Greetings friends and fans,
I’m sorry that I haven’t contacted everyone before this late date, but recent extraordinary events have overwhelmed me, and rendered me incapable of anything but defensive actions. This is actually the very first opportunity that I have had to sit down and collect my thoughts in sufficient quantity and clarity to justify writing to you at all. I hope you are all in the best of health, and free to move about your world without having to ask permission to do so.
I want to assure you that physically I feel great, as I’ve made some very positive changes in my life, ridding myself of the grip that cigarettes and alcohol have had on my health and well-being. I must confess that I had little choice in the matter because I am presently incarcerated in a federal prison, but these are changes that will help me regain my health and renew my spirit and ultimately emerge from this prison a better man.
Some said it was inevitable that I should pass through here someday, because I’ve always had a problem with authorities telling me what I can and cannot do – but it still seems surreal that I’m in here not for what Paul Little did as a person, but for what the fictional character Max Hardcore did in a movie. Movies that no one was forced to watch (well, except inside a federal courthouse), movies that we as adults in this country ostensibly have the freedom to enjoy or ignore.
The authorities have finally jailed me on the incredibly vague and subjective crime of “obscenity”. Of course, the United States government took it upon itself to order and scrutinize these films despite the fact that no one in the community where I was tried had complained about them. It was clear at my trial that none of the jurors from Tampa Bay had ever seen anything like my videos, but those same people have decided what adults all over this country and, by extension, all over the world can watch in the privacy of their homes. And these films were presented to this jury not in their entirety, but in a way crafted by a judge concerned primarily by perceived “demeaning treatment” in the movies, including the use of “harsh and abusive language” as directed toward certain female actresses in a small number of my movies. Seems strange that an administration that condoned real torture would be so shocked and concerned about “demeaning treatment” and “harsh language” between consenting adult actors in a fictional film, but that’s what happened…
Amazingly, the jury went along with the whole government program, as I now know they almost always do, and convicted me on all 10 counts. The judge sentenced me to 46 months and a fine of nearly one hundred thousand dollars. I’m holding out hope that I can get conviction overturned in a higher court, but it’s an uphill battle that few ever win. Until the ridiculous Miller test of obscenity is thrown onto the trash heap of judicial history, I’m afraid just about any controversial artist could be convicted of it. The laws on the books are clearly out of step with what the public has demanded, so I’m sure it is only a matter of time before the government gets out of the business of trying to enforce morality. However, in the meantime, I would encourage all of you to spread the word about this case throughout the adult and mainstream entertainment industries, as well as letting your representatives in government know how outraged you are about this gross infringement on your freedom of speech.
They are flicking the lights in here and that means it’s time to head off to our cells and be counted in for the night. But I’ll write back soon and let you know how things are going, and pass on the benefit of my experience here. Until then, stay positive and live every day as if it were your last.
Sincerely,
Paul F. Little
Mailing Address
Paul F. Little, Federal # 44902-112
Section 5-North
Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles
P.O. Box 1500
Los Angeles, CA 90053
Visiting Address
Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles
535 North Alameda Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
He lucked out to get to do his time in Los Angeles. When ever I drive the place(its off the 101 freeway in downtown) I always moon hoping he is looking at the long slender windows.
Max was never an artist. There is a reason he is in prison and artists like Mapplethorpe never spent a day in county jail must less prison but yet Mapplethorpe offended alot more people including myself.
Paul Little can play the victim if he wants. No one gives a damn what he thinks. He is just another convict wasting my tax money.
I can only hope he serves every single day of his sentence.
Paul Little was a guy constantly warned by legal experts and law enforcement that what he was doing could be seen as offensive. His answer was to give the authorities the finger and to push even further over the line. The fact of the matter is society has limits and if you want to live in it you have to abide by them if you want to be revolutionary then you end up where most of them do in jail or dead. It may seem brave and romantic to some of you out there but the reality is far from it. I doubt Mr. Little’s arrogance allowed him for one second he could end up in prison as someone’s wife yet there he is grabbing his ankles. Viva revolution
The only folks who wasted your tax money the ones responsible for prosecuting Max. Anyone who actually cares about about their freedoms in this country should be outraged at his persecution. Who is next on the list?? And you know there is one.
Downtown is not a federal prison.
As once said on poontalk, Max is guilty of a lot of things but not what he was convicted of. He’s been convicted of a federal crime but they won’t send him to club fed. Also normally Max would’ve and should’ve been able to remain free on bail until the the case is appealed but the judge wouldn’t allow it.
They’re giving Max the Max treatment.
Politics is dirtier than Max.
Meanwhile, maybe one more carjacker or tweeky bird burglar will get out so they can keep Max locked up in the wrong facility…
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090224/ap_on_re_us/la_county_sheriff
I could care less about a letter from Max Hardcore, but I’ll look forward to reading his obituary. The idea of pissing on his grave is just so damn entertaining.
It’ll be about 6 months from now that Max will realize his appeals won’t work and that maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to piss in the Govt’s post toasties.
Enjoy your ass fucking Max, you earned it.
Notice that Max never answerswhy he put out EURO versions and American versions of his material. That is why he never took the stand, because he and his lawyers knew that this would be the first, and maybe only question they asked him. And due to the fact that MAXWORLD controlled the sale price that JADED charged its customers, (it was in the contract), and had the opportunity to control the method of delivery of the product,(he could have specified UPS, FED EX, etc, as many other Jaded customers do, that is why he is guilty of exactly what he was charged with. Jaded chose to cooperate, therefore getting a “pass.”
And didnt MAX get sentecned to far LESS than the
maximum, and get fined far LESS than the statutes called for. I’m not sure about this but I think think this is true.
Obscenity laws are obscene.
Now as far as community standard I agree with MAX…..Who in the community filed any complaint? It was the government that ordered the tapes and had them sent to the ‘community.’
Max says he is clean, his rectum better be clean too. The delivery method is very interesting, also the Euro versions were quite a bit higher than the US versions, hmmm so is Max an artist or a businessman? He was suffering so bad he had that big house in the hills and spent what I assume a fair amount of money on those awful clothes he wore. As for suffering for art, anyone heard from Catalina, who let herself be pissed on, puked on, stretched, slapped and so on, it was her choice, check post filming once where she and Max are just cleaning up the puke as if it were a normal day of work.
Here’s a challenge to all you artist out there and advocates of freedom of expression. Take a empty canvass, some art supplies along with some protest signs decrying some strong opinion you have. Now stand in front of city hall on a public sidewalk and take a dump on the art canvass while stating your displeasure over whatever comes to mind. Some would say you’re just expressing your first amendment rights but I’ll bet the cops will say something different. The point I’m trying to make is that there are limits and standards that society will tolerate and like it or not judge as obscene
Stay strong Max.
I’m kinda wondering how Jaded is still selling EURO versions of Max Hardcore DVDs.