It has only been in the past few years that I have become personally involved in WRAP; and the more involved that I get the more I become convinced that one week each year won’t be enough to reverse the floodtide of obscenity that is pouring into our nation’s communities, homes and children’s minds.

Therefore, while we will continue to promote WRAP Week each year in conjunction with Pornography Awareness Week (which runs this year from Sunday, Oct. 25, thru Sunday, Nov. 1), we will also encourage individuals and organizations to participate in various ways throughout the year.

One way for an individual to participate in WRAP all year long is to wear a white ribbon.  To order your WRAP enamel lapel pin and your WRAP car magnet, go online to the new website, www.wrapfamily.com  Plastic lapel ribbons can be purchased [30 cents each, with minimum order of 100] from: Burbridge Foundation, 3701 NW 42, Oklahoma City, OK 73112   Email: BobBurLane@aol.com

One way for an organization (including a church) to do this is to form a committee or subcommittee that focuses on pornography or more broadly on “cultural issues,” which include pornography.  By subscribing to various newsletters and email lists published by organizations that fight pornography, the committee or subcommittee can stay informed and decide when to act and ask others to act.  A list of resources will be included in the “WRAP Campaign Materials” kit that Morality in Media will soon be making available.  

For organizations with a website, one way to remain involved during the year is to have page focusing on pornography.  For examples, check out these sites: www.americandecency.org (Issues – Pornography); www.afa.net (Issues – Pornography), www.americanmothers.org (Service/Outreach – Fight Against Pornography); www.ccv.org (Issues – Pornography); www.frc.org (Issues – Media – Pornography); www.fotf.org (Social Issues – Pornography); and www.moralityinmedia.org (WRAP Campaign).  Any organization fighting pornography is welcome to publish materials found on MIM’s website.

Providing links to the above websites (or to particular resources on those sites), and to other organization websites (or to particular resources on those sites), such as www.candeocan.com, www.centersfordecency.org, www.communitiesfordecency.org, www.ccvindiana.com, www.communitydefense.org, www.cwfa.org (use Search box for “pornography”), www.cp80.org, www.enough.org, www.girlsagainstporn.com, www.lightedcandle.org, www.liccv.com, www.mcap1.org, www.nationalcoalition.org, www.obscenitycrimes.org, www.nationallawcenter.org, www.reclaimourculture.org, www.thekingsmen.org, www.thepinkcross.org, www.trueknights.org, and www.wholehearted.org, is another way to provide helpful information to those who visit your website. 

Another reason why I want to encourage individuals and organizations to “think outside the box” of WRAP Week is because each year many individuals and organizations are unable to participate because of other commitments, including campaigning for or against a candidate in an upcoming election.  Part of what prompted me this year to begin promoting not just “WRAP Week” but also the “WRAP Campaign” was a recent call from Communities for Decency in Utah.  This organization promotes the WRAP Campaign during the entire month of February each year.  And does a very good job of it!

I should add that Morality in Media of Wisconsin has for many years promoted the WRAP Campaign during the entire month of October.  And has also done a very good job of it!

Having said the above, I want to say that it is still OK for you to continue promoting WRAP Week just as you have always done, without more.   

I realize that an individual or organization’s participation, in what has often been described as a “war against obscenity,” will vary depending on many factors.  The primary challenge today is not to get those already faithfully involved to do even more but rather to get many, many more people involved, period.

Broadly speaking, there are three ways to get involved.  First, educate others about the problem and what can be done about it.  Distributing literature, inviting someone to speak at a public event (or to be a guest on a local radio program), writing letters to the editor, and paid advertising are ways to get the message out.

Second, pastors and other religious leader ought to be teaching or preaching about the “sin” of pornography.  In addition to being a community problem, pornography is also a “spiritual” problem.  For the life of me, I don’t understand how a spiritual leader can completely ignore the problem of pornography.  Not only does pornography adversely affect communities, it is also adversely affects households of faith.

Third, make complaints to appropriate public officials responsible for enforcing obscenity and other laws and to businesses that distribute pornography.  And ask others to do the same.