Rile up a zealously religious district attorney, state legislator or government official with clout, and they could initiate a legislative fire storm and eventually propose and pass laws to shut down nudist resorts...I don't know if Angye Fox is the AntiChrist or not, but it's clear that her PR campaign has caught the attention of the news media, and no doubt has been noticed by public officials as well.
Don't think it can happen? Call any of the AANR Government Affairs officers and ask them. They'll tell you! AANR and TNS officers struggle mightly and continuously to keep our lifestyle legal...
I know Chuck Foster (when he was alive), Bill Baldwin, Angye Fox (Angela Smits Whitaker), Steve Dorsey and have talked to them all at one time or another. They are steadfastly pursuing their present course, believe me. I know marketing and sales very well. I've repeatedly offered to help them sell our lifestyle to the masses above board as AANR intends it to be. All I got from them was disinterest and the cold shoulder. Wouldn't even discuss it at all. The strategy has been determined, and they're going to go with it, and that's that, thank you very much.
Why? The main investor wants them to, and he's the boss. He ultimately calls the shots. It's the old, "Want your job? Then do what I say." Period.
Yes, it's a free country. Yes, they've got big overhead. Yes, they've got to make money. We can say the same things about our man, Larry Flint and "Hustler Magazine." These arguments don't wash, folks. Sometimes, wrong really is wrong. This is one of those times. It's one of those times when the actions of the few will ruin things for the many.
LanceAtCaliente also points out that Pasco County is in the Bible Belt, with McCain/Palin campaign signs lining the roads. He also warns about Ronda Storms, a Republican state senator representing Pasco County, who has advocated sterilization of child abusers, eliminated public funding for Planned Parenthood, and led her crusade for the county to officially abstain from recognizing gay and lesbian events held inside county lines (it passed). Her motto is "I am not apologizing for who I am."
Well, nudists aren't apologizing for who they are, either, but if a political firestorm flares up in Pasco County over nudist resorts, it's going to get ugly. The election of Barack Obama and Democrats nationwide who rode on his coattails doesn't mean that Evangelicals and hard-right conservatives have been eliminated. To the contrary, it's only fired them up to work and fight harder than ever.
The bottom line is that if Caliente has been found to be too decadent even for promoters and participants of The Lingerie Bowl, imagine what's going through the minds of the average citizens.
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
10 comments:
Why is it assumed that conservatives and right wing evangelicals are against nudity? I was at Club Orient During the previous two US elections, so politics was discussed openly (as are most subjects on a nude beach). Greater than 50% were conservative and even a higher percentage were church going. I have even talked with Christian Theology Professor there. I think you do a disservice to naturists by grouping people by political or religious beliefs. There is some evidence that Rush Limbough is a naturist. You are correct the conservatives (religious and political) would frown upon the swinging activities. Most liberals would also.
You are correct to point out that many naturists are conservative, but it's the right wing Evangelicals, the Dodsons and the Warrens, and the right wing politicians, the Foleys and the Storms, who work in unison to attack wedge issues, such as gay marriage and abortion. Caliente and the events surrounding the resort are giving these people a lot of ammunition if they need a new hot-button issue.
It's Angye Fox and Caliente which are doing a disservice to all naturists. It would be a surprise to me if it was a Democrat who ultimately decides to take action to stop the activities at Caliente, but if a conservative like Ronda Storm musters up enough support to begin legislation, I would expect many Democrats to go along. I've said many times before that politicians tend to err on the side of caution, no matter what the political affiliation.
At this point we don't know if there is any movement to legislate against Caliente, but if there is, it's likely to be initiated by a Republican.
Check out this source for more info about the state of nudism in Florida, which really hangs by a delicate thread.
http://florida.bilerico.com/2008/10/floridas_nude_beaches_-_the_state_of_the.php
You made good points in your analysis. Many political decisions are based on who makes the most noise, not on what's right, what's best for the country, or on offering reasonable protection to a minority. Just one well-placed politician looking for an issue to ride to reelection can cause a lot of trouble.
On the other hand, it can also be pointed out the right wing nut jobs who are determined to force us all into their mold haven't been able to eliminate adult sex stores from the Bible Belt. The potential for litigation is long and costly, but not without hope in the end.
Oh, but they try very hard. A town in Georgia bought a strip club for a million dollars just to shut it down, even though the money was badly needed elsewhere. http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/17052761/detail.html
One thing Pasco County has in its favor is the large nudist population already living there, so they have some political and financial influence. I doubt if Pasco would have enough money to buy out all the nudist resorts.
The real danger seems to be if the county decides to regulate nudist resorts as being adult entertainment enterprises. This would not close them down, but they could prohibit attendance by anyone under 18, dictate hours of operation, prohibit nudity in certain areas or situations, regulate alcohol consumption, force relocations away from schools and churches, etc. In other words, regulate them out of business making it impossible for the resorts to afford mandatory compliance.
"eliminated public funding for Planned Parenthood, and led her crusade for the county to officially abstain from recognizing gay and lesbian events held inside county lines"
Sounds like a good plan to me.
Calentie is dangerous towards the future all healthy and good nudism.
Some orgainizations still believe there is no such thing as bad PR. My answer to that is ask ex-Gov Spitzer of NY and soon to be ex Gov Blagojevich of Illinois if that is true.
There was a nudist resort here in Palm Springs a few years ago that put out a press release proud of the fact that Ron Jeremy, the porn star stayed at their resort. Now that place did file bankruptcy. Management never understood the meaning of good PR and bad PR.
Caliente asking for polling places was good PR. The way they handled the Lingerie bowl is not.
I've got to agree with the first comment. I understand that there are those in the far right camp who are on a moral crusade to force the world to comply with their (often twisted) viewpoint; however, I think it's a bit lopsided to group everyone right of center with them.
For those of us who are Christian naturists, and would probably be classified by others as "conservative", even though I consider myself classically liberal (as in "libertarian"), it would be nice to get a fair shake on things.
To be sure, I'm morally opposed to the shenanigans going on at Caliente. From a nudist point of view, I think it would be a prudent move on the part of AANR and TNS to publish an official statement documenting the difference between AANR/TNS position on nudism/nudity, and the stuff going on at Caliente. Most folks probably won't get it, but at least you can step back and point to it and say "Look, we're not about swinging and we've said that already."
As for Caliente, just because I find their morals objectionable doesn't mean they don't have a right to operate as they wish, within the constraints of the law. Personally, I'll never patronize their business, but that's their loss not mine. If they've found a market niche, then good on them for capitalizing on it. All the more important for AANR/TNS affiliated clubs to market themselves as not-swinger and to create a "product differential."
Bottom line is that there is a lot of America that is not going to understand the difference between the two positions because nudity=sex in modern America, and to me, that's the real problem. The more we can do to debunk that idea, the more successful (and accepted) I think nudity would become.
Anonymous said, "I've got to agree with the first comment. I understand that there are those in the far right camp who are on a moral crusade to force the world to comply with their (often twisted) viewpoint; however, I think it's a bit lopsided to group everyone right of center with them."
For the record, I never grouped "everyone right of center" with those who are on a moral crusade. I have acknowledged many times on this blog that naturists come from all political affiliations. All I am saying here is that if there is a culture war in Pasco about the shenanigans at Caliente, the attack will come from the right.
you say, incorrectly, that=
It's Angye Fox and Caliente which are doing a disservice to all naturists.
if you said 'most', or 'some', instead of 'all',
you would not appear to be quite so lacking in intellectual acuity.
It's so easy to throw insults when you assume anonymity.
Yes, I said all naturists. If and when Pasco County decides it's had enough of Caliente and Angye Fox, all naturists will be affected when their rights are threatened, or taken away.
I fully understand that there are some nudists and naturists who support Caliente. That's their right, but it is my opinion that in the long term they are doing a disservice to themselves. There are plenty of AANR and TNS affiliated clubs in the area for them to patronize instead.
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