REXBURG, ID – Remember the good old days when, say, Citizens for Decent Literature actually made a pro-censorship movie, distributed it to high schools and even got it shown in some movie theaters, all about the menace of "hardcore pornography"? Or back in 2000, when CDL's daughter organization, Citizens for Community Values, put on the "National Pro-Family Conference on Pornography, Sexually Oriented Businesses and Material Harmful to Children"? Or in 2005, when the "Kids First Foundation" put together their first (and so far only) "Victims of Pornography Summit" in Washington, D.C.?
So perhaps it's no big deal that an organization calling itself "Citizens for Decency" put on an "anti-pornography conference" at the Rexburg Tabernacle on May 9, supposedly inspired by a "suffering widow" who claimed that her husband "at a young age became addicted to pornography" and therefore, of course, committed suicide.
"There isn't a family gathering that they get together that they don't feel this void, this lack," reported Craig Cobia, alleged chairman of Citizens for Decency. "In a private moment, some time ago, she reflected on this and she prayed, she said, I would like something good to come out of this horrific event."
"Seems like it's kind of a quiet problem. People think sex offenders or child molesters just kind of pop out of the woodwork but they don't. It all starts somewhere and we think a lot of it starts in pornography," added alleged "volunteer" Sarin Cobia (no relation, we're guessing).
According to KIDK-TV in Idaho Falls, "The group has received much opposition but continues to fight against pornography," and last year even got the Idaho legislature to support – unanimously – a resolution saying that "pornography is a concern that should be looked at."
There's just one problem: It looks like "Citizens for Decency" doesn't really exist.
Just check out their website: It consists of a "home page," no business or mailing address, with a single message thanking the "550-600 people who attended the conference"; a 30-second "promo video" about the dangers of porn and an invitation to attend the May 9 rally; a button to volunteer either time or money ... and a "Resources" link to the "LifeSTAR Network," an organization whose sole purpose is to treat "porn addicts" – well, and make a shitload of money doing it.
For instance, check the "bookstore" link, where you'll find the company selling their two-phase course in "breaking free of porn" – and it only costs $646 including two "30-minute consultations," or $526 without the consultations. Not in the same league as a Scientology rip-off, but then again, LifeSTAR doesn't have an E-meter.
And if you're really inspired, you can even "Become A LifeSTAR Therapist"!
"LifeSTAR Network is a national association of licensed therapists dedicated to helping sexual addicts and their partners," the site says. "Our licensees are committed and caring individuals who have expanded their private practices to incorporate our innovative and highly successful treatment program. Candidates for membership in the network should have an entrepreneurial spirit, a willingness to learn, a desire to work with sexual addicts and their families, and an interest in expanding their private practice. It is also beneficial, though not necessarily required, for candidates to have a background in addiction therapy-particularly sexual addiction therapy." [Emphasis added]
Yeah; all you need is to be a "licensed therapist" – hell, "Dr." Laura Schlesinger got her therapist's license with only a degree is phys ed! – and with the proper amount of "entrepreneurial spirit" (translation: A willingness to market the hell out of yourself), you too can take poor obsessive/compulsives and get them to spend thousands of dollars "curing" themselves of one of the most natural things in the world: Wanting to watch other people having sex.
AVN has nothing against people selling their product, even if it is a bogus "porn addiction cure"; we just think they should be honest about it.
