Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Continuing war against smut peddlers

Ruthe Deskin

Thursday, Feb. 4, 1999 | 11:09 a.m.

It's been a long road from the time when Sun publisher Barbara Greenspun and I protected our readers from the sight of too much female flesh by painting longer shorts and less revealing bras on the pictures of dancers and showgirls.

The Sun is a family newspaper, and its founder and publisher, the late Hank Greenspun, supported the idea that we owed it to our readers to be somewhat selective in the kind of material that was presented in Las Vegas homes. We carefully edited medical columns, and argued over what coverage should be given rape cases.

But things have changed. The constant barrage of details about the sexual encounters between President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky exemplifies the no-holds-barred journalism of today.

Even a well-intentioned County Commission is thwarted from keeping the streets free of smut peddlers whose activities have caused tourists to be highly critical of our town.

For the second time, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected the county's handbill ordinance as unconstitutional.

The ordinance came about because the Strip and the areas around the Las Vegas Convention Center were being inundated with salacious materials handed out by hired distributors.

I remember one year when the Sun Youth Forum was held at the convention center and the students were accosted by these people. The material offered all the delights that can be found in the entertainment section of the current phone book, and in graphic detail.

Along comes the American Civil Liberties Union with banners unfurled to protect the rights of citizens. As a result, the ordinance has been declared unconstitutional and county officials will have to find another way to keep those streets free of objectionable materials. Of course, there are littering laws and possibly other means of controlling the proliferation of unwanted and often obscene literature, but at this point, the courts have stymied the county commissioners by declaring the present ordinance illegal.

I believe in the inalienable rights of the individual, and I also believe that each of us has a responsibility to act in the best interests of our community. The ACLU and others will argue about who has the right to decide for others what is right and what is wrong. My qualifications are as good as the next fellow's; therefore I go on record as praising the county commissioners for trying to eliminate this blight on our streets. If I can paint clothes on nude showgirls, I can raise my voice in objection to anything lewd that caters to the baser instincts.

Math was never a strong suit for me.

That's why I can't understand government surpluses when we are trillions of dollars in debt.

Surely there is a more sensible solution to the equalization of sports activities for men and women at UNLV than establishing a program for water polo for women. How about rodeo or bowling?

One political pundit of my acquaintance called with a short message: "Heaven help us, the legislature is in session."

When you're angry, take a lesson from space exploration. Always count down before you blast off.