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 From all of us at ROCK, we wish you a happy and hopeful Independence Day! I hope that amidst family, food and fireworks you took a moment to appreciate the blessings of living in the land of the free and the home of the brave. As the wife of a combat veteran and retired Army officer, when I reflect on the blessing of freedom and those that have sacrificed to preserve it, I can't help but feel a righteous anger at how many people in this great nation want to twist and distort freedom for selfish and greedy purposes.
One of our nation's great shames is when those producing and distributing p*rnography hide behind the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech. Too few know that the Supreme Court has ruled time and again that obscene speech, including graphic hardcore p*rnography, enjoys no First Amendment protection. These supposed First Amendment defenders are only spinning the myths and lies needed to make more money through the s*xual abuse of women and men.
Unfortunately, this idea that freedom is the ability to do whatever I want has become deeply rooted in the public consciousness. Our Founders had a much different understanding. They rightly believed that personal and civic virtue was a crucial component for true liberty. Consider these quotes:
- "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." (John Adams)
- "A Republic must either preserve its virtue or lose its liberty." (John Witherspoon)
- "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters. " (Benjamin Franklin)
Too many claiming to peddle freedom are really selling slavery-in some cases literally. Where is the freedom for the prostituted woman or the child caught up in s*x trafficking, forced to act out what their abusers have seen in p*rnography? Where is the freedom for communities held hostage by s*x businesses that operate outside of the law or whose elected officials turn a blind eye to the damage wrought by these businesses on individuals, families and whole communities?
The well-known phrase "freedom isn't free" is appropriate for the kind of community-building we are engaged in. Preserving decency as the moral foundation for society may not be easy, fast, or without difficulty, but true liberty is always worth fighting for. If you haven't yet reviewed the resources section on our website, take some time this week to learn what can be done in your community. If the Founders were right, you are doing more than cleaning up your neighborhood. You are playing an essential part in preserving the foundations of self-government.
May you and your family thrive this summer.
MaryAnn Gramig
President
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prolonged legal battle with impacted businesses. After bouncing up and down state and federal courts for more than a decade, nearly all of Houston's regulations were upheld. The final battle was over an amortization schedule for one business. The Texas Court of Appeals 
