Texans in Court for Selling Vibrators
By Byron LaMasters
Well, it's certainly great to see our tax dollars hard at work cracking down on illicit vibrators, obviously a great threat to the moral fabric of our society:
A Texas housewife is in big trouble with the law for selling a vibrator to a pair of undercover cops, and the Brisbane vibrator company she works for says Texas is an "antiquated place'' with more than its share of "prudes.''
Joanne Webb, a former fifth-grade teacher and mother of three, was in a county court in Cleburne, Texas, on Monday to answer obscenity charges for selling the vibrator to undercover narcotics officers posing as a dysfunctional married couple in search of a sex aid.
Webb, a saleswoman for Passion Parties of Brisbane, faces a year in jail and a $4,000 fine if convicted.
"What I did was not obscene,'' Webb said. ""What's obscene is that the government is taking action about what we do in our bedrooms.''
The arrest of Webb in Cleburne, a small town 50 miles southwest of Dallas, was the first time that any of the company's 3,000 sales consultants have been busted, said Pat Davis, the president of Passion Parties. She said the company was outraged by the charges and stood behind Webb.
"It makes you wonder what they're thinking out there in Texas,'' Davis said. "They sound like prudes, with antiquated laws. They must have all their street crime under control in Texas if they're going to spend tax money arresting us.''
For the past year, Webb has sold the company's line of vibrators, gels, lubricants, strawberry-flavored nipple cream and "edible passion puddings.'' The merchandise is offered for sale in private, Tupperware-style parties to women who may be reluctant to visit an adult novelty store.
God save Texas. As I've said before, we may have nixed the sodomy laws post-Lawrence, but even so, Texas remains home to scores of stupid sex laws.
Via Atrios.
Posted by Byron LaMasters at December 17, 2003 05:51 PM
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When vibrators are outlawed, only outlaws will have vibrators!
Here's is what is so great about our State (and I am a 4th Generation Texan). Our Penal Code makes it completely legal to screw a barnyard animal, so long as you are not "reckless" as to whether someone else will see you. Yet, consensual sex between two adult women or men is a crime. Personally, I think the foregoing is the result of the strong Tex A&M lobby in the Leg.
(Yes, Lawrence was struck down, but it's still on the books, and don't expect the Leg to repeal it. I think it is a pride thing - you can strike it down, but we still will not repeal it. Kind of like the fact that Mississippi recently had a vote on whether to amend its Constitution to remove the ban on miscegination - it failed, big time.)
I'm thinking that moderate corporal punishment(like a 5 or 6 swat school paddling)could be administered to Ms.Webb.I say this not because i'm against her,but I say this because if she is found guilty of this silly "crime",it would be nice if they'd let her take this,instead of sentencing her to a $4,000.00 fine and a year in jail.Any possibility they might consider something like this?Please email me and tell me what you think.I feel it would really be a much lighter punishment.
