lives in a fairly new "double-wide," but his last two domiciles are still sitting on the property, rotting away for the enjoyment of the neighbors. Just like the old service station with the roof falling in.

But every time he's asked to even TRY to clean up his yard, he and his "lawyer" start screaming about "a man's right to do what he wants to on his own property."

So zoning laws are always defeated...

...but no zoning laws makes it very hard to keep out undesirable businesses. One sharp businessman has used that loophole to put in several nudie establishments along I-85 in SC. And he has a LOT of...eye-catching billboards.

That drives the Fundies nuts. At least publicly, though I bet you can find most of them getting a lap dance on Saturday night. Before they go and get all worked up at the Big Magic Show on Sunday morning. (When I left the South I discovered atheism. Imagine that.)

So since they can't pass zoning laws without their slack-jawed constituents booting them out of office, it sounds like they're using the cops to get rid of the porn. And accessories.

[Kailassa]

55. I envisage quite a market for discreetly phallic shaped

bottles of peppermint flavoured skin-emollient.

[Warren Stupidity]

56. Unusual cucumber shortages reported across Dixie. nt.

[Buns_of_Fire]

59. They're banning raw liver in South Carolina?

(Reference: Portnoy's Complaint, 1972)

[54anickel]

61. So would it be illegal to have parties based on the old Tupperware

premise? You have a book, you have samples to display, you take orders and process them via mail to the vendor in another state and the goods are delivered direct? I see an opportunity here...

This is such a joke, they just want to close the shops. I don't think they need a state law to do that - the local "naughty" store was closed in my nearby town a long time ago by the city. I suppose a state law might have made it easier for the local municipality but jeez, it this really such an over whelming problem in SC?

[Ilsa]

63. I think it's illegal in Texas, or maybe in some cities here.

I recall hearing about a woman in north Texas who was prosecuted for having such a party.

[54anickel]

79. Geez, that absolutely stinks! So you have to purchase on the net or

travel out of state for a freakin' dildo?!?! I suppose there will be an increase in sales of Hitachi Magic Wands and cucumbers in SC soon.

[Ian David]

62. Of course, every gas station still sells fireworks and beer

I have never seen so much porn advertised as when I drove from Boston to Miami and back along Route 95.

At least, not since Rudy Guilliani "cleaned-up" Times Square.

From "The Dirty Old Man" shop at South of The Border, to the places offering "Private Lingerie Modeling" for truckers shopping for their wives... Southerners seem to be horny lot that like porn, fireworks, beer and church, because that's all you see as you drive through there.

[VegasWolf]

66. Exactly! and don't forget the drive thru liquor stores. Those always

amaze my wife from California when I take her to Florida.

[Ian David]

68. Fireworks, beer, cigarettes, gasoline all sold in the same location

What could possibly go wrong?

[Ian David]

67. Web site puts some zing into the Christian marriage bed

Condoms. Lube. Vibrating panties. All are part of Joy Wilson’s mission to better serve the Christian community.

From her home in Ventura, Calif., the 35-year-old mother of two runs book22.com, where she sells sex toys for married Christian couples. The rise of the Internet has spurred more open conversations about sex within the church community, and Wilson says her Web site aims to support that sexual communication.

Five years after Wilson gave birth to her first child, she and her husband, Kevin, wanted to spice up their nights in the boudoir, but did not want to go to a store and were offended by pornographic pop-ups on some online shops. To provide options suitable to their marriage bed, the two founded the site, which features everything from condoms to massage lotions to vibrators.

While there are several similar Web sites, the others have less stringent product selection polices. A believer since age 8, Wilson patronizes only manufacturers that do not sell pornography and sometimes asks them to repackage products without explicit pictorial labels.

Named after the 22nd book of the Bible, The Song of Solomon, which is full of sexual and romantic verses, the Web site has annual revenue of $70,000, with the top seller being the jelly egg--a battery-powered vibrator. (Wilson sells 10 a week). Wilson, whose favorites include a warming lubricant and the Screaming O, a disposable vibrating ring that lasts for 25 to 30 minutes, said most of her Web traffic is driven by word-of-mouth and links from themarriagebed.com, a popular romance and intimacy site for married Christian couples.

More:
http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2006-04-04/chan-christiansextoys

[VegasWolf]

69. You know, someone in California proposing a law that makes dildos

a FELONY would be laughed all the way to, err, ummn, South Carolina or Georgia or something. BTW, did South Carolina finally outlaw Harry Potter books yet?

[slackmaster]

87. OTOH pet ferrets are illegal here in Cali

There's no good reason for them to be illegal, and supposedly something like 100,000 people own them here.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hcpb/info/bm_research/bm_pdfrpts/98_09.pdf

[arwalden]

70. What Ever Happened To Those Kooks Who Wanted To "Take Over" S.C. And Then

...succeed from the United States and form their own separate "Christian Nation".

How's that going for them? Personally I'm all for it. Round-em-up... pen-em-in... give them ALL a place to feel "safe"... and get them the HELL out of everyone else's private lives.

[leesa]

71. Well, thank God for this!

[TheBaldyMan]

72. they can't do away with dildos completely ...

the whole legislature would disappear ;)

[Poll_Blind]

73. No they wouldn't...a dildo is a FAKE dick, they're the Genuine Article.

;-)

PB

[Miss Chybil]

76. But you can still buy guns, right?

Just want to make sure they have their priorities in the right order.

/sarcasm

[mitchum]

78. But Columbia, SC has some of the greatest porn shops I've ever seen...

but I guess that is to be expected when the city has both a huge military base and the state legislature.
Honestly, there are several virtual supermarkets there.

[classics]

80. I'll get rich!

Selling dildos out of my trunk!

Yay oppression!

[lonestarnot]

84. Why are fundies so interested in sex?

[slackmaster]

88. There's nothing wrong with being interested in sex per se

The problem is being interested in what OTHER PEOPLE do in private.

[lonestarnot]

113. Agree, but they seem to be obsessed with other's sex life.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

85. This just in: Bill O'Reilly calls for a boycott of South Dakota. n/t

[raccoon]

99. South Dakota? Because of their draconian abortion law? nt

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

111. I messed up my own joke. It was supposed to read South Carolina.

Rumor is Billy Boy won't leave hom without the ol' battery operated buzzer.

[slackmaster]

86. This what happens when a legislature has too much free time

We have the same sort of problem here in California.

Nevada has the right idea - Legislature meets for a four-month session every other year. That way they have to spend their time doing the work that really needs to be done, instead of dreaming up schemes to try to ingratiate interest groups.

[olddad56]

89. This could put a lot of vibrator repairmen out of business.

[olddad56]

90. It is already starting to happen, Has anyone seen my plaid thermos

[olddad56]

91. if they ban dildos, there will be no more republican politicians in SC.

[superconnected]

97. Sexually repressing a nation will result in violent expression of it's

natural urges.

What we've seen nationwide are purity laws for sexual repression.

The abortion bans are for sexual repression as well as the anti-gay marriage laws.

This place is going to get a LOT worse and we'll likely be looking at now as the good old days, if these laws pass

[raccoon]

98. I knew it was just a matter of time before our genius SC state

legislators did something like this, to make us look like a bunch of idiots.

It's small comfort that other states are doing equally ridiculous things.


Recently, an increased cigarette tax didn't pass in SC. So we still have the distinction of having the lowest cigarette tax in the US. Why don't the fundies get worked up about that?

[DUHandle]

100. If S.C. produces tobacco

that's the reason.

If anything, they should get pissed that tobacco is taxed.

[raccoon]

101. It does produce tobacco, I'm afraid.

Which is why the cigarette taxes are so low.

[DUHandle]

103. On a flight from O’Hare to RDU

I sat next to a South Carolina Civil Servant.

He seemed to be fairly high placed and was telling me about having to contract with a Chicago law firm to handle a suit against the State.

A drunk went off of the road and was suing S.C. for having unsafe and shitty roads. The drunk missed a turn and his car tumbled ten or fifteen feet into a ditch: there were no guard rails in what was a dangerous area.

The Civil Servant was pissed about a drunk bringing suit and when I asked why they weren’t guardrails and he said, “Do you know what that would cost”?

I said something like, “Half the cost of the lawsuit, maybe, or a small fraction of your budget?”

At least he stopped talking to me after that. This was during the summer of 2001.


reason for edit no guard rails

[mitchum]

116. As a SC Civil Servant, he was part of a long family tradition...

along with Jaysus, racism, anti-labor laws, and proud ignorance, the state is NOTORIOUS for its nepotism in hiring for state jobs.
Just some of the reasons why I hate the goddamn place.

[Jose Diablo]

102. I didn't think they had sex in SC

but then again, I remember quite a few adult entertainment signs along the I-85 corridor, plus places to buy firecrackers. Do you think sex and firecrackers go together somehow? Or is this a SC thing, sex and firecrackers?

I guess there is some sex in SC. Maybe there is sex only along the SC interstates, that and firecrackers. Thats possible I suppose.

I wonder what sex is like, with firecrackers. Maybe they know something I've missed all my life. I should take a closer look the next time I am along the SC I-85 corridor.

[slackmaster]

107. I've had sex in SC many times

...I remember quite a few adult entertainment signs along the I-85 corridor, plus places to buy firecrackers...

The concept of "zoning laws" has no meaning in South Carolina. It's not unusual to find a fireworks stand next to a gas station.

[Radio_Lady]

119. I'm a virgin in South Carolina --

went to camp there when I was eight.

[One_Life_To_Give]

105. Gonna Git Me a Truck

Haul Sex Toys to S.C. and Fireworks on the return load.

[triguy46]

106. this will just force this business back to the pages...

of the Lillian Vernon catalog, under "facial massagers."

[Robeson]

109. I commend South Carolina for this move. It shows that South.....

...Carolina is attacking the most important issues of our times!... :sarcasm:

[classysassy]

110. Yo,dildoheads

are you going to remove the Univ of SC's mascot the gamecocks?.bet the good ole boys will cook the cock,but keep the feathers,now thats real kinky.

[Megahurtz]

112. Can we start the Fundamentalism Backlash yet? n/t

[sasquatch]

121. "We are supposed to be in a free country"

Boy are you really out of the loop.

[Mr. Mojo Risin]

122. Buzz Off S.C.

Do you gals really use cucumbers?

If so, I'm going to plant that garden my wife has always wanted.