The letter was neatly typed, and arrived in an equally neatly typed envelope that had been neatly sliced across the top and neatly secured with three pieces of tape. Under one of the pieces of tape a pair of initials was visible, presumably the mark of the prison censor.

Max is currently serving a 46-month sentence after conviction in federal court on 10 obscenity charges. Right now he is in a correctional facility in downtown Los Angeles, where the 101 meets the 5 at the east L.A. interchange.

In the personal note, he said, "I wrote a little something here to hopefully get people to think a little bit about more than just hot dogs and ice cream for the holiday."

I present it here for your consideration. The few misspelled words have been corrected but it is otherwise unedited. The words and ideas are Max Hardcore's.

July 4th, 2009

Every Independence Day, we pause to reflect upon the great sacrifices made by the brave men and women who laid down their lives when they rebelled against the United Kingdom and created the United States of America. They put their lives on the line not simply for the pieces of paper called the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, but upon the principles which they represented in their words. Paramount among these is the freedom to live one's life in accordance With his or her own beliefs, and the expectation of privacy from unwarranted government intrusion into their lives and property.

At a time when America holds more of its citizens behind bars than any other country in the world by far, the concept of personal freedom seems to have been forgotten by those in power — and by many of the people they govern. In our blind eagerness to band together and battle the common enemy of terrorism, many have stood idle as our government has steadily eroded the very rights that made our country great, and our people secure in their civil liberties. In a perversion of the English language that is a true obscenity, the Bush administration called their initiative the Patriot Act, attempting to cloak an evil program in the guise of civic responsibility. This plot was so diabolical and effective, that even our own representatives elected to Congress were fooled into acquiescence.

As I write these words, I am staring into the abyss of many more months in the bowels of the federal prison system, simply for making some movies that 12 ignorant citizens allowed themselves to be convinced should not be seen, enjoyed, hated, or even considered by anyone else in America. Censorship is insidious, and almost always starts with attacks against the least desirable material. But it rarely ends there. Just ask our friends in Cina, whose every keystroke is monitored by Big Brother to make sure they toe the party line and submit to the will of their rulers.

Don't think that it can't ever happen in our country. The federal government is not finished with the adult entertainment business. Not as long as it continues to serve at the pleasure of the evangelical Christians on its misguided mission to enforce morality-based statutes. If you fail to come out against these quasi-religious regulations, and encourage others to do so, then don't be surprised when the enforcers of the edicts show up at your door some day and tell you that it's your turn to go.

So be sure to get out and enjoy the fireworks with the family this 4th of July, and don't forget to tell them the real reason we celebrate this day. It could be your last chance to do that for a while — just like me.