"Prostitution should be legal, but regulated"

Though not as honorable a profession as used car salesman, insurance salesman or politician...oh wait, it is more honorable. Look, its only the evangelical countries like the U.S. that struggle with this one. Most westernised, well educated countries have legal prostitution. It is well regulated, and though not a highly sought after position(no pun intended), is an area where men and women can earn some cash.

Keith Olberman has commintmemt issues...

My sons were very sad for my wife on Sunday when Illinois State lost by 30. My wife got mad at me for telling them that they were mom's team even though she didn't even know they were playing.

I am not sure how Olbermann could be considered an "important broadcaster" in the political realm when a large majority of the viewing audience probably still thinks of him as a sportscaster. His politics aside (which I disagree with), Olbermann is on the fringe at best. Unless you happen to be a fan, I don't see him as inlfuential figure.

Using the argument that "if it is going to happen, why not make it safe" is a weak rationale. It kind of rivals the Bill Clinton "I voted with the majority, but sided with the minority" line of thinking upon which his wife is trying to build a campaign.

Speaking of Hilary, I am sure she can't be happy to see one of her pledged superdelegates on the verge of resignation. What's more, I am sure she can't be enjoying all the references to her husband's own escapades, which have pretty much become his most lasting legacy.

1 Ah yes...education and prostitution definitely seem to go hand-in-hand.

4 A philosophy of "if it is going to happen, why not make it safe" is a perfectly reasonable way to look at issues that are complex and unsolvable. Prostitution is considered evil by some---these people will never change their minds. Most people really don't care one way or another, but we do know that it isn't going away any time soon, so why not change what we can about it for the better??

Despite what some people think, we do not live in a black/white, either/or binary world, this shit's complicated and there are no easy solutions.

"I think the most important broadcaster on television during the 2003-06 period was Keith Olbermann. When many were afraid to take on the Bush administration, KO provided some of the most eloquent, but passionate commentaries on politics ever to appear on television."

Long is a good stand-up comedian, but the unintentional comedic value of the above excerpt is off-the-charts fantastic.

7 OK, you can dispute Scott's assertion, but can you name a broadcaster who was more important??

KO may be interesting, but I am not sure about "important." His audience is small, and he preaches to the choir. That being said, his show is entertaining, albeit full of partisan hacks and their hackery (himself included). He is pretty much the same thing as Bill O.

As for prostitution, very few women do it willingly. Even the Dutch have finally come to realize that human trafficking is more at work than willing women seeking cash for sex. The data are pretty clear on this. And here in the US, if someone is making 5K per go, you gotta believe there is some organized crime going on, too. So am I for "legal prostitution"? Show me the data which prove that the women are truly willing, and then we can talk. Until then, it is far from a "victimless crime."

Also, you may have read stories over the past couple years about women in Germany being cut off from unemployment/welfare if they refused to be hookers. So if the state is promoting/taxing legal prostitution, then being a hooker is no different than being a maid or farm laborer: refusing to be a whore (or maid or farmer) will get you cut off from benefits. This is not a situation I would like to see here.

It's not so much that I dispute it, I'm just suspecting he posted that with a "wink."

No wink. Really. During the run-up to the war, flags were waving like crazy on about every TV newsprogram and that wasn't just Fox. There was only 2 voices at the time who had their own news/commentary shows that spoke to the problems with the quagmire we find ourselves in now. KO and Tucker Carlson. I might be wrong on that one, but I can't remember seeing anyone with their own show who had these views.

Just go back and remember the atmosphere that we were in during post 9/11 until 2006. A time when the Bill Maher's and Dixie Chicks were labeled traitors for questioning the decisions by this president. (By the way, those of you that tout Maher as a leftist should know that he that he didn't vote for Clinton in 1996 (Dole) or Gore in 2000 (Nader).

I'm not talking white slavery when I mention legalization of prostitution. Most women (and men) who get into the biz do it because they need to make money. I'm sure most don't love the gig, but then, they probably aren't going to have another gig which they like much more and at least the money and hours are better than waitressing or retail. If you think prostitution is mainly run by underworld figures anymore, you have no understanding of how the internet has completely changed the sex biz. Go to Craigslist or Eros.com and check out all the ads of people selling their bodies. There are even escort review services----kind of like a consumer reports for Whores. I don't like the idea of having a section of some city having an Amsterdam red-light district, as I think it is too out in the open. Truthfully, I can't think of a way that to legalize it that works really well. I'm more of the mind of just look the other way, as long as it isn't done on street corners. We have bigger crime issues to deal with.

*And yes, the above paragraphs show way too much of an understanding of the profession. And no, I didn't go on a roadtrip with James Worthy and Denny Neagle. I've always had a great fascination in vice subjects like drugs, gambling, and prostitution, so I've watched a lot of news programs and read a lot on these particular subjects. I also have had the subject explained to me by a man I will refer to as George Fox. -

Given that almost all the comments are either about a certain media pundit or legalized prostitution, there must be a media whore joke in there somewhere.

1 There is no restriction in the U.S. Constitution or federal law that would prohibit prostitution. The state of Nevada allows for legal prostitution business in all counties except those that exceed a certain population threshold designed to exclude legalization in Las Vegas and Reno, the two largest cities. I have no idea if Nevada's system works, but it has been around for quite a while now so you'd think someone would have done credible research on it by now.

The Tom Davis system can't be anywhere as gimmicky as Paul Westhead's "run down and hoist them as fast you can, preferably 3s" offense at Loyola Marymount U. It was a weird and wonderful thing to watch in the Kimble/Gathers years, plus their deep tournament run in memory of Hank was the stuff most Hollywood scripts can only dream of (except that the black hats of UNLV came out on top).

EL Dave--- You are correct about the offensive style of Westhead being the most gimmicky. Probably a better example to the run and shoot, as it is exciting, but was/is too one-dimensional to work consistently in a major conference.

The Tom Davis system is not a gimmick, but just focuses on unique elements which make it extremely tough to prepare for. Zone pressing, entry bounce passing, a litany of out of bounds plays, an offense where at least 4 of the positions will shoot the 3. Sure there are other teams that feature one of these elements, but to have to prepare for all of them is really difficult, especially in a tourney setting.

I know about Craigslist, et al., and even those places have a huge criminal element. It isn't all "underworld" as in mafia, but there are plenty of cyperpimps and hustlers doing that thang.

The portion of women who are fully in control of their own bodies in prostitution is a very small minority. The Internet is just another advertising medium. Exploitation is rampant.

We all like to think that sex workers are simply "working their way through college," but c'mon, now...that's a crock.

More info on the subject of the net changing the way the oldest profession runs.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080311/D8VBFTDG1.html

Yes, but this is still a tiny minority compared to the more regular means. Steven Levitt (of Freakonomics fame) recently wrote a paper that said there were 4400 streetwalkers in Chicago alone. I doubt the online and truly self-employed hookers come close to even a fourth of that number.

What Leavitt doesn't mention is that he has hired 4269 of them, getting his Freakonomics on with each and every one. Much like drugs, legalization of the profession would take much of the underworld elements out of the bottom line. (Yeah, I said bottom.) I'm not saying that these women don't have self-esteem issues because of mental and physical abuse, but I don't believe most of them are doing it because they are forced to by some underworld type. They do it because it pays a lot more per hour than waiting tables or working retail, which is basically their other option. Not a particular pretty picture, but in the history of mankind, the supply and demand of prostitution stays as strong as my pimp hand.