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 Enemy of Adult Entertainment 
Powerful Group in Scottsdale to stamp out Adult Entertainment Across America

February 5, 2000
"Our" local idiot Scott Bergthold in the Press again. Now under a new name "Community Defense Council" Scott led the charge against adult sexual freedoms in Phoenix and Scott was quoted by Tampa newspapers related to the new restrictions in Tampa.  

He use to call is band of anti sex warriors NATIONAL FAMILY LEGAL FOUNDATION. Now the name has changed to COMMUNITY DEFENSE COUNCIL"Protecting Children and their Neighborhoods".
See their website at http://www.communitydefense.org/  

The worst thing is they are highly organized and now they have proven their effectiveness in their goal to help 1000 communities across America make new laws to stamp out adult entertainment that hold up in Courts.

Highlights of article by Matthew Barrows Sacramento Bee Staff Writer

An Arizona-based anti-pornography group led by former Attorney General Edwin Meese is trying to snuff out what it sees as a nationwide explosion in sexually-oriented businesses, including several in the Sacramento area.

Last year, Scott Bergthold, executive director of the Scottsdale-based Community Defense Council, flew to Citrus Heights to support an ordinance that would have shut down Cheerleaders Bar -- featuring nude and semi-nude dancers -- and blocked another proposed adult club on Greenback Lane.

The group says it also has been involved in Sacramento County, Rocklin, Woodland, Vacaville and Yuba City, battled Hustler publisher Larry Flynt over a store in Ohio and filed friend-of-the court briefs in U.S. Supreme Court cases.

In fact, CDC has helped more than 1,000 communities across the country draft zoning laws or other ordinances to limit or eliminate sexually-oriented businesses.

Bergthold said the nonprofit group is responding to a boom in adult businesses in the 1990s.

"The location of these businesses has a real tangible influence on the crime rate," Bergthold contended. "People who are titillated will sometimes go into neighborhoods to cruise the parks to see who they can pick up."

Bergthold maintained there is a direct link between clubs like Cheerleaders and crimes like prostitution and drug use.

But club owners counter that crime rates haven't increased and that they have operated for years without any complaints from neighbors. The only problem, they said, is that outsiders crusading against adult businesses have created turmoil.

"Their whole goal in life is to get every city and county in the country to pass (laws limiting sexually-oriented businesses)," said attorney George Mull, who represents Cheerleaders and the Body Shop, another adult club recently sued by Sacramento County for allegedly violating zoning laws.

Mull said the clubs have better security than regular bars, some don't serve any alcohol and patrons are typically reserved.

"When guys go to a topless bar they mostly go by themselves and watch," Mull said. "They're totally benign."

Cheerleaders owner Mai-Lee Le said her Auburn Boulevard club has been incident-free since opening four years ago and had received no complaints until people started picketing outside the entrance once the legal dispute became a media focus.

Citrus Heights Attorney Ruthann Ziegler said the city ordinances -- which include prohibiting nude dancing -- were based in part on a model ordinance written by the Community Defense Counsel.

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An E-mail from Indiana about the Community Defense Council:

Yeah, that !@#$%^&* group has billboards all around our town, and we only have 2 stripclubs. The billboards state pornography and stripclubs VICTIMIZE WOMEN AND CHILDREN. How lowly of them to use children as a means of attempted pursuasion. The owners are scared as hell about this group. You wonder who really is backing them? Hopefully, council members all across our country will be smart enough to realize their misguided mission.... But don't count on it! THANKFULLY we have an effective chapter of the ACLU in Indiana. Love em or hate em, they categorically argue for our freedoms. BTW Hammond, Indiana now has a 10 foot ordinance that is under appeal.

Dave says: Since they have no honest facts to back their attack on adult entertainment they resort to the emotional silly appeal of children. It would seem it is obviously a brainless emotional appear. Children don't go to adult entertainment places! 

And women aren't victims they are the ones in control and choose it. But of course the traditional men only can lead in spiritual matters traditions insist they have to protect women since males in spiritual authority over them know what is best. And some folks still think this way.

Backing is very clearly the large "family" Christian groups and Church's. That is very clear from hearing Idiot Steve. They are trying to hide more now their Christian religious right backing but clearly that is the basis for the campaign...Traditional Christian sexual repression, even though it has no biblical basis, but the centuries of twisting in repressive traditions to control the sexuality of everyone..
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Let me introduce the National Family Legal Foundation, now "Community Defense Council Protecting  Children and their Neighborhoods"

Community Defense Counsel (formerly National Family Legal Foundation) is the nation's only law firm practicing exclusively in the area of adult business regulation on behalf of local communities. As a nonprofit tax-exempt organization, CDC works with municipal governments and private entities in serving the public interest.

Some of their idiot lies that sadly gullible people fall for:
Land use studies, police investigations, and public health evaluations conducted over the last three decades document the negative secondary effects that sexually oriented businesses bring to communities. These adverse impacts include decreased property values, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and increases in crimes ranging from indecent exposure to assault to rape.

Nude dancing establishments are typically associated with prostitution, public sexual contact between dancers and patrons, drugs and other criminal conduct, including higher incidences of sexual assault. (8.1)

They are very well organized with legal contacts all over the U.S. to help cities fight adult sexual entertainment rights. They have for sale Presentation Templates of all kinds for canned presentations at public meetings including a citizens versions and attorney versions.  

A small sample of the many materials they offer for sale to stamp out adult sexual entertainment rights:

More than 1,200 pages of land use studies from 32 cities document the decreases in property values and increases in crime that flow from sexually oriented businesses. A critical aspect of making the legislative record, these studies validate the substantial government interest in regulating adult establishments. Sent via hard copy as well as CD-ROM (MS Word, WordPerfect, PDF formats). Ships within 24 hrs. $195

Citizen Action Brochures (Sets of 20)
Each set contains 10 copies of 2 different 4-color brochures. The first is entitled How to Keep Sex Businesses Out of Your Neighborhood, and discusses what your community can do to effectively regulate adult establishments. 

Video Seminar: Drafting and Defending Time, Place, and Manner Regulations
Seven videos providing comprehensive training on the different aspects of adult business regulation: evidence justifying the ordinance, basic constitutional considerations, making the legislative record, defining an “adult” use, time regulation, zoning, licensing, interior configuration, nude dancing, and public nuisance law. Ships within 24 hrs. $195

Presentation Templates for Public Meetings – Attorney Version
These talking points on color tranparencies enable attorneys to make the public case for the need and constitutionality of a strong ordinance for regulating adult uses. Highlights of seminal cases authorizing regulation provide a focus for public discussion. 14 color slides. Ships within 24 hrs. $30

From their web site (www.nflf.com) now redone with more anti-sex law support at http://www.communitydefense.org/

National Family Legal Foundation (Protecting Children and Neighborhoods) has been providing legal resources to help communities prevent the harmful effects of sexually oriented businesses (SOBs) since 1990. NFLF helps citizens, community leaders, elected officials,and city attorneys combat the blight and increased crime caused by the sex businesses in their communities. 

The National COPE (Community Ordinances Protect Everyone) Campaign is a three year proactive approach aimed at helping 1000 cities in America develop stringent and constitutionally-sound SOB ordinances. 

The results of sex oriented business includes increases in rape and child molestation, lewd and lascivious conduct, the associated police and court costs, neighborhood blighting,decreased property values, and health costs associated with sexually transmitted diseases. 

How to Keep Sex Businesses Out of Your Neighborhood, "There's no place like home ... for pornography?", You call this victimless?, The problem of pornography: Why it hurts people and what you can do about it, How Can I Get Involved - ways you can be part of the winning team in your community 

We Can Help You Draw the Line for Decency in Your Community
National Legal Conferences, Prosecutor or City Attorney Training Seminars, statute or Ordinance Drafting and Testimony, Legal Consultation by Telephone, Trial Assistance, and Appellate and Amicus Curiae Briefs 

Protecting Communities From Sexually Oriented Businesses
This detailed, 428-page manual is for use by city attorneys, and county and city administrators to regulate, license and zone so-called "adult" businesses. The book contains detailed explanation of caselaw relating to time, place and manner regulation of sex businesses, along with valuable appendices containing key Supreme Court cases and sample ordinances. 

Dave's Comments:

It seems like with so much real crime going on cities should spent their time and money more productively than trying to interfere with healthy consenting adult sexuality!

See September 21, 1998 Arizona Republic Editorial section and article by the head of this group, Scott D. Bergthold. Look at his picture....he looks so angry... and sad...like he hasn't enjoyed sex in years. Poor guy probably has some deep emotional problem which is why he has to fight so hard against sexually orientated businesses and seeks to deprive everyone else of healthy adult sexual fulfillment. He looks like one of those fire and brimstone preachers ranting about how horrible pleasure is and sex should be only for procreation, certainly not pleasure...and certainly if not married to the person!

He talks about all the terrible things that is going on in strip clubs...like a dancer touching her own breasts and giving tips in G strings. And he says if the new proposed Phoenix ordinances are passed (which there were) it will make all escort services go out of business (didn't just have to hide more and the ripofff cons are more frequent).

And he claims the strip clubs that are shut down should thank him "-it will close them down, thereby helping them avoid felony convictions for conducting prostitution rings and participating in organized crime."

Of course since they have no legitimate arguments that make sense they try and make it a children and neighborhood issue which is so stupid. But when some folks are so concerned whether or not Clinton touched any dirty sexy parts of Monica....some folks I guess really do get hung up over these things we think are so stupid and childish. 

I won't even mention his comparing sex between consenting adults to the "consent to smoke crack together," That is laughable in the extreme. But being rational is clearly not what its about, just fire up people's emotions.

These are not average Americans, or at least I hope not, but very puritanical prudes that seek to control everyone's sex lives (probably since they are so much unresolved anger for some reason directed at sexuality). Or, as I suspect it is a part of the Religious Right effort to stamp out sexual pleasure at all costs to freedoms. 

They they know they can't win making it a religious issues so they grasp at protecting the kiddies and neighborhoods with senseless arguments which are so emotionally charged the ignorant or those that can't think for themselves will actually jump up and holler a big "A-Men Brother"! The saddest thing is they don't have a clue about biblical sexuality only how its been twisted and lied about by traditions with no biblical basis.

As one person said:
Scott Bertghold can drown in the filth-filled gutter he's conjured up in his mind, for all I care. I'm not in the business of saving souls, just informing them.

Obviously the Arizona Republic Newspaper is fully behind the need to get rid of adult business as a risk to children and neighborhoods as their entire editorial board proclaimed earlier. I assume very similar things are happening all across America as the religious conservative have as their mission, not to save souls, but to stamp out healthy, consenting adults sexuality unless married and probably then only for children, certainly not for pleasure.


From beaverbandit@themail.com (republished with his permission and using address)

February 6, 2000
Dave, here is a letter i am sending to all politicians that I can.

We ought to e-mail www.ethepeople.com with our viewpoints. That address was retrieved from the delusional Scott bergthold web-site 

As a concerned citizen in a free and pluralistic society, I am concerned about the latest wave of blaming sexually-oriented businesses for societal ills.

The amount of tax money being wasted on CONSENSUAL CRIME ENFORCEMENT i.e. prostitution laws, helmet and seat belt laws, gambling, adult videos, etc. amounts to roughly $800.00 per year PER PERSON. It is a sad fact that CIGARETTES do more damage and cause roughly 100 times more deaths than all of the consensual crimes combined. I even got a seat belt ticket from a cigarette smoking police officer, talk about hypocrisy.

Furthermore, the so-called perceived "SECONDARY EFFECTS" i.e. prostitution, drug use, etc. of SOB'S can clearly be refuted with plenty of FACTUAL documented evidence. This "SECONDARY EFFECTS" THEORY CLEARLY DISCRIMINATES against sexually-oriented businesses, as anyone who has experienced both would know there is more fornication and drug use going on at regular nightclubs than stripclubs.

Adult oriented businesses already have plenty of RESTRICTIVE ZONING ORDINANCES IN PLACE.

It is truly a sad state for America when misguided groups claim they are serving the public's best interest by their misguided mission.

The theories that strip bars and pornography victimize women and children are totally hilarious. Children don't attend stripclubs; Women over 18 clearly choose to partake in and enjoy pornography .

I'm getting sick and tired of all this victim b.s. and my tax money being spent on PERSONAL MORALITY ISSUES.

There is a victim to every human action, if I go play golf with my buddies, my wife might feel victimized by abandonment. Soon their will be groups claiming their needs to be laws for husbands to spend a specific amount of time with their spouses.

For groups that attempt to impose their morality/religion upon my personal freedoms guaranteed by our Bill Of Rights is inviting several lawsuits often at taxpayers expense. I may agree with only one religion, but for someone to attempt to force me to believe only their religion is not what our founding fathers had in mind when they wrote our Constitutional and Bill Of Rights.

I urge all council people to be fully informed of the FACTS on these issues, not some misguided morality group who wishes to force and legislate their morality unto others. Is it really the government's role to dictate every citizens UNIQUE MORAL AND RELIGIOUS BELIEFS? I certainly hope not. Not only is it clearly UNCONSTITUTIONAL, but it is a waste of taxpayers money.

May we all PEACEFULLY CO-EXIST with each other in the greatest most unique pluralistic country in the world. Thank You For hearing my viewpoints. I urge you to read Peter McWilliams book "Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do" http://www.mcwilliams.com/books/aint/

Dave responds:
I think as you did, the key emphasis and issue is dictating morality which is different for different people. I think freedom of morality choices is better than trying to attack the religious groups we now are behind it but intentionally hidden.

The biggest ammunition these anti sexual entertainment folks seem to have is their secondary effects studies. I think to fight them someone needs to look at their studies and dig into them. I suspect its all based on deceptions and manipulating the data but we don't know how until someone with the time, skills and resources can get into it. I just no longer have to motivation or time to do so. Especially when all their data is available to anyone (to buy). But this may hold the key to fighting them, by showing the fallacy of their studies.

I know a consultant tore about their Sacramento secondary effects argument, and offered to prepare one for Phoenix. But he of course charges a fee for his time but from what I recall has been successful in showing no negative secondary effects if the facts are looked at honestly. This of course is what the swing clubs in Phoenix showed with police reports, but was ignored by the City that doesn't want to hear arguments in favor of the adult entertainment the moralists want to be sure are regulated against.

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