I do not like to get the news, because there has never been an era when so many things were going so right for so many of the wrong persons. – Ogden Nash
In the days before television and car radios, newspapers sometimes put out “extra” editions in the afternoon if a story came up which was too important or fast-breaking to wait until the regular edition the next morning. “Extras” were usually short and were hawked by newsboys with stacks of the special edition, shouting “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!” followed by the headline. Once radios became portable extra editions became less common because there was no way to get them out quickly enough to beat the radio news to the “scoop”, and once television news became popular in the 1950s extras went the way of the dodo. Newspapers then concentrated on telling the stories in detail rather than with speed, leaving the “breaking news” to the broadcast media because they knew people would want to read the full story the next morning anyhow. Unfortunately for publishers, the internet has taken a big bite out of that market share as well by making it possible to publish in-depth print stories as quickly as TV or radio stations can interrupt their “regularly scheduled programming” for the quick & dirty sound-bite-fest which is broadcast news. Papers are folding (please pardon the pun) or downsizing everywhere, and many publishers are concentrating more heavily on their websites than on print editions in order to keep their businesses afloat.
I run this blog much more like a newspaper than like a TV broadcast; that is, I don’t generally worry too much about getting there “first with the most”, but rather on examining a story through the lens of harlotry. In other words, The Honest Courtesan may not be the first place you encounter a new story, but you probably won’t encounter my spin on that story in many other places. When my husband is on the road I try to write two columns every day unless I have other stuff demanding my attention, and unless I’m completely tied up all day (no comments from the peanut gallery, y’all) I can usually manage at least one (my record is four). What this all boils down to is that I tend to have 10-14 columns “in the pipeline” at once, and if I want to get a new column out quickly while the subject is still topical I just rearrange the dates and push low-priority columns (such as fictional interludes or “harlotographies”) back as needed. So if I ever tell you to look for a column on a certain day and something different appears, now you know why. Anyhow, this is all by way of introduction to two stories which I would usually hold for my monthly “updates” column, but felt they deserved an “extra” due to their topicality.
Even Worse Than I Had Thought
I had already written yesterday’s column several days before this op-ed column from the MetroWest Daily News came to my attention on Monday (see how that works?) I considered rewriting it to reference this, but it’s really too good to mention in passing so I decided to do this column instead. The article, “Puritans With Badges”, is worth reading in its entirety, but I’ll give you a taste of the part that attracted my attention:
…Attorney General Martha Coakley, leading legislators and district attorneys have decided that what Massachusetts really needs is an all-out offensive against prostitution. They are proposing a new crime: “human trafficking for sexual servitude,” which would allow convicted pimps, madams, or anyone else facilitating the exchange of sex for money to be imprisoned for up to 20 years on the first offense, with a mandatory 10 years in the pen if convicted a second time. The 20-year sentence would also apply to anyone who recruits someone to engage in a “sexually-explicit performance.” If you’re planning a bachelor party, better do it soon, since this law would empower Coakley to shut down the “gentlemen’s clubs” and hire-a-stripper operations. The proposed law considers prostitutes the “victims” of prostitution, so it doubles the sentence for their customers. “Whoever pays, agrees to pay, or offers to pay another person” for sex can be sentenced to up to 2 1/2 years in jail and a $5,000 fine, “whether such sexual conduct occurs or not”…Personal ads, online or on old-fashioned newsprint, indicate there are lots of consenting Massachusetts adults engaging in the business of pleasure. Well, we can’t have that, can we? Here in the land of the Puritans, there are some pursuits of happiness the authorities will not abide…
As you can see, it’s even worse than the NPR article I referenced yesterday made it sound; that one left out the criminalization of stripping in favor of the story of the bill’s poster child. After reading the column, I sent an email of thanks to the author, Rick Holmes; he responded by asking if he could post my email in his own blog, which had a bit more to say about the issue. I of course agreed, and was rather impressed with what I saw there; we may be seeing a new addition to “Friends of Whores”.
You Can Trust Us, Really
Honest Courtesan friend Dave Krueger called attention to this May 15th New York Post exclusive in his Agitator guest blog of that same date:
Two NYPD cops are being eyed in the Long Island serial slayings after investigators learned they got into trouble for hiring prostitutes while working for the department, according to sources familiar with the probe. One cop was forced out of the job in the 1990s when his supervisors learned he spent time pursuing hookers and paying street walkers and down-and-out women for sex while he was supposed to be on patrol…The other officer still works for the NYPD but was stripped of his gun and badge years ago because he allegedly assaulted a prostitute and got arrested during a sting operation. The woman complained to police supervisors about the officer but no criminal charges were filed and an internal probe went nowhere, sources said. The patrolman was allowed to return to the force, they said, though he was placed on modified duty — transferred to a paper-pushing job in Manhattan where he’s not allowed to make arrests or respond to emergencies…It’s unclear if the disgraced cops know each other or what evidence investigators might have against them in the serial murders…The cops are not the sole focus of the investigation, which has expanded over the last several weeks, sources said.
Now, as I wrote last month, the police have suspected since at least the end of March that the serial killer might be a cop, yet they’re only now looking into what cops that might be? As A.K. Smith pointed out in her column of May 16th:
If cops have been working this as a possible serial killer case since December, and have thought at least since March that the killer might be a cop…why are they just now looking at cops with this kind of history? If it was a child sexual assault and murder you can bet they’d have questioned all the pedophiles in a 60-mile radius the first week. Another question springs from that: why are cops so surprised that prostitutes don’t want to come forward with evidence? Imagine you were the victim of officer #2′s assault, walked into a police station, and saw him (or another of his ilk) sitting behind a desk. Would you walk out or make a report?
I have nothing more to add, except to say that tomorrow’s column will examine A.K.’s rhetorical questions in a somewhat unusual manner.
Martha Coakley is a sex hysteria opportunist if there ever was one. She may have come in late, but she jumped into the day care sex abuse paranoia with both feet right along with other self-absorbed ambitious prosecutors who climbed to the top by stepping on the bodies of innocent people whose lives they destroyed.
So, so sad that the police force is becoming less and less the heroes that they used to me, and more and more a shameful group of badge flashers.
Sad that when I was pick pocketed at a concert in Atlanta recently, and a police officer was actually the kind, helpful public servant that little boys used to idolize, that I was shocked, and talked about it for days. Shocked to have actually for the first time in my entire life, met a good cop.
Honestly, before that I wondered if they really existed. (He found my wallet minus the money in the mens room trash, at least I found my id though, I would have had a hard time boarding my flight out of Atlanta.)
I know that I was afraid to file suit after being beaten by a cop, then charged with “battery on a leo” when I fell back from her assault, and the inside of my calf touched her leg as she continued to attack me, in front of a witness….
Code Blue, as I know it means cops stick up for each other, good or bad, you don’t violate code blue, if you are on the force. No wonder investigation of those poor girls deaths are so slow to be pointed in the direction of “the blue”
you’re fucking kidding me???? you’ll have to share that story with us sometime.
Fuck.
But you mentioned nothing about Illinois: Cops can now break into a house without a court order and you have no right to defend yourself; They can shoot you dead and there’s no legal recourse.
And then there’s the recent drug bust rulings: If they sense that there’s usage of drugs and you might be hiding the stash, they can bash down your door and break in without even knocking. if you add 2) to 1), this is basically Nazi Germany.
It’s over.
But on every score above, you’ve got it again. The neo-feminists who are really nannies in disguise are turning us all into slaves.
I’m all for civil-rights aspects of feminism – women should be able to work and own property – but identity politics are absolutely destroying all of our civil liberties.
Nobody remembers that we protect our own civil liberties by defending the liberties of our enemies.
Indiana is the “no warrant necessary” state; Illinois is the one in which it’s illegal to videotape cops beating people up. But I’ll bet we could do a roll-call of all 50 states and find some some horrendous civil-rights-violating law or court decision in the past six months in every last bloody one. 🙁
“Nobody remembers that we protect our own civil liberties by defending the liberties of our enemies.”
Exactly.
Un fucking believable. Do you guys have links to those stories?
of course you do, nevermind my last question 🙂
Or this.
Expect this to happen a lot more.
http://reason.com/blog/2011/05/16/marine-survives-two-tours-in-i
And now, they’re just actually thieves. They just steal money without even a pretense.
Holy living fuck.
Excuse my language.
Yeah, they do that in Texas as well.
It’s unreal. What is this, Nigeria?
The Soviet Union?
It’s fucking fascism.
Indiana; No warrant necessary.
Tennessee: Cops acting like tax farmers and literally competing with each other to see who can steal the most money from passing cars (forget about drugs).
Arizona: Cops allowed to break in and shoot people without recourse.
Illinois: You can’t even videotape cops breaking every one of your rights.
What the hell? It’s as if every single myth about the US isn’t true.
it’s just unbelievable. No wonder so many good, law-abiding citizens hate cops.
Cops are becoming nothing but raw, unadulterated poison.
Even some cops agree with that assessment.
Thanks for the link Gorbechev. So much for “fair trial” “due process” and “innocent until proven guilty”.
Train a marine, ask him to protect our country, then we are shocked when he grabs his AR-15 to protect his home, his wife, and four year old son from heavily armed SWAT officers invading his home?
I am speculating here, but it seems like a rather normal response for a trained marine, just home from two tours in hostile territory, where soldiers are fighting for their lives, and our countries agenda. I am not at all surprised that he had that gun in his hand, as the shock and surprise from the raid, triggered his military trained reflexes.
I hope that our country finds leadership that will take a stand against this. I feel for this mans family. Guilty of a crime or not, he had the right to immediate medical treatment, and the right to a speedy trial.
These days it seems like the American Government looks at constitutional rights more as a headache, or nuissance they wish they could rid themselves of to government officials, rather than the foundation of the country that our forefathers died for. I think the writers and signers of the constitution must be rolling over in their graves right now.
These days it seems like the American Government looks at constitutional rights more as a headache, or nuissance they wish they could rid themselves of to government officials, rather than the foundation of the country that our forefathers died for. I think the writers and signers of the constitution must be rolling over in their graves right now.
As in, we’re under King George’s rule again: The aristocracy, or Bureaucracy, now runs the country like a little fiefdom. The whole premise of the US is under assault. It’s literally decaying as we speak.
The authorities, once the protectors of our liberties, are becoming quite literally the enemies of the people. I lived in China for a while: How are we all that different, now?
I almost want to go out and publicly hire a prostitute and get drunk in public and make a good show just to say “FUCK YOU” to the criminals, pirates and liars that now populate what passes for the American justice system.
How many “victimless” crimes are there? I’m getting the urge to commit them all.
That’s it. I’m researching places to go to be an expatriate by god….
I mean, seriously, this shit is unbelievable.
Every one should be front-page news for months. The officials responsible in every story should be publicly hung, drawn and quartered. Jailed for life.
This scam of stealing money? It’s so crass it’s beyond belief.
I’ve had more honest treatment by cops in Mexico.
Do we realize how fundamentally corrupted American society is?
UGH!
Ya know, liking to compare shit like I do…
If one size fits all for hookers (i.e. we are all victims blah blah blah) why doesn’t the same argument work for law enforcement/politicians? We find many stories of ‘bad cops’ with a few good stories mixed in, similar to what we find for hookers – many “trafficking as a minor” cases, with a few articles on hookers who voluntarily enter the industry. Quid pro quo?
If we were to judge the entire legal system the same way we judge the entire prostitution system, well.. we can only imagine. Yet society defends what happens with oh most cops are good, those are only a few cases of bad cops. On the opposite end, it’s oh all prostitutes are trafficked, those are only a few cases of adult voluntaries.
Hypocrisy anyone?
And look at the reactions. All prostitutes are further repressed due to the ‘bad apples’ yet we end up giving LE and government MORE leeway.
Is there something wrong with this picture? Yes there is.
So I was looking at Argentina today….
been talking to Jill about Chile
Ok, still South America… works for me. Where is she signing people up? LOL
Congressman Ron Paul has taken a stand against these evils for years. The last I checked up on it, he’s running for US president in 2012. He’s not alone in taking a stand. Bob Barr, Chuck Baldwin, Dennis Kucinich, Raph Nader and Mike Gravel are some others. Paul is hated by many for his stands along with the others I’ve named and I say GOOD! To me if they’re hated by their own party (like Paul is hated by the Republican leadership) that’s a great sign! I want to bring up the GREAT people within alternative news also. Some of these have worked for YEARS exposing these evils. Thank God for them! Some in US government have demonized and lied about the alternative news people for YEARS. That’s been on purpose as they’re terrified of them. Some of them are also part of what’s called the “conspiracy” and/or “research” communities. Are there corrupt 1’s? YES! That’s gone on since day 1, unfortunately, and many of them are being paid by the 1’s in government that want to silence the GOOD 1’s. Are there 1’s who aren’t on the government payroll but are just corrupt on their own? YES! You have to be very careful who you listen to. I’ve learned this the hard way. Anyway, the good 1’s work tirelessly and some do it completely for FREE. Others just take donations. I love this so much. They know that the value of what they’re doing is the highest priority instead of getting $ for their work. Some do have “day jobs” in order to not be a drain on society (to their credit) and do their shows in their free time. This is a sacrifice for anyone who has a day job as that alone can tire you out. Alternative news people and writers, lecturers, etc., have been around for years and have been warning about and exposing these evils and I just wanted to mention them as they don’t get mentioned enough in the mainstream. They also put forward solutions, work on them and HAVE made accomplishments as far as stopping tyrannies, righting injustices, etc. goes.
I think in most cases you’re probably right about that. 🙂
True, but every once in a while the experienced Pols are right. Dennis Kucinich is an imbecile. He’s been a imbecile at least ever since he ran for mayor of Cleveland on a platform including the slogan “Save Muny Light”, a Roosevelt era leftover program that hadn’t generated one watt of electricity for decades, bought power from the local utilities (and then didn’t pay its bills) and the sold it at a loss. There was no earthly excuse for its continued existence, and anyone with an active brain cell knew it. There was an active and energetic recall movement afoot within two weeks of his election. I’m sorry to say I wasn’t around for the rest of that story, but my parents moved that summer.
I have no evidence that he has improved in the intervening decades.
Dear CSP Schofield, does the fact that he was at the head of an effort to impeach Dubya (George Bush) count positively towards him (Kucinich)? Kucinich also has an open mind towards the evils of the Federal Reserve which was proved by his support of Congressman Ron Paul’s efforts to expose, audit, etc. the Reserve. The Reserve issue has been GREATLY hidden by many ###*** since it started and too many have believed the ###*** that say (and have for years) that it isn’t a serious issue and is just some “way out conspiracy” (eyeroll). He’s been against Patriot Act since day 1 and is working to END the war in Afghanistan. There’s more things I could name that are great. Yes, it sounds like he blew it on the issue you’re mentioning. But, does that mean his overall track record is bad? This reminds me of Bob Barr who was once for “Don’t ask don’t tell” and Defense of Marriage Act and then did a complete turnaround on it which has LASTED. Barr has also done turnarounds on other issues that have lasted. As much as I hate Dubya, I personally think he did 3 great things while in office. I say give credit where it’s due. I never voted for Dubya for various reasons and 1 big reason in 2004 was his PATTERN of evil acts since the time he was governor of Texas. I’m convinced Kucinich has never had a pattern of evil acts. I see the opposite with him. Unfortunately, some ###*** get on Kucinich because he talked about once seeing a UFO. This ###*** is in the same neighborhood of saying all the people who are in alternative news are crazy, think aliens are running everyone, etc. An evil lie. Do some think this? YES. And they make life very hard for the GOOD 1’s in alternative news. I think it’s wonderful Kucinich ignored this ###*** and spoke up about his experience. He had to have known the ###*** he’d been in for. Anyway, his track record overall speaks volumes to me that he’s 1 of the few in Democratic Party that’s decent, etc. Thanks for listening.
Anyone who is “Against the war in Afghanistan”, who doesn’t have a better idea of where to fight the barbarians disguised as Islamic fanatics who have been making war on US since the mid 1960’s is a goddamned fool. Bush wanted to fight the kind of small brush wars that kept the swine down through the 19th century. Maybe he was wrong. What is absolutely certain -absent a change of heart amounting to magic – is that these vermin will continue to attack the civilized world until either they have reduced it to rubble (as they managed in Lebanon) or the civilized world gets its act together to chase them back into the hills.
What scares me, really FRIGHTENS me, is the prospect that we will continue to screw around until they do something that makes us (as a nation) seriously angry. Something like set off a fuel-air explosion in a major city (I frankly doubt they could build a nuclear bomb without dying of radiation poisoning). If that happens hell is going to take a walk down to the local Mosque with it’s sleeves rolled up. By the time the rage passes the Middle East will be changed beyond recognition, which I don’t mind that much, and so will we, which I rather do. You want to talk about Fascism? If what I fear comes to pass, everybody who complained that Bush was a fascist will get to contemplate the difference from inside a prison cell …. and their lawyers will be in the next cell. It won’t be pretty, it won’t be good, and we won’t recover from it soon … or maybe ever.
If Dennis The Menace has a plan for chasing the barbarians back to the fringes that doesn’t involve us becoming a real Imperial State, then I want to hear it. Negotiating with them doesn’t count. In the first place they haven’t the structure to enforce a treaty on themselves, and in the second they historically ALWAYS negotiate in bad faith. If he doesn’t have a plan, then he’s an a la carte Anti War Leftie, One Each, and to hell with him.
“Attorney General Martha Coakley, leading legislators and district attorneys have decided that what Massachusetts really needs is an all-out offensive against prostitution”
“Attorney General Martha Coakley, leading legislators and district attorneys have decided that what Massachusetts really needs is an all-out distraction from their general incompetence, spendthrift ways, and congenital inability to remember what they were actually elected to do for fifteen minutes at a time.”
There, fixed it.
And here I thought that I’d gotten over the habit of not leaving SOME comment!