The Government vs. Erotica: The Siege of Adam & Eve
BOOK DESCRIPTION
In 1986, a small mail-order company was invaded by thirty-seven armed law enforcement agents who instantly shut down all operations, herded the employees into a warehouse, and then systematically interrogated everyone, allowing them to leave only after subpoenas were distributed. Although this episode may sound like a police action in the former East Germany, in fact it was implemented by the U.S. Department of Justice, then headed by Edwin Meese, against Adam & Eve, a North Carolina business that sells contraceptives, sex toys, and adult videos. Now the company's owner, Phil Harvey offers's firsthand account of this David-and-Goliath battle. The Government vs. Erotica goes to the heart of our national debate over First Amendment freedom of expression versus government attempts to limit the availability of erotic materials.
Harvey's personal memoir of an eight-year struggle — eventually victorious — his harrowing struggle against the strong-arm tactics of the Justice Department;raises important questions about federal abuse of power, the slow erosion of First Amendment rights through government intimidation, the effects of pornography, the archaic laws that attempt to regulate sexuality between consenting adults, the class-war implications of this battle, and the relationship between sex and religion.
The Government vs. Eotica provides a detailed account of the inner workings of the legal process and of the feisty owners and managers of a small company determined to stand up for their rights. This controlled, yet suspenseful and humoiroys story is a wake-up call for all who would be complacent about their First Amendment rights.
Philip D. Harvey (1/6/2001). The Government vs. Erotica: The Siege of Adam & Eve™. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, Hardback in colour dust jacket.12 figures. 296 pp. Format: 155x235mm. Weight: 640gr. ISBN-13: 978-57392-851
