104 men pictured in 'wall of shame' after they were arrested for soliciting prostitutes

[Renew Deal]

The district attorney in upscale Nassau County, New York, has unleashed civil strife by posting the names and pictures of 104 men arrested in a prostitution sting over the last six weeks.


'Operation Flush the Johns' on Long Island nabbed young men and old men, lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers, college professors and students.

All of them set up dates to meet with prostitutes at local a hotel using the classified ads site backpage.com.

District Attorney Kathleen Rice said police started a sting operation in April after receiving numerous complaints about prostitution at hotels across the county.
<snip>

Nassau divorce lawyer Bryan L. Salamone says he has had four women come to him seeking divorces because their husbands were charged with soliciting prostitutes.
<snip>

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2335372/Operation-Flush-Johns-Nassau-County-DA-posts-pictures-104-arrested-prostitution-sting.html

[villager]

1. Wouldn't legalizing and taxing prostitution be easier than entrapment?

Between the sex entrapment and the ridiculous pot busts, it seems our police have very little to do to occupy themselves between citizen beatings...

[marmar]

2. Agree 100%.

[lame54]

4. definitely

[JI7]

5. entrapment ? hhahahahha

[NaturalHigh]

10. Yeah, but that wouldn't get as much publicity as ridiculous stunts like this.

In my home county, our local sheriff's department actually lured a couple of prostitutes from out of state to a truck stop and then arrested them a few years ago. I don't know how it turned out, but I don't see how that could be anything but entrapment. The sheriff was roundly ridiculed because he seemed more concerned about luring in prostitutes that fighting actual crimes. He didn't run for re-election last year because the general consensus was that he was a jackass and didn't have a chance of winning.

My other problem with this "wall of shame" is that, judging by the disclaimer, most of these men haven't been convicted of anything yet. Aren't we supposed to wait until after the trial (or guilty plea or whatever) before we start publicly shaming people for the deadly serious crime of visiting prostitutes?

Back to your other point, though, yeah I agree. Legalize it, regulate it, tax it. Pretty much the same way I feel about drugs.

Now I prepare myself for the usual evisceration that comes with the suggestion that patronizing a prostitute should be anything less than a capital offense.

[MattBaggins]

96. Good luck with that

Police blotters have been around for a long time.

[backscatter712]

13. Don't forget regulating and protecting safety.

When something's illegal, the women involved have no protection whatsoever from johns with STDs, pimps that beat the shit out of them, all the other dangers.

When you legalize, you can then regulate. Ensure that the women involved are paid fair wages, they get to use protection, they get protected from abusive johns and abusive bosses. You can require everyone involved to get tested (prostitutes and johns), to slow the spread of HIV and other STDs.

[NaturalHigh]

22. That would make way too much sense.

Crime might go down and police budgets get cut if we were to try something so radical. Same with the "war on drugs." If people could just go into a store and buy pot, how would we be able to arrest them and throw them in prison for a few years?

People who think we're ever going to rid the world of prostitution or recreational drug use need to go live in the land of unicorns, elves, and leprechauns.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

223. And outside of boutique brothels how exactly do you imagine this is going to work?

Do you think those "opportunities" are going to be made available to drug addict street walkers?

[Le Taz Hot]

239. If they were unionized

the union could offer up rehab programs as one of the benefits, along with health, dental, and eye care, not to mention protection.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

251. If anyone else said that I would assume it was sarcasm. But I know better...

So in your world there would be a shop steward tapping on car windows on skid row checking for condoms?

[Le Taz Hot]

252. Yeah, 'cause that's exactly how it would work.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

258. Well how would it work for street prostitution?

Because even when prostitution is legal, nobody has come up with an answer for that.

[GreenStormCloud]

47. You are making too much sense.

Our politicians aren't allowed to do thaty. They have to be guardians of our moral purity.

FWIW - I have never used the services of a prostitute. When married I have been faithful. When single there has been plenty of free sex available.

[villager]

49. We're in agreement here, GSC (!)

And the "moral purity" is all hypocrisy, anyway.

[LadyHawkAZ]

52. But that would be safe, sane and reasonable

Dead bodies and jail time make for better evening news. Also, you can't get any moralizing traction out of safe, legal, disease-free consenting workers. You have to make sure they get sick, beaten and killed as much as possible before you can pad your moral ego with concern.

[redqueen]

60. Unprotected: How Legalizing Prostitution Has Failed

When Germany legalized prostitution just over a decade ago, politicians hoped that it would create better conditions and more autonomy for sex workers. It hasn't worked out that way, though. Exploitation and human trafficking remain significant problems. By SPIEGEL Staff

...

Before the new law, prostitution itself was not punished, but it was considered immoral. The authorities tolerated brothels, euphemistically referring to them as "commercial room rental." Today, just over 11 years after prostitution was upgraded under the 2001 law, there are between 3,000 and 3,500 red-light establishments, according to estimates by the industry association Erotik Gewerbe Deutschland (UEGD). The Ver.di public services union estimates that prostitution accounts for about €14.5 billion in annual revenues.

...

German law enforcement officers working in red-light districts complain that they are hardly able to gain access to brothels anymore. Germany has become a "center for the sexual exploitation of young women from Eastern Europe, as well as a sphere of activity for organized crime groups from around the world," says Manfred Paulus, a retired chief detective from the southern city of Ulm. He used to work as a vice detective and now warns women in Bulgaria and Belarus against being lured to Germany.

...

Despite stories like these, politicians in Berlin feel no significant pressure to do anything. This is partly because, in the debate over prostitution, an ideologically correct position carries more weight than the deplorable realities. For example, when the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences held a conference on prostitution in Germany a year ago, an attendee said that prostitution, "as a recognized sex trade, is undergoing a process of emancipation and professionalization.

...

The Netherlands chose the path of legal deregulation two years before Germany. Both the Dutch justice minister and the police concede that there have been no palpable improvements for prostitutes since then. They are generally in poorer health than before, and increasing numbers are addicted to drugs. The police estimate that 50 to 90 percent of prostitutes do not practice the profession voluntarily.

...

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/human-trafficking-persists-despite-legality-of-prostitution-in-germany-a-902533.html

[JI7]

84. why do they go to poor countries to find women

why not get women from places where there is more wealthy and women are more equal and educated and have more opportunities ?

[ChazII]

100. In some countries, like Cambodia

for example, the parents sell their daughters to brothels because they can't afford to keep their children.

edited to add

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/dispatches/2011/05/a_brief_tour_of_the_cambodian_sex_industry.html

The sex and apparel sectors draw from the same labor pool: young, poorly educated women from the impoverished countryside who send part of their earnings home to support their families.

[dlwickham]

126. because weathly and educated women don't want to turn $20 tricks?

[blueamy66]

217. $20??

I'm worth a lot more than that.

[redqueen]

165. We aren't supposed to care about them, only the privileged few who actually want to rent out

their bodies deserve consideration.

The rest? Collateral damage, I suppose.

[MattBaggins]

98. but but but

the legalize it crowd says it's all puppies and unicorns in European Brothels.

[villager]

134. so the keep-it-illegal crowd thinks that that's the puppies & unicorns "solution" to a thousands-of-

years-old institution?

Whether we like it or not, it happens. The question is: What's the best way for a society to react to it?

[MattBaggins]

136. Compromise

Make it legal and allow watch dog groups to tell the wives of married men?

[villager]

141. Well, if it's legal, do the married men have an expectation of privacy?

I mean, should there have been a third party watchdog group when my ex-wife was having her affair?

It was eventually found out, and she lost a marriage over it. But I'm not sure -- speaking from experience here -- that a "third party group," especially given the ages of our sons at the time, would've helped anything.

[MattBaggins]

143. Do women have a reasonable expectation that the state

will not be complicit and actually assist and regulate adultery being committed against them?

Should the state really be involved in protecting and codifying adultery?

[villager]

147. Many here seem to love state interference in private lives. Unless you're proposing making

...adultery illegal, then we can let that particular straw man rest.

The question is, should the thousands-of-years-old practice of prostitution be legal? That doesn't mean one has to "like" it. One can simply recognize where the best allocation of society's resources lay, or do not.

[MattBaggins]

170. It is not a straw man

Adultery should not be "illegal" and not a criminal offense. It should however, still have legal ramifications and the state should not be helping it nor covering it up.

[villager]

204. As much straw as the Scarecrow. Not the state's job to snoop on people having affairs

As sad as that is -- and remember, I have personal experience being on the receiving end of such betrayal -- it's not the government's concern.

Keeping it as grounds for divorce, sure.

You are free to join a private group -- a la those blockading health clinics, etc., to impose their own moral standards -- that stands outside these hypothetical future legal cathouses, regaling the men (you haven't mentioned anything about women having affairs, however), snapping their pictures, or whatever it is your inner moral cop drives you to do.

[Katashi_itto]

232. Your injecting personal ideas of morality into what is a health and safety problem.

[MattBaggins]

234. Incorrect

[Katashi_itto]

245. you used "...adultery" that is a moral & societal construct

Usually at the expense of women in fact.

"...Adultery (also called philandery, anglicised from Latin adulterium) is sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than their spouse or spouses. Religious and legal interpretations of what constitutes adultery vary widely.

The term adultery has an Abrahamic origin, though the concept predates Judaism and is found in many other societies. The definition and consequences vary between religions, cultures, and legal jurisdictions, but the concept is similar in Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

Historically, adultery has been considered to be a serious offense by many cultures. Even in jurisdictions where adultery is not itself a criminal offense, it may still have legal consequences, particularly in divorce cases. For example, where there is fault-based family law, it almost always constitutes grounds for divorce; depending on jurisdiction, it may be a factor to consider in a property settlement, the custody of children, the denial of alimony, etc. Moreover, adultery can affect the social status of those involved, and result in social ostracism in some parts of the world.

In countries where adultery is illegal, the punishments range from fines to the death penalty. In the 21st century, criminal laws against adultery have become very controversial, with international organizations calling for their abolition, especially in the light of several high profile stoning cases that have recently occurred in certain countries. Opponents of these laws cite the fact that adultery laws are a major contributor to discrimination and violence against women, as they are enforced selectively mostly against women; that they prevent women from reporting rape and sexual violence; and that they maintain social norms which justify violent crimes committed against women by husbands, families and communities. The head of the U.N. expert body charged with identifying ways to eliminate laws that discriminate against women or are discriminatory to them in terms of implementation or impact, Kamala Chandrakiran, has stated that: "Adultery must not be classified as a criminal offence at all". A joint statement by the United Nations Working Group on discrimination against women in law and in practice states that:

"Adultery as a criminal offence violates women’s human rights".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adultery

[MattBaggins]

249. You decided for me my definition of adultery?

I do not support criminal prosecution of adultery nor any sense of of public morality of it. What I do recognize is the marriage contract and it's well established expectation of fidelity. Adultery is and ought to be a grounds for divorce. That is where the State has to be involved and therefore can not be complicit in it's cover up or hiding it from either spouse.

I am not concerned at all about criminal adultery laws.

[Katashi_itto]

256. You just defined adultery yourself. Again it's a moral & societal construct.

[MattBaggins]

257. Of course it is

Everything is a moral and societal construct.

1. Is not cheating on a spouse an expectation of marriage?
2. If a spouse cheats on the other spouse is that grounds for an at fault divorce?

Yes and yes.

Hence it becomes an issue for the State.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

220. Please explain how shifting 100% of the risk from gangsters to trafficked women...

is a satisfactory outcome.

All legalization does is significantly shift enforcement from throwing gangsters in prison to substantially an immigration issue, with the targets being the trafficked women rather than the criminals to employ them.

And that doesn't even begin to address street prostitution, or the "car trade" as it is referred to in Europe where the most vulnerable victims of the sex trade are found and is a world unto itself untouched by whatever "legalization" is supposed to imply.

[redqueen]

167. The sad thing is how obvious it is how little attention people actually pay to the places where it's

legal.

Meanwhile, the people who actually do pay attention are trying to get some attention for the girls and women who are the most in need of attention and help.

Unsurprisingly, the multi billion dollar business and its fervent supporters have no trouble attracting more attention. Oh, and the fervent customers and their defenders, of course. Those who buy sex are extremely seldom subjected to any scrutiny at all.

On that note (warning, graphic): http://the-invisible-men.tumblr.com/

[villager]

132. Then again, because it's legal, places like Amsterdam are able to offer more protections

...starting this summer:

"Has Amsterdam had enough of its breezy reputation? It may be famous for its in-your-face window prostitution, but the city has just voted to place tighter controls on its brothels. From this summer onwards, Amsterdam’s legal age for prostitution will rise from 18 to 21, and brothels will be forced to remain closed between four and nine in the morning. Prostitutes will have to pass language tests and have shorter shifts, while brothel keepers will be obliged to produce business plans demonstrating how they will protect their workers’ health and safety..."

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2013/03/amsterdams-latest-quest-tame-legalized-prostitution/5072/

This same article does point to some of the contradictions that will always be there, but until society itself has a sea change on roles of men, women, sexuality, Eros, et al, is it really better to keep it illegal?

[redqueen]

169. The Scandinavian model is best, IMO.

But there are billions of dollars to be made, so I doubt Amsterdam will bother to do anything but trim around the edges.

Thus delaying such a sea change re: women being seen as the sex class/sex objects/their bodies as commodities for rent.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

225. A tacky tourist attraction isn't a great basis for sweeping policies

Do you think street walking drug addict might find employment in one of those fine establishments? If not, how is legalization protecting them as they wander the docklands?

[Le Taz Hot]

241. Then we need to do a better job

than Germany did. These women need protection from a myriad of threats. Why not start with unionization? It gets them fair income, heath/dental/eye care PLUS it could offer rehab programs AND, educational resources for those who want to get out of the business. I've known many prostitutes, both professionally and personally (no, it's not what you think -- I used to teach parolees) and the vast majority DO want to get out of the business. They're only in it because it's the only way they know how to make money. They're either supporting their families, supporting their habit or both. Why not use unionization as a starting point at offering them alternatives? At least it gets them protection while they're trying to get out of the life.

You're not going to get society at-large to support something like this. It's too much fun to play judgmental asshole. The churches MIGHT do it but you'd get all the invisible man in the sky crap to go along with it which can be even more damaging (I could do a dissertation on that one).

Do I wish that every woman could find a way to support herself without having to resort to prostitution? Of course. But we have to deal with the reality and the reality is that it IS the world's oldest profession. There will always be buyers and there will always be sellers. Why not protect both?

[geek tragedy]

63. Entrapment does not mean what you think it means.

Those men weren't on backpage looking for mid-century furniture.

[MattBaggins]

92. If you legalize it

do married women have the right to use it as a grounds for divorce?

[Fawke Em]

105. I would hope so.

Since it's still "cheating."

[TheMadMonk]

202. Not unless you plan on reopening the conjugal "rights" can...

...of worms.

[Warpy]

111. That makes too much sense and pisses the preachers off

so I can't see it being done here for a very long time.

It would also be nice to confine it to red light districts so johns would know where to go and wouldn't harass other women walking and minding their own business, which is not prostitution.

The whole idea of a "victimless crime" is incompatible with any sort of free society. While we still have nanny laws written by moralizers and preachers, we are nowhere near being free.

[JI7]

3. and some want to try to convince me that there are women who really do want

to fuck those guys for money even if they had other options.

[ismnotwasm]

8. Heh

The whole thing is irritating.

The arrested men range in age from 17 to 79. The average age is 40. Most, 79, came from Nassau County and 25 traveled from out of town.
Most are professionals. Several lawyers were arrested. The suspects also include two doctors, two dentists, two engineers, two college professors, two college students, a teacher, a stockbroker and a car salesman.

Salamone says in his experience, busy professionals who aren't getting enough attention from their wives are more likely to look for extra-marital sex from prostitutes than from a mistress.
'These are people who don’t have the time to go out to court a woman or an affair. They can just hook up very easily and be done,' Salamone says. 'They don’t have to do three dinenr dates and two nights out and explain that to their families.'

But, he cautioned, wives often profit handsomely if that affair results in divorce.
'Equitable distribution of assets does not mean equal distribution. The wife doesn’t split everything 5/50, especially if she can prove special circumstances such as a humiliating arrest around the time of a bar mitzvah or graduation,' he said.

So it's the wife's fault, and she's going after the money. And WTF bar mitzvah or graduation? Is that a common time for men to excuse themselves? "Oh hey, uh, be right back, don't wait up"

[Sheldon Cooper]

14. Unbelievable, isn't it?

Blame the wives, at all times.

[October]

157. Too true!

What about the STD's these "Johns" bring home to their wives?

Making it legal doesn't make it cleaner/safer.

[EOTE]

237. Actually, making it legal (and regulated as it typically goes) does make it significantly cleaner

and safer. How many "Johns" use condoms during illegal encounters? In regulated markets, it's typically required. As are regular tests for STDs. So yes, making it legal typically makes prostitution much cleaner and safer.

[ismnotwasm]

29. *snort*

That sounds like the plot of a Jennifer Aniston movie

'Bar mitzvah bad' or something

[Warpy]

146. More likely they're professional men with a certain amount of success

that has translated into a sense of entitlement to have all their whims satisfied, so if they want something kinky and/or painful and dangerous that the wife vetoes, they'll find a pro to scratch that particular itch.

Oddly, I have no problem with this and I wonder why anyone would. A good sex worker is selling more than just orifices for a quickie.

[Nye Bevan]

148. That certainly happens.

[NaturalHigh]

30. Everybody calls the morality police these days.

It's all the rage.

[JI7]

32. to try to support legalization and try to make it as if it's

about them caring about the women.

[JI7]

42. what does it matter,there are random assholes trying to convince people that Zimmerman is innocent

that Bush was a great president . people try to convince people of things all the time regardless of who the person is and whether they have any power.

[LadyHawkAZ]

102. To be fair,

I have tried to convince people of that more than a few times, because I've seen and lived the results of what they support. I've come to the conclusion, though, that it's pointless to argue with True Believers™, especially those that try to convince me I don't even exist.

Sex workers are beginning to speak up worldwide. Eventually things will have to change from the top down, with legislation preceding acceptance, because if we wait for people to grow some common sense or learn to read statistics, things will go on as they are for much longer than necessary and workers will just keep turning up dead.

[Honeycombe8]

118. Yes. These are women who have nothing else to fall on. They're at the bottom.

They have fallen through the cracks. No one WANTS to be a prostitute.

[Le Taz Hot]

242. There are and I've known them.

Now whether they were lying to me or lying to themselves I'm not going to judge, but they were pretty damned convincing. They worked a few hours a week, went on some INCREDIBLE get-aways and lived in some pretty nice digs.

Having said that, my experience has been that the vast majority of them DO want to get out and I threw out a proposal somewhere upthread on how that could be achieved.

[JI7]

6. they are all men

[ismnotwasm]

19. Bald is a fashion statement

It's better than the combover, I suppose.

[Jenoch]

7. The St. Paul Minnesota Police Department

has been posting names and photos of both prostitutes and johns on their website for at least 15 years.

[Uzair]

9. The only thing shameful here is the wall of shame itself

Seriously, grow the fuck up people. This is so stupid. Legalize prostitution and stop with this idiocy. I don't know a single man who hasn't paid for sex at one time or another. Anybody who says otherwise is lying, kind of like how some people are still so childish as to claim they "never masturbate" or "don't watch porn".

[Renew Deal]

15. I know a man that hasn't paid for sex

You need new friends.

[NaturalHigh]

27. LOL...

Not sure where that came from, exactly, but great reply.

[NaturalHigh]

31. Full disclosure:

I don't know a single Peter, Paul, and Mary song. I'm sure my wife does, though. What is an appropriate time for one of their tunes?

[annabanana]

35. 1964

eom

[NaturalHigh]

45. Yeah, I've heard that song.

I didn't know that was Peter, Paul, and Mary. Not exactly my taste in music. Maybe if Joan Jett sang it...

[NaturalHigh]

51. Is that Jerry of The Grateful Dead fame?

[Sherman A1]

38. +1000

Something of a sweeping generalization there, me thinks.....

[brooklynite]

152. I think you're misinterpreting the comment...

"paying for sex" includes porn, lap dances etc.

[mythology]

163. I don't think I know any who have

Personally I'd be way too creeped out to go to a prostitute, which may be a reason why I don't know any guys who have frequented prostitutes.

I think prostitution should be illegal. Not being I think having sex with lots of people for money is icky (although I do), but because of the confluence of human trafficking with prostitution. Germany which has legalized prostitution has found that conditions for prostitutes got worse after legalization. And based on a paper I linked below, this is consistent across countries.

Additionally there is the notion that a woman can come from a poor country (generally eastern European) and they will find a man to fall in love with them to get them out of desperate situations back at home. Personally I blame Julia Roberts and that awful movie Pretty Woman.

Are there instances of people happily becoming prostitutes with no coercion and can get out without any issues? I'm sure there are. But the entire business is dirty and a recipe for human trafficking.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/human-trafficking-persists-despite-legality-of-prostitution-in-germany-a-902533.html

http://www2.lse.ac.uk/geographyAndEnvironment/whosWho/profiles/neumayer/pdf/Article-for-World-Development-_prostitution_-anonymous-REVISED.pdf

[Le Taz Hot]

244. So association with a prostitute

should get you ostracized? Really?

[GreenStormCloud]

50. That says more about you and your circle of friends than it does about anything else. N/T

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

64. Uh, what?

Watched porn.

Have masturbated.

Never paid for sex.

[shawn703]

66. "I don't know a single man who hasn't paid for sex at one time or another"

I'm a man who has never paid for sex. Nice to meet you.

[geek tragedy]

69. "I don't know a single men who hasn't paid for sex at one time or another."

Then you need to hang around a better class of men.

[MineralMan]

75. You know one now.

I am not a liar, either. I have never used a prostitute.

[Bucky]

82. By "paid for sex" do you include having to put up with her incessent chatter afterwards?

[MattBaggins]

103. Why should they get rid of police blotters for that crime

Are John's a special group that shouldn't have their names in the police blotter?

[freshwest]

145. Fair question. Prostitutes don't enjoy that luxury, for the exact same transaction.

[NaturalHigh]

173. But do DAs go to the trouble of collecting their photos...

and presenting them at big press conferences? Would that be as popular on this board as the "flush the johns" campaign seems to be? Wouldn't that be labeled as "slut-shaming"?

[Tien1985]

144. Are you

Being sarcastic? Comparing masturbating to hiring a prostitute?

If the prostitute is named, the johns should also be named. If its not the usual thing to release the name of a perp then they shouldn't be. If it were so ubiquitous that every single man has done it, why would anyone care that they were shown?

[RedCappedBandit]

188. I'm a man who has never paid for sex. Nice to meet you!

But yeah, the wall is incredibly shameful itself and these people should grow up.

Not to mention they haven't even been convicted. WTF.

[Egalitarian Thug]

201. Give me a call when you're in vegas. The Mrs. & I will take you out for drinks and then you will

know a man that has never paid for sex, although I do masturbate and have been known to watch porn. OTOH, I can introduce you to several prostitutes that are quite open minded in case you're curious.

[ZombieHorde]

208. I have never paid for sex.

Only one of my male friends has paid for sex, that I know of. I wouldn't even know where to go to pay for sex in my town.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

231. I don't know what sort of company you keep,

But I suspect a significant majority of men couldn't possibly get past the "ick factor".

[villager]

16. Exactly. It's not an endorsement, just a more sensible allocation of society's resources

n/t

[hedgehog]

68. The only problem is that I know of no place where prostituion is

legal and only consenting adults are involved. If legalizing it and regulating sit solved the problem, why does this happen?

"Some 10,000 foreign women in Germany are forced into prostitution. German law threatens them with deportation. That only plays into the hands of pimps and human traffickers, say women's rights organizations. "

http://www.dw.de/germany-lags-behind-in-protection-of-forced-prostitutes/a-16837388

Around 75 percent of the 5,000 to 8,000 prostitutes working in the city are from abroad, and many are believed to have been trafficked. Holland legalized prostitution in 2000 as a way of stopping exploitation, but evidence suggests that more women than ever are being forced into brothels against their will. A study from the London School of Economics published this winter found that in countries where selling sex was decriminalized, human trafficking has increased. While the number of women entering prostitution voluntarily grows under legalization, demand grows yet further, creating a shortfall filled by women trafficked and run by pimps.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2013/03/amsterdams-latest-quest-tame-legalized-prostitution/5072/

[JI7]

76. shows it is usually the poor and those lacking resources who are brought into this

why don't more german women decide to do it ?

[NaturalHigh]

138. Unfortunately, Warren, I don't think the drug war...

is likely to end any time soon either. We have to keep those prison cells filled!

[NaturalHigh]

142. I hope you're right.

[backscatter712]

17. What's really disgusting is that the DA couldn't even wait until he got convictions.

Oh no, you get the Wall of Shame just for being arrested. Never mind that the cops could have fucked up and arrested the wrong guy. We have due process and trials to put in checks and balances & verify that people busted for crimes actually did the crimes before punishing them.

But this fuckstain couldn't wait for that.

[Renew Deal]

20. The DA is a woman

and a DINO

[backscatter712]

116. I stand corrected. n/t

[name not needed]

87. You think Kathleen Rice gives a shit?

The only thing she cares about is her political career.

[Major Hogwash]

104. Wow, that is disgusting.

But, now that the DA has "convicted" them in the newspaper, how will this affect those men for the rest of their lives?

[MattBaggins]

107. Police blotters are not illegal

They are posting a recap of what the police did that night.

[Cali_Democrat]

18. Why should I care if two consenting adults want to engage in this kind of activity

What a waste of taxpayer money.

[Whisp]

33. one reason to care, maybe two

How many graveyards of Johns are there out there, compared to the bodies of the discarded human beings because they are prostitutes? Are there whackos out there killing Johns because they know society doesn't give a damn shit about them and the law doesn't seem to either?

We don't know if all of these encounters are 'consenting', do we?

[Number23]

36. "We don't know if all of these encounters are 'consenting', do we?" Thread winner

+ a brazillion

[Cali_Democrat]

55. If it's not consensual then it's rape

Which would still be illegal if prostitution was made legal. And of course murder is murder.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

229. Freedom is the absense of coercion, not just being unimpeded by authority.

Is a prostitute motivated by poverty, addiction or criminal elements really a "consenting adult" ?

[erpowers]

34. Something I Think People Should Keep In Mind

There seems to be a number of people who claim arresting these men is a waste of time and resources. I think some people should keep in mind that some women do not want to be prostitutes. Some women who end up as prostitutes are runaways who leave home, get hooked up with a pimp, and then are forced into prostitution. Some other women are foreign nationals who came here for a better life, but became prostitutes partly to pay off family debt that was acquired to bring them to the United States. So, sex between a man and a prostitute is not always between two consenting adults. The woman may not say no, but she may not be in a position to say no.

[davidn3600]

58. Thank you...that's exactly my point!

This bust saved not one single woman!

[JI7]

44. and this is more often the case than looking to fiction like "pretty woman"

[davidn3600]

53. Then arrest the pimps....

The problem is that our system is trying to attack the problem in the wrong way.

It's the same thing with the drug war and why we are losing that. We arrest drug users thinking we can reduce the demand and put the dealers and traffickers out of business in that way. Here, we arrest the johns thinking we can put the pimps out of business.

This strategy DOES NOT WORK!!! Period. It has been tried for decades and it has failed for decades! This strategy is not helping those women! Arrest all the johns you want, the pimps and sex traffickers are still out there and there is an endless supply of johns.

[geek tragedy]

62. There is not an endless supply of johns.

And that source of demand can be decreased by teaching men to respect women.

[davidn3600]

70. Just like we can win the drug war by teaching kids just to say no to drugs?

Nice idea....but doesn't work.

Im not being difficult here on purpose, it's just reality. Can't win this by reducing demand. We've been at this strategy for 20-30 years and all we've done is fill up our jails (largest and most expensive prison population in the world) and make the problem worse.

[geek tragedy]

83. There is a BIG difference between using drugs and using women's bodies.

And, yes demand can be influenced by social policy. Men who are raised to respect women engage in this crap to a far lesser degree than those with lesser upbringings.

[JI7]

85. exactly, why equate women who are human beings with things

[geek tragedy]

88. The viewpoint is from that of the man, not of the woman he exploits. nt

[davidn3600]

90. Prostitution has been around since the dawn of civilization. Im sorry...but we won't stop it.

[geek tragedy]

101. So have murder, child molestation, poverty, and exploitation.

One doesn't see people calling for us to just bow to those realities.

[ChazII]

117. Touché. Thank you for your common sense. n/t

[Yavin4]

176. "murder, child molestation, poverty, and exploitation" -- don't involve consent

Major difference don't you think?

[geek tragedy]

235. One could argue they do.

I would reject those arguments for the same reason I reject it here--the appearance of consent is illusory.

[MattBaggins]

109. You aren't supposed to think about the women and their lives

These guys have all watched Pretty Woman are now experts on prostitution.

[jberryhill]

186. These photographs help those women immensely

[Number23]

37. Not a looker in the bunch...

[Cali_Democrat]

56. They are innocent until proven guilty. n/t

[Number23]

150. Why do you keep posting this? And what on earth does it have to do with what I posted?

[Auntie Bush]

54. If prostitutes can be arrested for having sex...why not the men?

Takes 2 to tango.

[NaturalHigh]

72. But there were no prostitutes here.

Just police pretending to be prostitutes. Massive waste of resources.

For the record, though, I don't think either party should be arrested. When all the axe murderers, terrorists, armed robbers, burglars, and scam artists are in jail, then the cops might actually have the resources to waste on this sort of nonsense.

Do they also run stings to catch actual prostitutes in this county? If so, do they publish their pictures?

[Logical]

73. Same with Drug Dealers and Drug Users. n-t

[geek tragedy]

59. I'm sure there are tons of women who would fuck every single one of these

charming devils over a 1-week period even if they had no other choice to feed themselves.

Johns are pigs, without exceptions. These fuckers deserve what they're getting.

[Logical]

74. Yes, the streets are so much safer. n-t

[geek tragedy]

77. Cutting down on the demand for prostitution is a good thing for society nt

[backscatter712]

113. That's what Anslinger, Nixon, etc. said about drugs.

How long has our country been kicking down doors, locking people up? How much has that reduced drug abuse?

Legalize and regulate.

[JI7]

79. this is the type of logic used by Romney and sweatshops in China

oh, look there are so many of them lining up for the job. they have to lock it up because so many want to get in..............

[Cali_Democrat]

95. They are innocent until proven guilty. n/t

[LanternWaste]

243. Hence the wives filing for divorce.

Hence the wives filing for divorce.

[Cali_Democrat]

93. They are innocent until proven guilty. n/t

[Nye Bevan]

61. Phew. We will simply not be safe on the streets until the men answering fake ads on backpage.com

have been rounded up and had their pictures posted. Way to go DA!

[Auggie]

65. Those should be mug shots of bankers and corporate CEOs and a certain ex-POTUS and ex-Veep

[Skittles]

67. I absolutely disagree with this

I just don't care what consenting adults do, no matter how sordid it may be. How about publicly shaming Americans who offshore their money and our jobs?????

[Auggie]

86. +1

[LadyHawkAZ]

91. +1000

[NaturalHigh]

121. Home run!

[In_The_Wind]

255. +1

[CincyDem]

71. I'm always intrigued by the factions that come out on this topic

As democrats, I'm always surprised by the fact that we support innocent until proven guilty on one hand but there's a large group of us that thing this is fair and just. This seems to be the only topic I know of where many democrats act like republicans with the mantra "well if they were arrested, they must be guilty".

We're sitting around talking about the police have botched this and that on various cases. I think all of us can think of more than one case where we say "I think the cops screwed that up". We were just treated to a video of cops banging some handcuffed woman's head on the counter.

When it comes to this topic, however, I'm always surprised by how quickly so many people seem to jump to the conclusion that the cops are 100% right in 104 separate cases. No entrapment. Everything by the book and, in these cases, an arrest is as good as a conviction.

I get that paying women, especially underage and trapped women to do something they don't want to do is wrong. But I'm not ready to buy that our men in blue (and their DA partner) are so perfect that they hit the mark 104 out of 104 times.

We talk about the death penalty and say "It's wrong if only ONE of those on death row is there by mistake". Yep. I agree. And for many guys, this is the equivalent of death row and it surprise me that there are so many here who make the "greater good" argument about the few innocent being caught up with the many guilty.

Usually, we're the group fighting for the rights of minorities here. Unless someone's got the inside scoop that in fact 100% of these guys are guilty. If that's the case, we should save money on trials, eh?

[NaturalHigh]

114. Most of them will plead guilty...

to avoid the expense and embarrassment of a trial. They'll pay a fine, which will then go to fund more foolishness like this. Round and round we go.

Oh, and yes, they will be pariahs because of some people's prudish notions regarding sex.

[MrSlayer]

78. Why don't they do this to shoplifters or traffic scofflaws?

I think this is a terrible thing to do to somebody. It isn't anyone's business what happens between consenting adults. Prostitution, the workd's oldest profession, should be legal and regulated as should drugs and other adult recreational activities. But even if it isn't, advertising it to all and sundry, ruining people's lives is a bullshit, asshole thing to do.

Not cool.

[MattBaggins]

112. They do this to every one

Police Blotters don't care if you have been convicted. They are a record of what the police were doing last night.

[MrSlayer]

124. I never see a rogues gallery like this for other "crimes".

I see this sort of thing all too often. Published in newspapers, on websites and the like.

I just think it's wrong to intentionally wreck people's lives like this.

[MattBaggins]

131. I have seen this for drug busts, drunk driving

we have TV shows dedicated to it via bait car and other such crappy shows.

Bait Car and Cops are OK because we get to laugh at poor minorities but do it to whites and professionals and than it's time for the smelling salts.

What wrecked lives should we be worried about? The poor souls who wives found out? Should we be complicit in keeping their wives in the dark?

[MrSlayer]

154. I don't agree with any of that.

We did away with the public stock a long time ago. Even the show where they catch the pedos is deplorable. I don't have a problem with stinging those scumbags, they're potentially dangerous and definitely sick people, but I don't think it should be televised.

I know some family guys that occasionally enlist the services of prostitutes. Whether it's because their spouse is too ill, too tired or simply not interested, those dudes are just trying to get what they need physically. They genuinely love their wives and they do everything else right. They spend time, take care of the kids, work hard, all that and I don't think it would be right for them and their families to be publicly humiliated because of something like this. They just don't know what else to do. They don't want to pressure their wives or force them to do things because they love them. And who wants to have sex with someone that isn't interested? A lot of people think the answer is masturbation but that gets old real quick. It is no substitute for actual human contact. I just don't see anything wrong with having your physical needs taken care of when every other aspect of your life is perfect with your family.

So yeah, it's better that their wives be left in the dark about it. All their finding out will do is harm otherwise fine relationships.

Obviously, this isn't the way it is in every case but I suspect it's that way in many.

I just don't agree with public shaming over harmless vices.

[MattBaggins]

156. "So yeah, it's better that their wives be left in the dark about it."

All I can say is wow.

The state should be complicit in helping a man hide adultery from his wife.

[MrSlayer]

159. Whatever dude.

You can go sit on your high horse and bask in your smug self righteousness.

Publicly shaming people like this is wrong. Destroying people's lives is wrong.

And what of those that are innocent? Is it just fine to shame them as well?

The black and white thinking you display here is more in line with our friends on the other side.

Have a good evening.

[MattBaggins]

160. Oh please

Destroying the lives of men who cheat vs lying to wives and covering it up?

I guess you just weight the one the one side as important and I choose the other.

[MrSlayer]

164. Again. Black and white.

It's as if you didn't read a damn word I wrote about the situations people are in. You just have your one way or the other and zero nuance.

The guys should either suffer through a relationship without physicality or they should give up the wives and family they love just to have the occasional necessary physical release. It can't be any other way with you.

Again, have a good evening. There is no point in prolonging this conversation.

[redqueen]

171. I'm sure everyone was as concerned about the poor, poor victims of To Catch a Predator. nt

[name not needed]

193. Ah, the adultery police. What a wonderful use of taxpayer dollars.

[LanternWaste]

254. I'm pretty sure that sex with prostitutes and lying to one's wife is a pretty good indicator

"All their finding out will do is harm otherwise fine relationships...."

I'm pretty sure that sex with prostitutes and lying to one's wife is a pretty good indicator those fine marriages are not really that fine.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

149. Does this look like a record of "what police were doing last night"?

You seem like a reasonable person. Would you, if asked to sit on a defamation (or whatever the tort might be) suit jury, side with the state/defendant that this was merely a police blotter?



Really? Try to apply the "reasonable man" standard that would be at issue in a civil trial and tell me how you would vote if you were on a jury for some poor slob caught up in this net but later found to be innocent or a victim of a mistake.

Police blotter indeed. This is a full on circus shaming of people not yet convicted.

[MattBaggins]

151. I don't like police blotters at all. Any of them

But I would not give a special exemption for these guys. I also believe that such "walls" would and do stand legal tests.

People have their names and often pictures listed in papers, and on TV and the internet daily who are innocent. No one had a problem with what Chris Hanson did and it was deemed legal. This would pass as well.

If brothels were legal and people were photographing the patrons I would not shed a tear if they passed them on the wives. Not a single tear.

[LanternWaste]

253. Those with traffic citations left to go into warrant are posted in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

"Why don't they do this to shoplifters or traffic scofflaws?"
Those with traffic citations left to go into warrant are posted in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX area.

[name not needed]

81. Good to see the Nassau County PD still doing absolutely nothing with that budget of theirs.

Maybe they should take the money they spend on shit like this and use it to train their officers not to gun down college students.

[geek tragedy]

89. No entrapment in any of the cases:

Each man arrived at the hotel after agreeing to meet online with an undercover officer posing as a hooker in the escorts section of backpage.com.

When the would-be john handed over cash in exchange for sex, officers swooped in and promptly arrested the offender.

Each interaction was recorded by hidden cameras and microphones planted in the hotel room.

Rice said she released the composite 'wall of shame' because she wanted to put the men who buy prostitutes in Nassau county on notice.

[davidn3600]

94. And they will be back on the streets doing it again tomorrow

Meanwhile not a single woman was helped.

But the justice system will get their funding...and the cops will get their overtime pay.

[geek tragedy]

99. Demand reduction is only part of the solution.

The other necessary part is helping the women transition out of that wretched industry.

Deter the exploiters, liberate the exploited.

[duffyduff]

97. Good.

Women aren't garbage receptacles.

[Douglas Carpenter]

106. I think consenting adults should be allowed to have sex

[Honeycombe8]

119. They are. But it's illegal to sell it in most states. nt

[Douglas Carpenter]

123. consenting adults they should be allowed to have sex under whatever conditions are mutually

agreed upon - as long as they don't scare the horses.

[Honeycombe8]

135. Even where it's legal, it's heavily regulated because it poses a risk to the public at large.

Associated with prostitution are criminals, mob criminals, STDs. That's just the way things are. So it's heavily regulated to make it safer. That also helps protect the women.

I don't care whether it's legal or not, I suppose. It's just such a scummy thing to do...I'd never go out with someone who buys sloppy thousands.

[Douglas Carpenter]

158. I think the greater good would be served by having it legal and regulated

It's not like all men have done it as someone suggested. But a lot more have than most people realize. I am more or less neutral about peoples' private sex lives. I figure it is essentially none of my business.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

110. They haven't been convicted.

This is bullshit. They're implying they're guilty and punishing them with them having been found guilty? Doesn't seem right.

[justiceischeap]

127. Same thing happens to the prostitutes

Their names are printed/made public. Why shouldn't the johns? No arrestee is convicted when their name is printed in a police blotter. With prostitution there is no crime with only one individual.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

129. Its wrong in both cases.

And a police blotter is different than a "wall of shame".

[Honeycombe8]

115. Yuk. Disgusting little dirty men. Good they're finally going after the ones who use the services

and not just the prostitutes.

[NaturalHigh]

130. You would think the older ones...

might have grown to full size by now.

[Honeycombe8]

137. LOL! nt

[Whisp]

194. I bet their heads got small real fast

when that badge flashed in their faces.

[Yavin4]

120. Do you some of you really want Law Enforcement entrapping you to commit a crime?

Should the police be allowed to post ads for buying cocaine or weed and then arrest you when you show up?

If you do think that is okay, then what other crimes should the police bait you into committing and then arrest you once you commit it.

Think about this very carefully. There will be times in your life where you are weak or in a compromised state, and won't be able to resist such a bait.

[LittleBlue]

125. Stupid morality laws. Just legalize prostitution

Prostitutes gonna prostitute and johns gonna john no matter what laws you make.

The only places who are successful in battling prostitution are probably the theocracies and police states of the Mid East.

[Yavin4]

133. There are prostitutes in theocracies

You just have to be a member of the ruling elite to get away with it. See Dubai.

[LadyHawkAZ]

162. Think again

The Middle Eastern countries have some of the worst trafficking rates in the world.

[NaturalHigh]

128. If I were to cherry-pick some police blotters...

for women arrested for prostitution, call it "hooking the hookers," and post it online, would that be as popular here as this "wall of shame" seems to be? Somehow I doubt it.

[Yavin4]

139. The only way to protect men, women, and children from being exploited by prostitution is to legalize

and regulate it. Doing so will create legit businesses that operate in the open. See Pahrump, NV. No exploitation. No trafficking. No one being harmed.

If trafficking still happens, then you just tighten the regulations. You are not going to stop nor prevent it from happening no matter how many "Johns" you arrest.

[redqueen]

172. Except where it has been made legal, that is far from the case.

This has been tried in several countries. It doesn't work.

...

In 2007 Carolyn Maloney, a Democratic Congresswoman from New York and founder of the Human Trafficking Caucus in the United States Congress, wrote about the consequences of the legalization of prostitution in and around the gambling mecca of Las Vegas. "Once upon a time," she wrote, "there was the naive belief that legalized prostitution would improve life for prostitutes, eliminate prostitution in areas where it remained illegal and remove organized crime from the business. Like all fairy tales, this turns out to be sheer fantasy."

German law enforcement officers working in red-light districts complain that they are hardly able to gain access to brothels anymore. Germany has become a "center for the sexual exploitation of young women from Eastern Europe, as well as a sphere of activity for organized crime groups from around the world," says Manfred Paulus, a retired chief detective from the southern city of Ulm. He used to work as a vice detective and now warns women in Bulgaria and Belarus against being lured to Germany.

Statistically speaking, Germany has almost no problem with prostitution and human trafficking. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), there were 636 reported cases of "human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation" in 2011, or almost a third less than 10 years earlier. Thirteen of the victims were under 14, and another 77 were under 18.

...

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/human-trafficking-persists-despite-legality-of-prostitution-in-germany-a-902533.html

[Yavin4]

175. If that is an accurate report, then Germany needs to tighten its regulations

What you posted was an example of poor regulations and improper law enforcement.

Also, where are the other examples of where "it does not work"? What about the Pahrump, NV example? You seem to ignore that one.

Finally, explain how does making it illegal improve on what happened in your story? If prostitution remained illegal, wouldn't what happened in this story continue to happen?

[redqueen]

177. Not just Germany.

I have read tons of material about this issue, and the writing on the wall is clear. Everyone is free to do their own research if the issue of human trafficking is one they care about.

[Yavin4]

180. Your article is being refuted by other sources

http://www.donacarmen.de/?p=401

You will have to translate it into English.

[redqueen]

181. Funny how the sex industry is the one multi-billion dollar global industry

whose champions liberals will for whatever reason turn to for expert insights.

[Yavin4]

182. Prohibition criminalizes consensual behavior

and does absolutely nothing to protect victims. Posting sensationalists stories does not prove your point. You might as well post a refer madness video.

[Violet_Crumble]

238. That's not true at all. Where I live it's legal and regulated and there's no stigma...

Are you opposed to prostitution being legalised in the US?

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

226. how exactly do you propose regulating street prostitution?

You are melding two completely unrelated worlds, which other than the sex acts don't really have anything in common.

[Yavin4]

236. Street prostitution would violate regulations

You won't buy marijuana on the street corners in Washington and Colorado.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

250. So how is that different than status quo?

Since you're really only addressing an intangibly small portion of the sex trade.

[SamKnause]

153. Wall of Shame

Prostitution should be legal and strictly regulated.

Health and safety should be the issues at hand.

[alcibiades_mystery]

155. "Upscale Nassau County" ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL

Clearly, the Daily Mail has never seen the parking lot of a Hicksville 7/11.



Need we invoke the spectre of Joey Buttafuoco...

[Renew Deal]

166. lol

I thought "upscale" was funny. Relative to the rest of the planet, but Nassau is big and much of it is working class.

[tabasco]

161. Thank GAWD for the government!!

Keeping me safe from people having consensual sex.

[Skip Intro]

168. "a" prostitute?! n/t

[Rosa Luxemburg]

174. It would be better to show the photographs of the Pimps

the men who are exploiting these women for profit and treating them like dirt.

[redqueen]

178. The men who pay desperate women to rent out their bodies aren't exploiting them?

(Yes, a small minority are not desperate, and actually want to rent themselves out. The vast majority do not.)

If you care to, have a look at the way these customers talk about these women.

Warning: graphic.

http://the-invisible-men.tumblr.com/

[arely staircase]

179. why should i give a shit as to who has sex with whom?

if everyone was an adult I don't care as long as it was consensual, even if money exchanged hands.

"I don't understand why prostitution is illegal. Selling is legal, fucking is legal. So, why isn't it legal to sell fucking?" - Carlin.

[JI7]

183. because there is exploitation involved as mentioned above, why do they usually go to poor places to

find women to work as prostitutes ?

why not go places where women are better off, are more equal and educated and have other options besides being a prostitute ?

[arely staircase]

184. a good argument for taking it out of the black market undeground, no?

nt

[JI7]

185. but why still go to poor women without other options ?

why not try to get women who are more equal , educated and have other options to consider prostitution ?

[arely staircase]

187. rich men have the money to hire more educated/independant "working girls"

the one that Elliot Spitzer got in trouble with didn't seem to be so poor or optionless..

[JI7]

189. she wasn't educated, she was trying to get into the music business

and they got paid to keep everything a secret and make sure they don't get caught. and these are still a small number .

[arely staircase]

190. so am i

trying to get into the music business. if I where a very attractive 20=something instead of a not so much 40 something I would have the options she has.

[JI7]

191. she didn't get into the music industry so not sure what options you are talking about

[arely staircase]

192. neither did i

nt

[BainsBane]

203. Proof that poverty doesn't exist in America

See. See.



No poor people.

[BainsBane]

207. I was told there would be no math

She didn't say all. She said usually. One example doesn't disprove usually.

[BainsBane]

212. Think it through

There are more poor people than wealthy in America. Obviously the high end prostitutes are a minority. Having grown up in one of those poor neighborhoods, I can tell you than men prowl such areas and hit on girls who are not prostitutes. I myself was regularly propositioned starting at age 10. The notion that prostitution is a victimless crime is false on many levels. I really would have preferred to do without that. Imagine how you would feel if that happened to your daughter on a regular basis.

I find it fascinating the outcry about arresting Johns when no one cares about arresting prostitutes. The Johns are the ones propositioning little girls, and they are responsible for the crime.

J17 is indeed a woman.

[BainsBane]

214. but these things don't exist in an ideal world

You referenced another example you found online, while I spoke from my own experience. What I described was a common occurrence in my neighborhood, and I expect it's still the case there and it countless neighborhoods throughout the nation.
I developed early and looked older than my age, but I seriously doubt anyone could have mistaken me for 18 when I was 10. There was certainly nothing provocative in my dress that would have indicated I was a sex worker. I wore tee shirts and jeans.

Prostitution doesn't exist in an ideal world or as a theoretical concept. It affects the daily lives of real people. Many prostitutes are underage, in their teens. The fact is a lot of men like to have sex with young girls. So where sex workers walk the streets, men harass young girls.

[BainsBane]

216. possibly

I'm not against legalization and regulation per se, as long as they took if off the streets into legal brothels where, unlike in Nevada, workers rights were protected. As long as it is illegal, Johns deserve to be arrested.

How are they going to target men hitting on young girls? They use undercover cops as prostitutes. None are age 10 or anywhere close to it.


If I were to pick something to decriminalize, it would be drugs. The war on drugs eats up far more resources and is responsible for a huge percentage of the prison population.

[BainsBane]

222. These guys don't go to prison

They might stay overnight in jail and get a fine. Putting their pictures up is a way to try to shame them publicly to discourage people from engaging prostitutes.

[BainsBane]

228. I see it as way to try to invoke social sanction

as occurred in past generations when people knew most of their local community. That has broken down as people move more due to economic dislocation. So without that sense of community standards, shame doesn't work for most. Perhaps if someone has some standing in the community--a city official, pastor, prominent businessman, etc.--he might feel shame. And of course a guy isn't going to like his wife seeing what he's been up to. That's probably the biggest factor.

[HiPointDem]

206. wealth is the mirror face of poverty; the more of one, the more of the other, & the greater

the divide in society (the greater the inequality), the more prostitution, high end and low end.

[MADem]

233. She got a harsh sentence; her pimp got twenty days...didn't seem fair to me, that.

http://guardianlv.com/2013/05/alexis-wright-convicted-of-prostitution-conspiracy-tax-evasion/

Zumba instructor and prostitute Alexis Wright has been convicted in an Alfred, Maine courtroom of prostitution, conspiracy, tax evasion, and theft by deception.

Wright used her Zumba training facility as a front to run a prostitution ring. She has been sentenced to ten months in jail. She will also have to repay $57,280 for accepting welfare funds of more than $40,000. It is believed that she netted more than $150,000 from prostitution....


....Her business partner, Mark Strong, 57, was convicted of twelve counts of promoting prostitution, and one count of conspiracy to commit prostitution. He was sentenced to twenty days in jail, and forced to pay a $3,000 fine. His sentence was reduced by five days because of good behavior.

[defacto7]

209. I propose

The United States Department of Prostitution and Public Wanking

The USDPPW

That should take care of things! All well organized, taxed, protections for all, and to all a good night.

[rightsideout]

218. They weren't Prostitutes

They were undercover cops. This is entrapment. A waste of time and money and serves no useful purpose.

OK, I'll agree a sting operation slows down prostitution in trouble areas but a few months down the road it will just start again. Human behavior won't change. Prostitutes that get arrested just go through the booking process, which they are used to, and are back out on the streets. If they are addicted to drugs they need the money. The Johns probably get a good scare and probably don't do it again or are at least more careful about the transaction process.

Just make prostitution legal and tax it. Two counties in Nevada make it legal. It's regulated there. I noticed the article about it not working in Germany. But I haven't heard many issues with it being a problem where it is legal in Nevada.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

227. Other than sex, what does your trailer in the desert have in common with skid row?

You can ostensibly regulate a brothel as a business, but do you actually think that pimps will be interested in all that overhead, or that the substance abusing would actually be employed by one?

It is a libertarian fantasy.

[Behind the Aegis]

219. Fucking stupid.

So much for "presumed innocent until proven guilty." Oh, there it is, in itty bitty letters.

[MADem]

230. America the melting pot--that looks like the men's room at the UN!!!!

I notice most of the fellows aren't smiling--they look rather glum. The only guy with a cheerful visage is the one at the end, the rest look like they've been sent to the principal's office.

[Sheldon Cooper]

240. I think this is great.

And all the weeping and wailing over how unfair it is to these poor dear men is just the icing on the cake.

[Demo_Chris]

246. With few exceptions why would any of these men care, and why is it anyone else's business?

If these people prefer to pay for sex how is that anyone else's business? Who, other than some theist, feels that this is even shameful?

[HappyMe]

247. I think this is just stupid.

Why is it anybody's damn business who pays for sex. If they are going to do this, then how about a Wall of Shame for shoplifters. Having their pictures out there would at least be useful to retailers.