Rick Perry, the Republican presidential candidate front-runner who announced just last week, invested in a company that was reportedly the largest distributor of pornography in America. The ad against Perry’s porn company (below – click on it for the full-size version), circa 2005, you’ll see at the bottom was paid for by A-List anti-gay “family values” groups of the Religious Right. Some, like American Family Association are so far to the right they are now listed as certified hate groups. Others, like Concerned Women For America, are as close as you can get. Oh, and let’s all remember how long it took for the American Family Association to move from advertising against Rick Perry’s porn distribution company, to spending up to one million dollars for his anti-gay Christians-only Prayer Rally two weeks ago.
“Rick Perry, God’s Chosen to pray Texas into prosperity, invested as a private citizen in Movie Gallery corporation to the tune of between 5-10k according to his 1995 personal financial reports,” reports Sarah Jones at Politics USA. “Movie Gallery was, at that time, the largest distributor of porn in America, and able to sell and rent regular videos for much cheaper than the competition due to their heady porn profit. The ultra conservative American Family Association (AFA), a self-described “Christian organization promoting the biblical ethic of decency in American society with primary emphasis on TV and other media†known for “(i)nitiating, encouraging Christian Activism,†but also now an officially designated hate group according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, begged the government to investigate Movie Gallery.
“In the ensuing years, the AFA went so far as to undertake a national ad campaign to draw attention to Movie Gallery’s porn practices, and wrote the DoJ and state AG’s demanding, ‘DOJ and State Prosecutors throughout the country should begin immediate investigations to determine if the products and practices of Movie Gallery Video Stores violate Federal and State laws regarding distribution of obscene material. Movie Gallery is one of America’s largest retailers of hard-core sex videos. Their attempt to acquire family friendly neighborhood Hollywood Video stores across the U.S. poses a serious threat to our communities!’â€
And Jason Linkins at The Huffington Post adds,
“Movie Gallery did brisk trade in the rental of videocassettes, DVDs, and video games. But it wasn’t the sale of these wares that Forbes’ — reporting around the time of the Hollywood Video acquisition — called “the dirty little secret of [their] success“:
Unlike Blockbuster and Hollywood, Movie Gallery is the last of the big chains to rent out X-rated videos (at least in stores bearing its name). When asked, the company claims porn rentals make up barely 5% of revenues. But outside critics say they’re much higher, as porn flicks are significantly more profitable than family movies since they have a longer rental life span. They’ve tried to gum up the takeover but so far to little avail.”Perry was also no mere penny-investor in Movie Gallery: He passed laws that benefitted the company and protected it from lawsuits.As the Burnt Orange Report reported back in 2006:
As reported in Forbes, Movie Gallery possesses a winning business model, which has allowed it to acquire the much-larger franchise Hollywood Video. Forbes reports that pornography increases Movie Gallery’s profits enough to lowball the prices on regular, non-pornographic rentals. Pornography is a unique product that many stores are reluctant to sell. Movie Gallery’s practices have forced small, locally owned rental chains out of business.Zealously boycotted by the conservative, two-million-strong American Family Association (AFA), Movie Gallery faces two lawsuits because of its allegedly illegal business practices. Smaller competing video stores claim that Movie Gallery illegally distributes porn across state lines. Movie Gallery’s Interim Chief Financial Officer, Thomas D. Johnson, Jr., described these lawsuits as “frivolous.”
Coincidentally, Rick Perry used similar language when signing the tort-reform bill that limited the liability—thereby increasing profits — of companies like Movie Gallery. Perry said the bill would “remov[e] the incentive for trial lawyers to file frivolous lawsuits.” Continuing Perry said, “we will save thousands of jobs, generate millions in new revenue to the state;” only some of those jobs come at the price of young girl’s physical and psychological health.
The AFA has undertaken a nationwide campaign — advertising in USA Today and Washington Post — urging government officials to investigate Movie Gallery. Many local authorities — like the U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Texas — are allegedly dragging their feet. With Gov. Perry owning stock in Movie Gallery, his financial interests contravene the success of any such investigation.
No wonder Perry waited to enter the Republican race for the White House – perhaps he knew he couldn’t sign Bob Vander Plaats’ anti-porn marriage vow?
Bottom line, this is the best the GOP candidate machine has to offer. An Evangelical who believes in “family values,” is anti-gay, anti-equality, anti-evolution, anti-global warming, anti-social security, anti-Medicare, anti-Medicaid, pro-secession, and, evidently, pro-pornography.
Next thing you know, we’ll start hearing rumors Rick perry is gay.
(Click for larger.)