The United States of America vs. sex.

• Author: Catling, Linda

The United States of America vs. Sex.

Philip Nobile, Eric Nadler.Minotaur Press, $3.95.

In Denmark,they say a little perversion is part of human nature, but with enough vicarious release the average pervert remains safely within the bounds of social decency. A great many students of social decency concur. Ed Meese and company beg to differ.

Child molesting, prostitution,and sexual assault are legal concerns, but whether a couple's right to watch smut on its own VCR is a danger to society is an emotional issue that has found its way into the political arena. The foes of pornography come from all corners. These people--fundamentalists, feminists, housewives, and doctors--have long been clamoring for a uniting force. In 1985 the attorney general's Commission took up their fight.

The United States of America vs.Sex, serves up, blow by blow, the popular farce known as the Meese Commission. Nobile and Nadler followed the commission's hearings around the country, financed by Penthouse. Their intent was to make a mockery of the proceedings. They do. But in the process they expose a deeper, more important point: that even conservatives are not agreed about how...