POLITICAL WHORES DECRY IMAGINARY PIMPS

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POLITICALLY AMBITIOUS STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL
GANG UP ON CRAIGSLIST

SEX FOR SALE ON THE INTERNET
HURTS LOCAL POL'S BACKERS' BUSINESS



Every State Already Has Plenty Of Ho's In The Yellow Pages,
In The Newspapers, In The Hotels And In The Streets

Headline-grabbing political attention-whores are trying to bring down Craigslist for being a bastion of freedom on the World Wide Web. Craigslist is a very simple website that allows anyone to post anything, for free. There is no company censorship on the bare-bones website. Craigslist users very effectively, some might say TOO effectively, patrol the site and "flag" spam and other objectionable content. Adult-oriented personal ads are behind a warning page which requires you to affirm that you are over 18 before you can view the ads.

The ads on Craigslist are far from explicit. There is no gross porn or scary solicitation on the site. No one openly advertizes sex for money, so you have no way of knowing who the pro's are. You have to email them or click on their links, and then I guess they give you a sales pitch. It's really no different than any other situation out there in real life. You have to go looking for a prostitute, and they have to somehow let you know they're available without getting busted.

Most towns and cities have working girls and guys in "massage parlors," buy-me-drinkee bars, peep shows, strip joints, hotels, motels, or advertising in the classifieds, the personals, the sports and cars sections of the local newspapers, or in the Yellow Pages, under "Models" or "Entertainers" or "Escorts" or whatever. The johns know where to find them, and they always have. They don't call it "the oldest profession" for nothing.

The fact that sex between consenting adults should ever be illegal under any circumstances is kind of absurd to begin with. First of all, it's impossible to stop, and most cops don't even try, except at election time. Anyway, whose business is it, besides the participating adults? OK, their signifigant others, if they have any. But that's a personal problem. Public health is an issue, and so are crime and violence. But those issues could be resolved better by legalising and regulating than by chasing people around in back alleys, and driving both ho's & johns into the arms of pimps. If people are concerned about how it looks, or who might be getting dragged into it, regulation is really the only answer. Otherwise, as outlaws, they go where they want to go and do what they want to do, with whomever. The system now is nothing but chaos and corruption.

It's bloody obvious that the lowest of political-wannabees inhabit the offices of our public prosecutors at every level. They're always looking to make headlines that will give them the name recognition for a run at higher office. Rudy Giuliani is the best, and the worst, example. He spent years chasing headlines with his racketeering investigations. He locked up a few of the more obvious mooks, like John Gotti, after decades of the "Dapper Don" flaunting his criminal lifestyle. Gotti got busted, finally, but the Mafia lives on. Giuliani lives on, too, in everyone's political nightmares. But he's the role model for guys like the AG's nationwide who are after Craigslist now.

Guaranteed, these scumbag government lawyers have the backing of their local advertising media and traditional prostitution venues like hotels and bars: Poor little Craigslist's free service is kicking their greedy asses. Desperate people trying to sell a car or meet a husband, find a job or ge a ride somewhere can reach out and touch someone anywhere in the world for free. Other services have tried to do the same thing online for lots of money, but Craig sticks to the original Internet model of freedom and free stuff. How he pays his bills, I don't know. He has started to charge some businesses in the bigger cities for using his service, which was getting choked by realtors' ads in NY & SF. Otherwise, it's a minimalist freeby, and that really chafes the newspaper moguls and telephone directory pushers. They charge a fortune for what Craig gives away.

Kinda makes you wonder if it isn't the big pimps trying to put the little ho's out of business by banning Craigslist. Girls & guys who can advertise for themselves and stay off the streets and out of the bordellos don't need pimps. Whether it's actual prostitutes that the rich & powefully greedy are after now, or everyone who threatens their money-based model, the effect is the same: Going after Craig for something other people are making money off of locally all over the world is ridiculous and hypocritical. We should investigate these DA's and AG's, not our Craigy.


THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION
"AGs v. Craigslist: Putting the Bully Back Into Bully Pulpit"
Lotta A(G)-holes out there, hunh?

' Attorney General Henry McMaster has no case. Neither do AGs Lynch or Blumenthal. And neither does Sheriff Dart, as craigslist explained Monday in their motion to dismiss his March lawsuit. While the AGs may wish it was not so, federal law protects craigslist and no amount of posturing will change that fact. And that's a good thing. The existence of sites that rely on third party content depends on strong uniform legal protections against liability based on material posted by users. If site operators were forced to screen all third party contributions under risk of civil or criminal penalty, the Internet would lose many of the vibrant services that have made it so dynamic. The problem would be further compounded if, as these state AGs now suggest, each state was able to put together its own wish list instructing website operators how to treat third party content. Under such a radical re-envisioning, the Internet would ultimately become the province of rich and cautious media companies who would actively serve as gatekeepers to decide whether and how users could engage with the world. The AGs are wrong to promote such a profound change... and out of line to suggest that such a legal world already exists. '

THE REGISTER
"Federal judge muzzles Craigslist-threatening AG"
Running for Governor, eh? He just put a cyber-target on his own back! Get him, voters!

' A federal judge has ruled South Carolina's attorney general must keep his mouth shut about threatening to prosecute Craigslist over ads for prostitution. US District Judge Weston Houck granted a temporary restraining order and preliminary judgment against Attorney General Henry McMaster on Friday to "refrain from initiating or pursuing any prosecution against craigslist or its officer" in regards to content posted on the site. McMaster is currently the subject of a lawsuit from Craigslist over his publicized threats to launch a criminal investigation against the online classified website for allegedly aiding and abetting prostitution. Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster claims the website isn't liable for content posted by third parties based on First Amendment free speech rights and under Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act. Section 230 essentially states that providers of interactive computer services aren't considered publishers of information provided by their users for purposes of legal liability. McMaster, who is considering a run for governor next year, intriguingly declared the lawsuit against his office "good news," saying it "shows that craiglist is taking the matter seriously for the first time." '

CNET NEWS
"Report: So. Carolina AG never prosecuted prostitution case"
So, "the volume of ads made Craigslist a threat"? To whom, the newspapers? The Yellow Pages? The No-Tell Motel? Using your office to drum up campaign contributions, there, Henry? Say, isn't that a CRIME???!!!

' One thing is for sure, if a story reported yesterday is accurate, Henry McMaster, the attorney general for South Carolina is no expert at fighting prostitution. Earlier this month, McMaster threatened Craigslist with criminal prosecution if the online classifieds site, did not do more to remove prostitution ads on its site. But according to a report by The Associated Press, McMaster said Thursday he has "never handled a single such case in more than six years as the state's top prosecutor." "I don't think this office has handled any prostitution prosecutions ever," McMaster was quoted by the AP. "This is something different. This is against the biggest want ads Web site in the world." The AP spoke to Ann Bartow, a professor of Internet law at the University of South Carolina's School of Law. She said: "McMaster's decision to take on Craigslist and not local newspapers that advertise escort services suggests political motivations." Craigslist has always said that the site was far more tame compared with many newspaper and competing online classified publications. McMaster, however argued that the volume of the prostitution ads made Craigslist a bigger threat. '

THE VILLAGE VOICE
"The Wrong Way to Get Screwed: Reporter Fired for Exposing Whorehouse"
Just a buncha good old boys & gals-fer-hire. From the local sheriff.

' Marlboro County, South Carolina, is a poor, rural swath of land where cotton is king and scandals are few and far between. Driving south on the highway out of Bennettsville, a passerby might not notice a quiet old motel with half a dozen trucks and pickups in the parking lot. But according to the online World Sex Guide, the Trucker's Motel is an "excellent old-time whorehouse" where rednecks routinely size up the girls at the bar and arrange to meet privately in the bungalows out back. Tim Bullard sought a different kind of gratification when he investigated the Trucker's Motel for the local Florence Morning News in the fall of 1994. Based on interviews with local, state, and federal agents, Bullard alleged that the motel had been operating as a brothel for 30 years, and suggested that the owner or owners would never be prosecuted because Southern justice has limited funds and a soft spot for prostitution. South Carolina is well-known for corruption; video gambling flourished there in the 1990s. But Bullard could not have guessed how much trouble he'd get into for exposing the alleged whorehouse. In the course of a year, Florence Morning News managing editor Frank Sayles killed the story, an anonymous caller told Bullard, "You're a dead man," and the newspaper sent him packing. '

THE SUN NEWS MYRTLE BEACH ONLINE
"BIZFINDER: Dating Escort & Introduction Services"
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Our advertizers are hookers! Buy our paper! The Governor does!

' 6. Aardvark Dial A Blonde Phone: 843-293-77-- Myrtle Beach, SC 29572 Distance: 7.2 mi. Categories: Dating Escort & Introduction Services '

YELLOWPAGES.COM
"Escort Service, Columbia, South Carolina"
Wow! Links to maps, websites, hours & payment info! Shoot, it ain't THAT hard out there for a Pimp in McMaster's jurisdiction!

' A Amy's Wild and Sexy Phone Babes: Serving the Columbia Area * (800) 817-44-- Beautiful girls waiting for you...Call us toll free Any way you want it...Any time you like * More Info: * Payment Methods * Hours of Operation '

SUPERPAGES.COM
"Search: "EROTIC," Charleston, SC"
Let your genitals do the walking!

' #6 Thee Southern Belle Gentlemens 202- Pittsburgh Avenue, # B, North Charleston, SC 29405 zip code www.theesouthernbel--.com * PhonePhone * | * Map it ' [linked website not safe for work]

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