I was trying to point out in my last comment is that I have a disgust for people drinking alcohol to get totally drunk and change into a different person. This is a very strong passion in me. But I wouldn’t stop going to a store that sells alcohol. I wouldn’t stop being friends, supporting or caring for people who sell or drink. It’s the only thing I can relate to when someone uses the word disgust. So it puzzles me that someone would go out of their way to not support someone who advertises or sells adult material which in my opinion doesn’t hurt or kill people like driving home drunk could. It’s confusing to me to say the least.

After making that assumption, I’ll point out that within this religion, a viewer of pornography and one that manufactures it is the same. Same as smoking a cigarette and the manufacturer. A sin is a sin. There is no level of sin. It’s not for you to judge.

Thus, if all of this stems from a religious background, then the argument doesn’t stand. If this is truly a personal thing, then I’d wonder if they aren’t from the above religion. It’s terrible of me to point fingers, but living in the Bible Belt, you meet up with some arguments that would never hold water in a debate.

Now for my Jerry Springer wrap-up …

While Toby makes the following broad sweeping statement (#8): “I have a personal disgust for “adult” content and I don’t agree with it. I don’t agree with the affects of it on relationships, families, or on our society” I guess nobody here is allowed to challenge this and ask for further explanation why he feels this way? What led him to these conclusions? What backup data can he offer or personal experiences has he faced that are relevant and would support this position?

Statements like these speak more to “someone who is (or has been) addicted to pornography” than when Toby was challenged rather conveniently switching to “facilitating and encouraging the growth of the industry of porn.” He never bothered to effectively answer or address how this website as it stands, separated and standalone from the primary author’s other websites (refer to the title of the post) and — as smart people like Sterling in #11 viewed correctly and clearly — isn’t doing anything directly or indirectly to faciliate and encourage the growth of the industry of porn. What we never really got from him was why does it matter what the author’s affiliation at other sites has to do with this one? Only Toby’s words that because he said it matters, it matters. O … k.

That’s the quality of debate to be found online all too often these days, I guess.

Here is some fodder. I did not attack anyone. I did not try to deface anyone. I did not make any accusations about any other activities or choices that anyone else makes. I simply responded to questions and stated my opinions about porn. Several of you have not had a similar respect towards me. Doing so is a bad way to make a point and it does not help in lending validity or credibility to an argument or discussion.

There is a difference between smoking a cigarette, being a smoker, and being a manufacturer of cigarettes and doing marketing that encourages that industry. There is a difference between someone who views pornography, someone who is addicted to pornography, and facilitating and encouraging the growth of the industry of porn. TDavid, you are very clearly in the last category there. My reasoning for removing my endorsement of your site here, is very clearly with what I have already stated. You asked, “Your thoughts? Do you choose your reads based on all websites a person runs or primarily/only on the one you’re reading? Or does it not matter at all?” I shared and answered. You went further and wanted more. I shared and I answered.

However, I’m not going to get distracted by off topic questions. I’m not going to get distracted by trying to be pulled into other arguments. I’m not going to get baited into random insinuations where I respond to various things that people assume - like I also probably think like this or probably think like that. That is not respectful, in my opinion. And, I am not going to go there.

I’m not going to check back for comments any more.

Like you’ve stated, I am listed online and anyone who wants to know more is welcome to approach me about that. Thanks for taking the time to have a discussion. Ironically, I wish it had been more adult like.

Toby - I had a detailed response typed ready to send back to you and decided upon rereading to pull it back before hitting submit. Unfortunately this is isn’t a functional discussion if you are going to claim things are off topic that clearly are related. You evaded more of my questions in #9 than you answered which leaves me mostly restating and explaining why the questions are important and relevant.

If you should ever want to answer my questions in #9 then I’ll be happy to revisit the discussion with you, otherwise I’m just giving you more chances to write that the adult business is bad and so is everybody associated with it over and over again. That advances the discussion nadda. You’ve made that point enough already and I was really hoping that we could peel back the onion and get to the real answers why you feel the way you do. Doesn’t appear you are willing to explore that at this time, at least in this forum. Maybe others will follow your about page to try and solve that riddle at a later date.

Thanks for the time you read this blog and good luck to you in love and life.

No URL left and email didn’t point to a personal domain. I don’t think Shelly is a webmaster or blogger. I think she’s somebody who just happened upon this site via the search engines like she said. A new visitor who came, found something she liked here and then decided to do research on the author and was so offended that she felt it necessary to leave the comment above in a totally unrelated post. She could have emailed me that or put the comment on one of the posts that actually did have something more related like the posts I pointed her to in my response. This would be a good one to return to also but it doesn’t appear so far that she’s coming back.

Now I know something that I didn’t know before. I didn’t know that you supported the porn industry until I read this post. And, now I am standing by my convictions. Reading your site(s) and supporting your site(s) is not something I will do. In whatever way it is done, it is clear that you are supporting the porn industry. I don’t want to lend my support to that by whatever way I am able to not lend support to that.

My personal and business and lifestyle choices do stand up to this test. But, you’re not staying on topic.

War or sex? Again, you’re not staying on topic.
You make statement that basically says that if it’s legal, it’s OK. I don’t agree with that. That’s part of why I am withdrawing my endorsement of you and why I am making a character judgment. I do not think that just because something is legal it is OK.

Politics? Again, you’re not staying on topic.

How far will I take my value system? Right now, I will die for my value system. I will die for America, so that you can have a “right” that I do not personally agree with. I believe in freedom and the rights that we do have. That does not mean that I will agree with how people use or abuse those rights. I do not think this is something that should be legislated. I don’t believe that is government’s proper role in our society. I believe it is my personal responsibility to endorse or associate or support efforts that are in line with ways that I currently think. But, I also believe that you should have the right to disagree with me and to do other business ventures that may be legal, and I do not agree with. Accordingly, I think you will deal with all of the consequences of your choices, much like I will deal with all the consequences of my choices.

Google? Microsoft? Other companies? You are taking some arguments down a slippery slope, which is a fallacy of argumentation. I will not participate.

There is no doubt that there is hypocrisy among people who stand on convictions and take stands. How can you possibly have hierocracy if a solid stance is not taken. I’ll take the heat for standing on a convictions. And, I’m OK with disagreeing with you. I do not see this as hypocrisy.
There is no doubt that supporting an organization and then finding out what other efforts they may be involved in is a hard thing to deal with. Sometimes to change a system, there is a need to operate within its parameters to try to facilitate change. For example, I cannot get the speed limit changed without participating in various legal aspects and probably doing some lobbying. To do that, I would likely have to drive on the road. While driving on the road, I still need to abide by the speed limit. I can’t disagree with you and have any sort of impact by living in a tent in the middle of nowhere, just so I never have to deal with anything I don’t like or approve of. I’m not oblivious to that. I know I will encounter resistance. That’s OK.

I chose to be above reproach, and I chose to associate and endorse products and people where I know they are in line with a similar value system. TDavid, you clearly have raised the attention and perception of your endorsement of the porn industry. I chose not to associate with porn.

My personal take: I do not believe that government should regulate sexuality involving only consenting adults. Personal taste is another matter, and as you said readers are free to leave on that account. For me, precisely because you keep your adult associations separated from this site, I have no problem continuing my subscription here. Your content here speaks for itself.