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Print E-mail del.icio.us 63 comment(s) - last by frobizzle.. on Jan 2 at 8:46 AM
Runnin' Ho's online is illegal too

Many people know that the places to go when you have junk to get rid of are eBay and Craigslist. Unlike eBay, Craigslist has some rather unsavory ads that run in its “erotic services” section.

The Chicago Tribune reports that ten people have been charged in an Internet-based prostitution ring that sold sex from classified ads placed in the Craigslist “erotic services” section. Four Chicago area men have been charged with employing prostitutes young as 15.

According to authorities, the prostitution ring ran in Illinois and Indiana and involved at least 11 women; some were only high school freshmen or sophomores. According to Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart, the arrests made earlier this week are a result of a three-month investigation.

The four men charged in the prostitution ring are Rodney “Mook” Williams, Eddie Wells and Terrance “Big T” Greenless Jr. from Chicago and Gregory Key of Ever Green Park. Six women were charged with prostitution and two juveniles were questioned and released without charges.

Chicago authorities state the men accused of operating the prostitution ring could face up to 30-years in prison. Dart told the Chicago Tribune, “The erotic services link on Craigslist provides a free advertising network for prostitutes and pimps, and it's unrealistic for us to believe company officials are unaware of these ads.”

Dart also says that his office has encouraged Craigslist to remove its “erotic services” section but the ads continue to run.  Likely, the Chicago ring only drew enough attention for litigation after it was discovered the network included minors.


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What are the Pros and Cons...
By Noya on 12/27/2007 4:02:49 PM , Rating: 2
of legalized prostitution? And why isn't it legalized here in the US?




RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By BladeVenom on 12/27/2007 4:17:07 PM , Rating: 2
You think women should be allowed to choose what they do with their bodies?


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By amanojaku on 12/27/2007 4:19:45 PM , Rating: 2
No. I should be allowed to choose. Please? :-)


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By qwertyz on 12/27/2007 7:20:52 PM , Rating: 1
They should have buy some video cameras and instead of prostitution start making some cool porn movies, I'm sure everyone would have enjoy it even the judge that take this case and they would have not finish in prison but being world recognized and making big money.
They would have done pretty much the same thing but the consequences would be totally different, just think about it.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By senbassador on 12/28/2007 1:42:46 AM , Rating: 1
Pros:

If it were legal, we would on average have a better idea whose selling and whose buying it. That means the priests and ministers would concentrate more on those people to "save" and leave everyone alone. So its a win-win.

Also, if more people had sex we would all get bored with it soon enough and not make as big a deal about it. Overtime in the long run the number of teens who abstain from sex until at least college will likely increase. Ironically, if anybody who should be in favor of legalizing prostitution is religious people.

It would also take some power away from Hollywood and the douchebags who run the porn and the strip club industry shoving down their idea of what a "perfect 10" is; since people's "value" would be more heavily weighed on how good they are in bed than how they look (sure, not really a huge improvement but thats besides the point).

A good number of criminals who work as pimps will have to go on and find other jobs when legitimate businesses take over. Ditto for drug dealers if drugs become legal.

People who are closet sex addicts will be exposed and treated.

Cons:

Easy money that doesn't require any actual work + no college degree = probably not a very good idea. Think how many dumb bimbos could have made something of themselves but decided to become strippers instead. Now multiply that by like 10.

That means we get hurt economically to some extent, if more people drop out of high school because they wish to chase after the big bucks and screw themselves in the long run, some of which will become future criminals and welfare queens. I sure hope you shred all your credit card offers.

Remember those pimps and thugs who theoretically would disappear and there be less crime. Well, they'd probably just move on to bigger things. So there goes that pipedream theory that crime will largely disappear if we legalize drugs and prostitution. Whats worse, they may do things that will eventually affect us "decent" people. To a certain extent, there may be a "conspiracy" among lawmakers to keep prostitution, drugs, and gambling illegal to contain the damage only to "degenerates." In a way, its a pretty slick idea: throwing our undesirables such as gambling addicts and prostitutes to the wolves as bait.

Remember those "legitimate" businesses that would move in. Well, what do you think are the chances they'll lobby the government to put limits on the number of licenses in circulation to squeeze the mom and pop brothels out of existence? Hey, the casinos did it. Wouldn't be a very free market, would it? People like to bitch at the churches, but we don't like large corporations either. Well, do we really want large corporations controlling people's sex lives instead of churches. To a certain extent, your busy-body religious folks telling us what we can and don't do with our bodies might be the lessor of the two evils.

More people will become sex addicts.

People who aren't sex addicts but like to consume the service A LOT will be falsely branded sex addicts.

Some douchbags in the mental health industry will try to make money by coining up some bullshit sex related complexes and make millions "treating" it.

OVERALL, I think legalizing prostitution would do more good than harm. However, I can clearly see legitimate counter-arguments to that as well.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By FITCamaro on 12/28/2007 10:44:30 AM , Rating: 3
I think you missed a big one.

STD rates would go sky high. Do you really want the US to be the next Africa. Not to mention the insane number of pregnancies that will come as a result of this. We've got enough young single moms out there who are leaching off the welfare system because of their bad decisions. Do we need to add a few hundred thousand or million more?

Sure you can require prostitutes to get checked on a routine basis. But who's going to pay for it? Them? Hell no. They'll just say they did and you won't know.

And do we really need one more moral degradation of our society? I'm not even talking about religious views here. I'm saying do we really want it to be ok for women to sell themselves for sex? You can spout "women's right to choose" crap all you want. If you were a father how would you feel about your 19 year old daughter being a slut? Didn't think so.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By FastLaneTX on 12/28/2007 11:34:39 AM , Rating: 4
Nevada has legalized prostitution, but heavy regulations on the practice, and the result is that since they started testing there have been zero cases where one of the women turned up positive. I bet the number of pregnancies is also zero, since they all use condoms and are required to be on some other form of birth control. Really, any sane hooker would -- and the not-so-sane ones are already out there hooking and catching diseases and/or getting pregnant today anyways.

I do agree that what you describe is somewhat more likely if we were to decriminalize prostitution, which means no regulation. But, honestly, I'm not even sure of that. Once you subtract out the prostitutes who are drug addicts (who would become a tiny minority once non-addict hookers became available), they're the smartest and most safe-sex-aware segment of our population. They're sure as heck better at it than most amateurs, who are convinced of such idiocy as "he looks clean, we don't need condoms" or don't insist on condoms because they're hoping to get knocked up and thus a free ride on child support.


By senbassador on 12/28/2007 4:10:03 PM , Rating: 2
The STD and pregnancy increase is a good point. Making sure they get checked wouldn't be too hard though if it were part of their licensing agreement. So overall, it be a close call.

As to your other points,

#1) Technically women wouldn't be the only ones prostituting themselves, so this wouldn't really be a women's rights issue in the first place.

#2) I think your "would you want your 19 year old daughter" argument is a bit of an appeal to emotion. Keep in mind that stripping is already legal, which is about one step away from prostitution. You could say we've already opened the Pandora's box on that one. I wouldn't have wanted my potential future 19-year-old becoming a stripper either, but its still legal and I don't see too many arguments in favor or making it illegal. To a large extent, keeping your kids from becoming strippers / prostitutes is about good parenting, not legislation. I don't think that the government should be doing parent's jobs because they don't know how to raise their kids.

I also wouldn't my future kids majoring in liberal arts (not necessarily a moral issue) but I don't think there should be a law against colleges offering liberal arts as a major.

Like I said earlier, its a close calls and obviously theres got to be a point where society draws a line whats legal and whats not. The current system seems pretty reasonable, having stripping being the cut-off. All I am saying is that I would draw the line one step further.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By mdogs444 on 12/27/2007 4:21:29 PM , Rating: 2
Actually, it is somewhat legal in Las Vegas city limits.

But if it was put to a public vote - I think you'd be hard pressed to even pull a 10% vote in favor of legalizing it.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By BMFPitt on 12/27/2007 4:34:53 PM , Rating: 5
From what I understand, it's legal to sell your own body in the UK, but illegal for others to profit off of it. Sounds like a great system to me. Not that we'd ever adopt a great system here.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By mdogs444 on 12/27/2007 4:48:08 PM , Rating: 1
I think part of the reason for it is that its a cash based business. There is no way to prove that you made any money, or how much you made - therefore are not paying city, state, or federal taxes.

If this person is selling their body, and has a high risk of getting an STD or other disease, and states no income, then should it really be the taxpayers burden to supply that person with health insurance & welfare checks?


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By TomZ on 12/27/2007 5:16:19 PM , Rating: 2
There are lots of other cash-based businesses whose incomes are already effectively taxed by city, county, state, and federal authorities, e.g., retail stores, barber shops, pizza delivery, etc.

No, the issue is that most people/businesses engaging in prostitution are doing so illegally, and people who engage in illegal activities for money don't generally file tax returns for risk of prosecution.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By BMFPitt on 12/27/2007 5:29:12 PM , Rating: 5
quote:
I think part of the reason for it is that its a cash based business. There is no way to prove that you made any money, or how much you made - therefore are not paying city, state, or federal taxes.
So all cash-based businesses should be illegal?
quote:
If this person is selling their body, and has a high risk of getting an STD or other disease
Lots of people do the same things for free. What makes them different?
quote:
then should it really be the taxpayers burden to supply that person with health insurance & welfare checks?
It was my understanding that tax evasion was already illegal and quite frowned upon by the authorities.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By mdogs444 on 12/27/07, Rating: -1
RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By BMFPitt on 12/28/2007 7:33:23 AM , Rating: 2
So allow me to summarize your point then: You think prostitution should be illegal purely on moral grounds, but don't want to admit that so you tried to make up a bunch of other flimsy excuses that can be applied to thousands of other occupations but shouldn't be according to you.

Sound about right?


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By Bioniccrackmonk on 12/28/2007 10:20:13 AM , Rating: 1
Actually, I think that you are completely off on what Mdogs was trying to say. From what I get from his posts is that in order for a system like that to work here, voters would have to make it happen, which we all know will never pass.

Also,the examples you gave about cash businesses don't compare because there are actual receipts for the merchandise/pizza and you can pay via credit card or check as well as cash. Much more trackable then a prostitute who works off cash alone and doesn't have any proof of income, which allows them to claim no income, since they have no W2, hence no taxes. The only way it would be trackable is if we have something similar to what Amsterdam does in their Red Light district.

And I also completely agree about the insurance premiums as well.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By BMFPitt on 12/28/2007 12:54:13 PM , Rating: 4
So your entire argument is predicated on believing that legal prostitution would work in exactly the same way that illegal prostitution currently does?

By the way, has any of this stuff you've theorized actually happened in the areas in Nevada where prostitution is legal?


By Bioniccrackmonk on 12/28/2007 1:31:41 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
So your entire argument is predicated on believing that legal prostitution would work in exactly the same way that illegal prostitution currently does?


No, nothing legal works the same way when its illegal.

quote:
By the way, has any of this stuff you've theorized actually happened in the areas in Nevada where prostitution is legal?


Has any of it not happened?

quote:
From what I understand, it's legal to sell your own body in the UK, but illegal for others to profit off of it. Sounds like a great system to me. Not that we'd ever adopt a great system here.


I do believe this is what you were talking about at first anyway, comparing the US to the UK and about how we would never adopt it. It's easy to single out one state that is progressive in their ideas, good luck with this on a national scale.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By mdogs444 on 12/28/07, Rating: 0
RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By rudy on 12/27/2007 6:04:40 PM , Rating: 2
It is not legal in Las Vegas but it is in most of Nevada.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By Samus on 12/27/2007 4:28:14 PM , Rating: 2
Go to Amsterdam if you want to pay for a hooker. Here in America, women are easy enough that paying is unneccessary, unless you need to butter them up first.

Has anyone actually had the balls to get a CL hooker? Half of that shit has got to be bait. I can just see that TV show that goes after pedophiles jumping on this with a Craigslist especial'


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By amanojaku on 12/27/2007 4:31:09 PM , Rating: 2
The pros and cons are long. I'm personally for it for adults over 21. It's your body, do what you want!

America is a funny place. We talk about freedom, but we're one of the most prudish nations on earth. Despite talk of separation of church and state a lot of things are judged by religious standards, which basically call prostitution evil. There's also the idea that pimps force women into prostitution, that while true, is less so as time goes on. There's also the health concerns of sleeping with a large number of people, male and female. Children get forced into prostitution, as well. And lets talk about the IRS: how can you keep tabs on how much a person has earned through prostitution?

I can't wait for prostitution to be legal in the States. I'm going to be the first one to whore himself out. I think I can add, 10, maybe 20 dollars to my annual income! LOL


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By mdogs444 on 12/27/2007 4:53:41 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I think I can add, 10, maybe 20 dollars to my annual income! LOL

Nothing like setting a high goal for yourself :-)


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By amanojaku on 12/27/2007 11:51:19 PM , Rating: 4
I was gonna go for 5, but momma always said I was worth much more! lol


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By James Holden on 12/27/2007 4:55:51 PM , Rating: 2
Pornography is in many respects glorified prostitution. We not only embrace pornography, we celebrate it -- go figure.

It will get legalized some day, when the government figures out how to tax it.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By AntiV6 on 12/27/2007 5:33:51 PM , Rating: 4
IRS: Sit down please.
IRS: It appears you gave 10 BJ's, 20 HJ's, 42 Cleavland Steamers, and a fisherman's delight last month. Making a healthy income of $3000.
Hoe: Yes sir.
IRS: That will be $300 in taxes, unless you want to have one more tax-exemption...


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By shabodah on 12/27/2007 6:58:04 PM , Rating: 2
I wish I could pay only $300 in taxes on 3000. I'm paying almost $900 on 3000 counting state, medicare, social security, and federal income taxes. Then I get to pay more taxes wherever I spend it. UGH. The city I live in has a prostitution rehabilition program that our property taxes pay for. It's a city of 230,000!!! I've never heard of ANYONE finding a prostitute here and plenty of guys I know have looked!


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By mdogs444 on 12/27/2007 7:03:52 PM , Rating: 2
You may want to clarify - are you paying $900 because you make $3000 per paycheck (bimonthly/biweekly), or are you paying $900 when you only make $3000 per year.

It all has to do with the income tax brackets based on yearly income.

As far as prostitution, I see them all the time in Columbus, OH (city of roughly 700,000), but never saw them in Cleveland (city of roughly 500,000).


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By Keeir on 12/28/2007 1:31:38 AM , Rating: 2
My guess is you weren't really looking. During my time in the Greater Cleveland and Cleveland Metro area, I saw plenty of suspicious women and store fronts. Pretty much, anywhere there is a population density greater than 100 or so per square mile, there will be some form of prostitution occurring ...


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By fifolo on 12/27/2007 6:13:36 PM , Rating: 2
Because, sadly, the Mayflower made it safely across the Atlantic.


By Bioniccrackmonk on 12/28/2007 10:26:24 AM , Rating: 2
Lol, I couldn't help but laugh at this.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By Some1ne on 12/27/2007 6:29:44 PM , Rating: 3
It's not legal in the U.S. primarily due to the influence that religion tends to have on the nation's government. It's the same reason why showing a second and a half of toplessness during a Superbowl halftime show results in a half a million dollars in "indecency" fines, while at the same time it's perfectly acceptable to show athletes fighting with and injuring each other. The predominant religion in the U.S. says that sex is usually wrong, and that prostitution is always wrong, so of course prostitution was made illegal (and there are a lot of other funky, but thankfully unenforced, old laws on the books in several states outlawing everything from cohabitating with a member of the opposite sex without being married first, to oral sex, to sodomy, all because sometimes religion is allowed to decide public policy in place of logic and reason). Of course, other factors that have already been mentioned, such as the difficulty inherent in taxing prostitutes and the public health issues that prostitution can create, are also valid, though the primary reason why prostitution is illegal in the U.S. is simply the amount of influence that religion has on government policymaking.

As for the pros of having legalized prostitution, there are several one could argue. For example, you could levy taxes on prostitution itself (in addition to the income tax that would already apply to prostitutes if prostitution were legal), and use the extra income to pay for better sex-ed programs in public schools (no more of that "abstinence only" bullshit). You could require registrations/regular health screenings/sex-ed/etc. for anyone working as a prostitute, thus potentially making the practice safer, and identifying STD's earlier, giving them less of a chance to spread to new carriers. You could legalize prostitution, but keep pimping illegal, which could help to reduce the amount of exploitation that currently tends to go along with the practice. And so on.

Also, I think that right now, prostitution is sort of in a similar situation as alcohol was back during the days of prohibition. Sure, it's technically illegal, but anybody who wants it can still go out and get it, so the only real difference is that it's a lot more dangerous now because the suppliers are hardened criminals instead of legitimite individuals/organizations. Much as ending prohibition helped to curtail a lot of organizaed crime, legalizing prostitution would probably go a long way towards getting rid of the dirty underworld that is generally associated wth it.

As for cons (and I mean real cons, I don't count "moral decay" as a legitimate argument), there are potential health issues that can/will result if substantially more people start having unsafe sex. There's also the fact that any effort to tax prostitution/the prostitutes themselves will be difficult, because most of their patrons would probably prefer not to leave any sort of a record behind, so any tax policy that required detailed recordkeeping would probably lead to a substantial decline in business (or would alternately just work to sustain the existing network of illegal prostitutes who keep no records), while any tax policy that didn't would essentially be only as accurate as the prostitutes were honest.


By Gul Westfale on 12/27/2007 8:55:44 PM , Rating: 2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Germa...

i think the pros (registered businesses pay taxes and therefore contribute to society, women aren't afraid of being arrested when they go to a doctor or when they report a crime, and the simple fact that outlawing something that has always and will always exist is retarded) outweigh the cons (some self-proclaimed protector of virtue getting all upset).


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By isaacmacdonald on 12/27/2007 9:35:07 PM , Rating: 2
Pros:

Collect substantial amounts of taxes (particularly if we legislated a sin tax), opportunity to regulate the industry and as result improve the safety of prostitutes and customers, and reduce violent crimes associated with the industry (put many pimps out of business).

Cons:

Legalization may be interpreted as a moral endorsement of what many believe to be an immoral business, and will certainly lead to the increased visibility and prevelance of brothels.

I don't see a material moral disctintion between pornography and prostitution (in either case people are paid to have sex), so the cons really don't sway me much.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By Gul Westfale on 12/27/2007 9:50:37 PM , Rating: 3
we all get paid to do stuff we may not like doing... it's called a job.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By mdogs444 on 12/27/2007 9:55:08 PM , Rating: 3
Getting paid to do work that you don't like is called a JOB.

Getting paid to do work you love is called a CAREER.

:-)


By frobizzle on 1/2/2008 8:46:45 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Legalization may be interpreted as a moral endorsement of what many believe to be an immoral business, and will certainly lead to the increased visibility and prevelance of brothels.

Coming soon to your neighborhood! ROFL!


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By Christopher1 on 12/27/07, Rating: 0
RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By mdogs444 on 12/27/2007 10:55:10 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
there is no such thing as 'child sexual abuse' and those things are more what they should be called: forcible rapes that would disappear were we to legalize adult/child sexual relationships in the world today and simply monitor childrens sexual relationships with ANYONE, adult, teenager, you name it!

So now you want it legal for a 30 year old man to have sexual relationship with an 11 year old girl? You are a sick freak.

Your kind will never gain social acceptance, or legal acceptance for that matter.
quote:
outside of a very few people like myself who are getting tired of these laws limiting people because they are 'different'.

I agree with the "very few" part. Thats about the only thing in your post that makes any moral or ethical sense at all.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By Gul Westfale on 12/27/2007 11:38:42 PM , Rating: 2
"forcible rapes"... is there any other kind??


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By isaacmacdonald on 12/28/2007 8:10:10 AM , Rating: 2
I believe the author was alluding to stachatory rape.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By Gul Westfale on 12/28/2007 8:15:28 AM , Rating: 2
"stachatory"... wow. i have seen "uphauling" instead of "appalling", but "stachatory" is a new one.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By fifolo on 12/28/2007 12:32:20 PM , Rating: 2
"Me fail English? That's unpossible!"


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By ice456789 on 12/28/2007 8:58:12 AM , Rating: 2
Let's assume for a moment that prostitution was legalized. What are the repercussions? For the government to legalize that business, it has to be controlled and safe. Therefor prostitutes would most likely have to be licensed. To get a license you would have to test negative for any STD's and probably take some BS 4 hour course provided by the government on safe sex. Ok, so now you've got your license and you can prostitute yourself as you wish. But how long should a license last? How often do you need to be tested for STD's? Every week? Every day? Let's ignore that for a second and move to the 'Johns'. If a John has an STD, he could give it to the prostitute and ruin her career. So again here the government has 2 options: require by law that you MUST use condoms, dental dams, etc. OR require licenses (or at least STD tests) for Johns. Many of the Johns would be married men, whose wives might be just slightly suspicious of them getting an STD test every other week.

Then you have the big problem: if a registered prostitute catches an STD, she can no longer perform her job. She now qualifies for workman's comp for as long as the condition exists (sometimes the rest of their lives), and disability payments. There would be women getting licensed and immediately looking to catch something because that's their golden ticket to a life without work. In some rare cases the government would be able to prove that the prostitutes did not practice safe sex and void their benefits but for the most part that would be impossible to prove.

So what we would have is a bunch of 'retired' prostitutes walking the streets with a nice income courtesy of your taxpayer dollars.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By BMFPitt on 12/28/2007 9:37:44 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
So what we would have is a bunch of 'retired' prostitutes walking the streets with a nice income courtesy of your taxpayer dollars.
Wow, that's even dumber than the "single guys will just marry each other for tax benefits" version I've heard.


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By ice456789 on 12/28/2007 9:43:14 AM , Rating: 2
Hey, it worked for Chuck and Larry...


RE: What are the Pros and Cons...
By ice456789 on 12/28/2007 9:59:11 AM , Rating: 2
And that is the perfect segway to my "Jessica Biel is soooo hot" rant.


DAMN!
By lukasbradley on 12/27/2007 2:58:23 PM , Rating: 5
What am I going to do for the rest of the holidays now?!




RE: DAMN!
By das mod on 12/27/2007 3:00:35 PM , Rating: 2
there's always other cities listed there
LOL


RE: DAMN!
By jpeyton on 12/27/2007 4:45:56 PM , Rating: 2
The title of the story says "Craiglist"; the actual spelling is "Craigslist".


RE: DAMN!
By James Holden on 12/27/2007 3:00:47 PM , Rating: 2
Not have sex with minors, I'd assume. I hope that Chris guy doesn't show up in this thread.


RE: DAMN!
By mdogs444 on 12/27/2007 3:04:39 PM , Rating: 2
I was just going to say the same thing. Watch out for that "Christopher1" guy. He is a sexual predator, and brags about it.


RE: DAMN!
By HrilL on 12/27/2007 3:13:35 PM , Rating: 2
Should ban him just like they would do on social networking sites. No one needs those people around.


RE: DAMN!
By James Holden on 12/27/2007 3:27:16 PM , Rating: 2
DT is a little (too) liberal about banning people. The only people I've ever seen banned are spammers.


RE: DAMN!
By TomZ on 12/27/2007 5:11:06 PM , Rating: 4
I disagree that DT should ban someone simply because they express views that are different than ours. That contradicts the very principles that many of us hold dear - freedom of expression in particular.

I may not agree with his views, but I think he has a right to express them, just as I have the right to say he's full of sh!t.

Bottom line, users should be banned if they do something illegal and/or violate the DT terms and conditions, not for expressing unpopular opinions.


RE: DAMN!
By mdogs444 on 12/27/2007 5:19:53 PM , Rating: 2
As much as I would want to ban him, i see TomZ's perspective. Typing online doesn't necessarily make his actions illegal - since we cannot physically prove what hes doing.

It goes without saying that his comments do not garner social acceptance here.


RE: DAMN!
By HrilL on 12/28/2007 2:40:35 AM , Rating: 1
While I do see your point and I am all for freedom of expression. I also believe that once you are convicted you lose those freedoms. And according to this http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/nyregion/28offen... a few state also have laws banning them from using the internet.


RE: DAMN!
By Some1ne on 12/27/2007 6:30:42 PM , Rating: 2
Do his posts all start out with a score of 1, too?


Where's the decency?
By eye smite on 12/27/2007 10:18:52 PM , Rating: 1
After reading some of the posts on this topic, I have to ask myself where's the decency? What happened having decent morals and values about how you live your life and how you treat your body? I'm sure all I'll get is disdain and contempt for making this post, so why do I bother even posting? No one cares.




RE: Where's the decency?
By Netscorer on 12/27/2007 10:56:23 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
What happened having decent morals and values about how you live your life and how you treat your body?


You see, that's where the cat is buried. What you understand by decent morals may be somewhat different for another person, and completely different for yet another one. What is considered moral in Europe is a big no-no here and what is considered normal here may be a blasphemy in some muslim country. The big question is should we raise morals into canons of laws as it is being done with prostitution, for example? If something is indecent should it be automatically illegal and vice versa, if something is illegal, do we feel pressure to condemn it as immoral? You would think that in the country like USofA people would recognize that morals do differ and that morals and laws should not be automatically equated as one and the same. Unfortunately, this is not the case.


RE: Where's the decency?
By marvdmartian on 12/28/2007 9:40:37 AM , Rating: 2
Seems it went out the door with the words "For Sale"..... ;)


Ah, yes, Puritanism
By fifolo on 12/27/2007 6:14:34 PM , Rating: 2
That nagging fear that someone, somewhere, might be having fun.




Sorta legal in Canada
By androticus on 12/27/2007 9:51:32 PM , Rating: 2
Prostitution is sorta legal in Canada...

Having sex for money, as long as both parties are over 18, is not a crime.

However, many other activities related to prostitution are illegal:
* it is illegal to solicit -- so you can't solicit outside, or (strictly speaking) via ads, although thousands exist openly in things like weekly news magazines and such
* brothels are illegal
* pimping is illegal

And if I recall, it is even illegal to knowingly live with someone who "lives off the avails" of prostitution.




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