WASHINGTON (ABP) — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is pleasing conservative Christian leaders by focusing attention on pornography.
Gonzales' deputy, Christopher Wray, announced May 5 that the Department of Justice is establishing a special task force that will try to curb the distribution of obscene images. The Obscenity Prosecution Task Force will coordinate efforts across different parts of the vast law-enforcement agency, with emphasis on the “special challenges that obscenity cases pose in the computer age,” according to a statement from Wray.
Conservative religious leaders reacted positively to the news. Tony Perkins, president of the Washington-based Family Research Council, lauded the development in a May 6 statement. “We are thrilled to have some backing in our fight to protect our children,” Perkins said.
However, he also sounded a note of caution regarding Gonzales, who prior to his appointment had been viewed with suspicion by some conservatives as someone with moderate tendencies.
“We will watch closely, though with a growing sense of confidence in our new Attorney General, to see who is appointed to direct the effort,” Perkins said.