The New Phonebooks Are Here!

That's a line from Steve Martin's movie "The Jerk," where he was excited because he was finally listed. It is perhaps funny because the viewer's response is a big 'who cares?' Similarly, you might feel the same way about the last minute regulations that the Bush administration is implementing before W leaves office (can I get an Amen?). The Washington Post had an interesting article, but, you might ask, how does that affect little, old porn-lovin' me?

Included in those last minute revisions could be changes to regulations under 18 U.S.C. §2257 that will be released this month. The previously revised regs are already the subject of two law suits, one by Connection Distributing and another by the Free Speech Coalition. The regs spell out the personal documentation that sexually explicit performers and related publishers must make available for government inspection. So this only affects you if you enjoy porn online or porn DVDs. Given the court cases on appeal, the actual effect is fairly unclear. Since the regs have to publish 30 day before the new administration, they are likely to come out in the middle of December. The Bush administration's effects could be with us for a long time.