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 A mobile billboard from Shared Hope International passes through Charlotte, North Carolina, during the Democratic convention.
September 6th, 2012
08:06 AM ET
As sex trade increases around conventions, faith-based groups step up effortsBy Jen Christensen, CNN Charlotte, North Carolina (CNN) - It’s 10 p.m. in Charlotte’s trendy NoDa district, and a handful of women and one man have hunkered down over French press coffee and caramel pastries that are so amazing the cafe’s owners were once invited to the White House. These customers have gathered at Amelie’s, a 24-hour French bakery, with a serious mission. They want to end human trafficking. As volunteers for Compassion to Act, a faith-based nonprofit, they meet regularly to discuss how to rescue and restore the lives of human trafficking victims. But with the Democratic National Convention gathered just down the road this week, they and other groups have stepped up their efforts. They anticipate a greater need for their help. More than 500 miles away in Tampa, a Christian ministry called Created also beefed up its volunteer patrols during last week’s Republican National Convention. The group, which focuses on “vulnerable women involved in the sex industry,” immediately saw evidence the convention was in town. On their rounds, volunteers encountered a woman who looked out of place in too-nice clothes on Nebraska Avenue, a Tampa street notorious for its sex trade. As they handed the woman a purple purse filled with supplies – a condom, some lip gloss, a stack of chocolate chip cookies and a phone number for help - she admitted she had taken a bus down from St. Louis when she heard there’d be extra work. Groups like Created and Compassion to Act say they’ve seen this happen countless times. Whenever a large event comes to town - be it a Super Bowl, a NASCAR race, even a religious event such as Promise Keepers - the groups see a lot more men out cruising for sex on their city streets. The underground sex industry meets that demand - whether the women involved want to or not. “People find a way to exploit a woman or girl’s vulnerability, whatever that may be, and they find a way to take advantage of that broken spirit,” says Kim, one of the Compassion to Act volunteers. She asked that her last name not be used because of the sensitive nature of her work. “They force them into this life promising drugs, or nice clothes, or even something as simple as an initial boost to the girl’s self-esteem. She is manipulated to do this, whether the girl is aware or not. We haven’t met a single person who says they want to be doing this.” A 2011 Baylor University study, “Men in Transit and Prostitution: Using Political Conventions as a Natural Experiment,” examined the number of online ads for commercial sex during the 2008 conventions. It found the number of ads in the host cities rose by 30%. The anti-trafficking group Shared Hope International says the problem gets worse during large events but is always present. The group assesses state laws aimed at trafficking and issues report cards: Florida earned a C; North Carolina got a D. To fill in the gaps left by the states, volunteer groups work to raise awareness and conduct street outreach to help the women involved. To catch the attention of the country’s leaders during this year’s political gatherings, Shared Hope rented mobile billboards and drove them around the convention sites. Volunteers hope delegates will notice their campaign’s startling image: A man with a beer belly opens his suit jacket and reveals RNC and DNC tie tacks on his tie. The words next to him read, “This man wants to rent your daughter.” “Our message is not to accuse America’s political leaders of engaging in the commercial sex industry,” Shared Hope founder and president Linda Smith said in a statement. “On the contrary, we are asking them to no longer be disengaged on the issue.” “As the leaders of our nation, we need lawmakers to stand against the driving force of the illegal commercial sex industry that claims thousands of American children each year,” said Smith, a former congresswoman. “That driving force is demand.” Experts estimate that 100,000 children a year are exploited in the U.S. commercial sex industry, according to Shared Hope. The average age of a child first exploited through prostitution is 12, the group says. To counter the demand, Compassion to Act has beefed up its boots on the ground in Charlotte. After planning their strategy over coffee and pastries, Kim and fellow volunteer Aimee hit the city’s strip clubs, where they’ve built fragile friendships with the dancers. On their weekly visits, the volunteers are invited into some of the dancers’ crowded dressing rooms. Kim and Aimee offer to help with whatever the dancers may need – food, a ride to a doctor’s office, even school supplies for their kids. “We listen. We make sure they know they are loved,” Kim says. “And when they want out, we have the resources in the community to help them do that.” Back at the bakery, group co-founder Debbie Hancock sits with her iPad and scours the property ads looking for suspicious rentals. She discovers a listing for a mansion renting for the week of the DNC for 16 times its usual price. “That doesn’t look right,” she says. Upon such discoveries, Hancock and Ish Payne - a retired cop who also helped found Compassion to Act and has written a book on the subject - will either alert local police or conduct their own surveillance at a safe distance, watching to see what kind of traffic goes in or out. “If there is a lot of traffic right before work or on people’s lunch breaks, cars with out of state tags – these are some of the red flags,” Aimee explains. Sure it could be a legitimate rental - a political big wig in town for the convention, for instance - but it could be something different. “Temporary brothels pop up even in the nicest neighborhoods, and in the Charlotte area authorities do want to know.” Some cities are better than others at cracking down on the illegal sex trade during these large events. Abby Kuzma, a lawyer with the Indiana attorney general’s office, says Dallas came under a lot of intense criticism for an uptick in the sex trade when it hosted the 2011 Super Bowl. After her office learned Indianapolis would be the next host city, it put together a coalition of city leaders and about 60 nonprofits and immediately reached out to the host committee. “We first told them it is not the Super Bowl per se that attracts human trafficking,” Kuzma said. “It’s any large event where there are a lot of men - like you have with the political conventions now - who are frankly looking for a good time.” The Indianapolis coalition trained hotel staffs, local volunteers and cab drivers, teaching them what to watch for and who to call for help. Another nonprofit, the S.O.A.P. Project, stuck a national hotline number on the bars of soap it handed out to hotels so victims could call for help from the privacy of a bathroom. This proactive approach was so successful, Kuzma says, that they saw immediate results. The number of online sex ads went down. And men seeking illegal sex warned each other online to stay away from Indianapolis. “The demand went down because the men were feeling Indy had a negative atmosphere for the sex trade,” Kuzma said. It’s unclear what strategy Charlotte has in place. City officials told CNN they weren’t commenting on this type of policing for security reasons. Compassion to Act, which says it has good relationships with law enforcement, was told there is a plan in place for the DNC but couldn’t be given details, again for security reasons. In Tampa, Created heard something similar, although Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn told CNN police would be too busy during the conventions to raid strip clubs. In both cities, the groups decided to step up their presence. Indiana’s Kuzma says that’s a good idea. “Certainly the nonprofits help a lot,” she said. “Law enforcement is overwhelmed dealing with crowd control and other security issues. Throw in human trafficking, and it can be a lot to handle.” On Monday night, while Compassion to Act volunteers talk about how they can do even more during this week’s convention, Debbie receives an urgent text from a minister. He’s been working with a trafficking victim and wants to know if the group can help. Having prepared for this week, the answer is yes – and they begin arranging emergency shelter for the woman. “Sometimes this problem with human trafficking feels too big and overwhelming to stop,” says Kate Stahlman, another Compassion to Act co-founder. “But then God always finds a way to let us know – even in small ways – that what we do matters.” |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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If a girl wants to make a few cents on the side, these wet blankets get in the way by calling it 'human trafficking'. Boooo!
Because they are paying to spend time with girls – as the article said – that are only 14 years old and not there of their free will...
to Doodlebug:
First of all, they said the average age of entry is 12, not 14. And it is a total myth. If all they were doing was rescuing underage victims, I would be 100% behind them.
Read the article again and take note of their activities. What they really want is to stop consenting adults from doing this.
Gah!
I stand FOR "Human Trafficking"...
We have blatant illegal immigrants tolerated at every level of society. Certainly flooding the labor pool to diminish wages.
We have massive jobs shipped overseas, often at a LOSS but then that loss paid by our tax money.
But it's somehow "Evil" and "Intolerable" and "Must be stopped" if the most oppressed person in the world, the White Man wants to go on a nice "Vacation" and have some fun with some cute foreign ladies... Often paying 10x as much as a local would and not hitting them, unlike a local.
Ram yer bibles down yer own throats. Or, better yet, read about lot and his daughters or tons of the other dirty, nasty stuff. Like the Nephilhim, "The sons of the gods came down unto the daughters of men and found them pleasing..."
No, get back in your Flux Capacitor and go back to Alabama in 1850. You might have more agreement then.
The only people the jews give a rats a$$ about are jews.
Dude! You're not suppose to say that out loud!
Yeah..
Dummycrap who is willing to kill any unborn human being or allow any kind of deviancy like g @y very good fit for this kind of activity. they better watch out.
SOC: You talk trash, but you are nothing but a loudmouth llittle punk. Go home, boy, and get your shinebox
If Bill CLinton is in town, business is up substantially. How an adulterer who defaced the Oval office can be the keynote for the Democratic party is an insult to the majority of Americans. The DNC has become a degrading irony of deceit, lies, and false hope.
Wow, just when I thought rightwing trolls couldn't get any dumber then you show up.
Spot on
Oh shush Observer... your throwing stones from your glass house... Republicans and Bible thumpers are some of the most two faced people out there.
B"H
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=947by3X6_RU
LET MY PEOPLE GO SENETOR HILLIARY CLINTON AND hussein OBAMA. LET JONATHAN POLLARD GO NOW
LET MY PEOPLE GO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyBZhTaf1oU
WORLD VS ISRAEL. HILLARY CLINTON-THIS IS A MESSAGE FOR YOU – LET MY PEOPLE GO. FREE JONATHAN POLLARD NOW. LET MY PEOPLE GO BARRAK HUSSEIN OBAMA – NOW!
The Land of Israel is the Promised Land given to our forefathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob and is given to us, their seed, as an everlasting Inheritance.
PLEASE PLAY ON YOUR NETWORK NOW
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE
PLEASE ASK THE CANDIDATE THE FOLLOWING QUESTION.
JONATHAN POLLARD HAS SPENT ENOUGH TIME IN PRISON.
IT IS TIME THAT HE IS PARDONED
LET MY PEOPLE GO SENETOR HILLIARY CLINTON AND hussein OBAMA. LET JONATHAN POLLARD GO NOW
LET MY PEOLE GO
Rabbi Chaim Richman answers President Obama's Cairo speech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=947by3X6_RU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyBZhTaf1oU
WORLD VS ISRAEL. HILLARY CLINTON-THIS IS A MESSAGE FOR YOU – LET MY PEOPLE GO. FREE JONATHAN POLLARD NOW. LET MY PEOPLE GO BARRAK HUSSEIN OBAMA – NOW!
The Land of Israel is the Promised Land given to our forefathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob and is given to us, their seed, as an everlasting Inheritance.
WORLD VS ISRAEL. HILLARY CLINTON-THIS IS A MESSAGE FOR YOU – LET MY PEOPLE GO. FREE JONATHAN POLLARD NOW. LET MY PEOPLE GO BARRAK HUSSEIN OBAMA – NOW!
The Land of Israel is the Promised Land given to our forefathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob and is given to us, their seed, as an everlasting Inheritance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=947by3X6_RU
This is bull sh it. Also this Jonathan Pollard is a highly unstable traitor. Keep him where he is.
ALL TRATIORS WILL BE PUT TO DEATH SO SAYETH THE LORD
As long as Mitt keeps his mittens off the kittens and the magic underwear stays pristine, Kolob will reign over you earthling waterbags soon.
So do Mormon Ho's have any otherworldly techniques that make the better than your average chubby Evangelical ho?
@Will
No new techniques, but they do tend to have a bunch of sisters.
Golob, dude, you Kolobians must be a nice bunch if you are willing to let your takeover of our planet be subject to US democracy and our wacky electorate. The lowest common denom is pretty low.
I say bring on Kolob if you have that much respect. But I'll pass on the magic boxers thanks.
A new technique, William? Obviously you've never used a Mormon whore. Try one and ask for a Kolob job.
http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/CGG/ID/2789/Reprobate-Mind-.htm
So this is what HeavenSent has come to? Mildly damning links? It's a shame.
"A wh.ore should be judged by the same criteria as other professionals offering services for pay — such as dentists, lawyers, hairdressers, physicians, plumbers, etc. Is she professionally competent? Does she give good measure? Is she honest with her clients?
It is possible that the percentage of honest and competent who.res is higher than that of plumbers and much higher than that of lawyers. And enormously higher than that of professors."
– Robert Heinlein
Arguing the morality of prosti/tution itself is moot – there's a reason it is known as the oldest trade in the world.
Like drug and alcohol use, it cannot simply be legislated away.
The legal system should concern itself with protecting the health and safety of the workers.
By treating the profession the same as any other, the Dutch have pretty well eliminated pimps, human trafficers and the exploitation of minors from the se.x trade in their country.
The city health services inform the prost.itutes about a free or low -cost clinic for se.xually transmitted diseases, provide free or low cost medical car. A number of or organizations, some of them established by the prost.itutes themselves (often still active as working girls), such as The Red Thread and the Prost.itution Information Center try to help prost.itutes with their problems.
Get rid of the pimps, manage the health risks, give them a safe environment in which to ply their trade (IE: eliminate street walkers), give them the tools to exit the lifestyle should they choose.
So long as they permit buy one get one deals I am all for it
Robert Heinlein may be my favorite author. It's either him or Ray Bradbury.
Monica Lewinsky is in town, and she says she is supporting the GOP this year, because Clinton and the Dems left a bad taste in her mouth
Is everyone simply skipping over the part where they said they had helped girls as young as 14 and many women/teens that were there... -against their will-?
to doodlebug:
Exploited 14-year-olds are almost entirely a myth. I will believe it when they show me the police reports.
If they are so keen on helping exploited children, then why are they wasting time, money, and energy (theirs and law enforcement's) on consenting adults?
Doesn't tuvia come across as a terrorist? I mean, his posts seem threatening and he's talking about the superiority of Israel and it's people...hmmmm....doesn't the Patriot Act have something about reporting people like him if we are concerned?
I don't indulge in the videos, but it seems quite apparent that the dude is a fruit loop.
I mean the butler suit and nasty beard don't seem to point towards rationality.
I suspect he is more a Department of Mental Health Services subject, rather than Homeland Security.
I work with both American Jews and Israeli's on a daily basis, and a good percentage of them are embarrased to call people like him Jewish
ISRAEL WILL SURVIVE AND PROSPER. WE WILL USE ANY MEANS NECESSARY.
Start with a shower and a shave and we can talk.
Yep, that would be a terrorist threat. CNN please take notice of Tuvia...you have his contact information. He MUST be reported to Homeland security for this post!!!
ISRAEL HAS AN ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO DO WHATEVER WE DEEM TO BE IN OUR NATIONAL INTEREST AND MOST OF ALL IN THE INTEREST OF OUR NATIONAL SURVIVAL.
THOUGH I ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT IF IT WEREN'T FOR AMERICAN AND GREAT BRITAIN, ISREAL WOULDN'T EVEN BE A COUNTRY TODAY. AMERICA GIVES ISREAL MONEY AND WEAPONS AND JETS HAND OVER FIST EVERY DAY!!!!
My, you sound quite German!
I guess you learned well under the boot of the masters!
The poor pitifull Israel, that has been so persecuted 🙁
Some of us don't buy it buddy, and remember one thing. When you are over run, as you inevitably will be, do NOT think you yahoos are moving to the US.
You want to live by the cult, best be prepared to die bye it as well.
!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDiJEB7-sx4
I am tuvia and I am trying to tell homeland security to look at me because I might be a threat to national security.
tuvia? Isn't that some form of artificial sweetner or something
You can call me sacharine
B"H
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=947by3X6_RU
!
F"Y
B"H
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=947by3X6_RU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=947by3X6_RU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=947by3X6_RU
Holy Hopping Penguin Suit!
Quick, The Bat Signal!
It looks like that evil masterming the Penguin is up to his nefarious tricks again.
Legalize prost.itution, keep pi.mping, and trafficking illegal. This protects the workers and criminalizes the abusers. If anyone else has a better solution I'd like to hear it.
Yes, bring back the teaching of the bible in public schools so people can learn the truth.
Heubert. I can see it now. Instead of 'pink' on the butt end of their shorts, the girls will just have "this space for rent."
Men should be ashamed that we let our hormones control us to the point we'll justify paying to perform these filthy acts on women who are likely bought/sold, kidnapped, forced into or beat everyday ... and most were probably teens or even younger when they first did this. We should be protecting women, not subjegating them.
Sure Dawn, Sure.
Miss Purity speaks!
You sell yourself, just like everyone does. A harsh reality, but a reality non the less. As for the Bible, I merely demand a higher price than that for myself. It is in fact nothing more than a salve for the weak minded, and a club to beat the stupid with.
@topher
That is why I said keep pim.ping and trafficking ILLEGAL. The whole point is to stop the kidnapping and subjugation, but still allow some women to choose this as a career path. And some women will always choose it. Prost.itution has existed since the dawn of civilization because their has always been a demand, and as long as there is a demand someone will supply.
Do you think it is morally right for a man to use a prosti.tute?
Topher
Provided that the woman was not forced in to prost.itution, or is a minor, I see it as a morally neutral act. It is a business transaction, an exchange of money for services. So long as no one is harmed I have no problem with it.
Topher
Morality is the smile on a dog. Some see it, some don't.
While I only indulge in the barter variety (You know the old drinks, dinner nand a show technique) to get mine, who am I to dictate what a woman can do with her groove things? It's none of your buisness! Do you think it is morally right for a twenty year old girl to shack up with an old rich guy? It's none of your buisness!
The last thing we need in the US is a cult of closeted deviants establishing our moral code.
Conduct yourself as you see fit, and stop trying to force Bronze Age values onto America. Any action between two consenting adults conducted in privacy is none of your, nor my concern
It's an incredible place this world of ours and the freedom to live life as one see's fit makes for some interesting possibilities!
Did you know the average age of a child forced into prost.itution is 13? So that girl might look legal, but she isn't. Or she might be legal now, but has been having men do vile things to her since she was just a little girl. We should be helping someone like this, not continuing to add to her grief.
Topher
Don't be silly. We Americans have no intention of stopping it what so ever, so my belief is irrelevant.
Register them, test them for disease. Then when you catch a freak into little kids you castrate him (or her)
The melodrama of this debate is blatant falsehoods. The greatest majority are doing what they do by choice (both the buyers and sellers). Just walk around in certain areas and you can see well educated, healthy, intelligent and articulate woman selling their junk at market driven prices.
It is far more cost effective than student loans are!
topher: i cannot be ashamed of something i don't do. i
"Do you think it is morally right for a man to use a prosti.tute?"
I got no problem with it.
Why do you feel it is morally wrong?
Topher
Are you being intentionally obtuse? My Idea was to make prosti.tution, legal and keep pim.ping and trafficking illegal. The whole purpose of doing this is to stop forced prost.itution and the prost.itution of minors. The problem right now is that the working girls are criminalized therefore they can't go to the police for protection. If their activity was legalized they could easily get help if they were kidnapped or are being forced in to it. You seem to live in a fantasy world where prost.itution can be eradicated. My solution is to formalize the process and subject it to regulation. Prohibition is obviously not working, lets try regulation.
Huebert
No, I get what you are saying. And on the surface I think you might be onto something. If keeping it illegal is a hindrance to us helping these women, that's bad. But by legalizing it it is saying it is OK to use women as an object. How can you be OK with that? You have to remember men are all vile, wretched sinners and you have to know that that is sending a message it is OK to cheat on your wife, it is OK to be prom.isc.uous ... and you know others are going to take this and stretch it into it is OK to beat on women and make them into domestic slaves if not se.xual ones. Women were not created to be our playthings. They are to be loved and cherished and protected, none of which legalization produces.
Topher
40 percent of the workers will be MALES.
Once the stigma wears off, it will be fiftty percent.
Of the fifty percent male. 10 percent or more will be purchased by FEMALES.
Cougars are a reality, and are just as degenerate as the male equivalent
Topher
Please provide some evidence for that slippery slope fallacy you just laid out. All that I'm saying is that it should be OK for a woman to CHOOSE to sell her goods. Legalization protects the woman's choice. Also remember, I do not believe in the concept of sin, nor do I believe that all men are vile, nasty, people. I believe that a woman can make her own decisions about what to do with her body. Prost.itution should not be a crime, forcing it upon someone absolutely should be.
@Topher
Do you know the difference between a street walker and a courtesan?
For many years, I've been friends with a woman who worked as an escort while she went to school.
She holds a master's degree in electrical engineering now, is a manager at a large electronics company and has been in a healthy, happy relationship with the same man for 10 years. And yes, he is, and always has been, fully aware of her former profession.
She even spent a few years as an elected official in her municipality.
She doesn't feel as though she was exploited – she knew precisely what she was doing and, for the most part, enjoyed her job.
I've known her since before she was an escort and have nothing but the utmost respect for her.
Not every man is a sc.umbag rap/ist and not every s.ex worker is an exploited, drug addled victim.
Legalizing the trade would actually reduce the number of assaults against these girls since they would no longer fear contacting the police to report such instances.
"But by legalizing it it is saying it is OK to use women as an object."
How is this different than we do with models?
"You have to remember men are all vile, wretched sinners"
According to the translated, edited words of iron age sheep mounters, perhaps.
"..and you have to know that that is sending a message it is OK to cheat on your wife"
It is not sending any such messasge. Your world must be a torturous place.
"and you know others are going to take this and stretch it into it is OK to beat on women and make them into domestic slaves if not se.xual ones"
Speaking of a stretch....
"Women were not created to be our playthings"
By what authority do you claim to know what women were "created" to be?
"They are to be loved and cherished and protected, none of which legalization produces."
No, legalization gives them the freedom to do what they choose with their own bodies.
Ah. So all of you are OK with your daughters selling it? After all, it is their body and their choice, right?
Topher: If you are so adament about not using women as objects, what do you feel about models?
I don't have a daughter, so I am in no position to answer.
topher: what business is it of anyone to legislate what any ADULT does to their own body?
topher: do you actually answer direct questions, or do you blather on and run like a little coward?
I don't have a daughter, but in a hypothetical situation, no I not be OK with her choosing that life. But I would also respect her decision, and recognize that I don't control her.
sam stone
"Topher: If you are so adament about not using women as objects, what do you feel about models?"
I suppose that depends on what type of models. If you mean runway models, you have to understand that the reason for those shows is to show off the designer's fashions. But of course we take that and pervert it.
"I don't have a daughter, so I am in no position to answer."
Neither do I, but that doesn't mean I KNOW I'd be appalled if my daughter were even having pre-marital se.x, let alone selling it. I'd be almost inconsolable (sp?)
You might very well be. Lots of parents are disappointed when their children don't do what they had hoped. Does that mean they don't have a right to do it? No. It doesn't.
"Neither do I, but that doesn't mean I KNOW I'd be appalled if my daughter were even having pre-marital se.x, let alone selling it. I'd be almost inconsolable (sp?)"
So, you don't know if you would be appalled?
Yeah, go ahead an legalize it. The only women left to buy will be 50 year old crack wh0res because in all honesty, NO woman would do this of her own volition. I know, I know, you men like to like in your fantasyland THINKING we women are all hot and bothered at the thought of servicing a bunch of middle aged men but the truth is, NONE of us do and your wives just do it as a courtesy if you are over 35 years old. FACT.
sam stone
Yes, I'd be appalled.
@Dawn: “Yes, bring back the teaching of the bible in public schools so people can learn the truth.”
What a great idea because we all know that prost1tution did not exist before bible instruction was removed from schools (eye roll)
@Valerie
The majority of women I know enjoy se.x. Sorry you don't. Have you ever had an orgasm? They are great, I'm jealous of my wife because she has way more of them than I do. And while it is true that the vast majority of women would not engage in prost.itution it is patently ridiculous to say that none would due to the fact that they already exist in Vegas.
Topher: Get used to it. Just as you did not adopt the mores of your parents, don't be surprised if your kids don't adopt yours. You seem to be a very repressed person
Dawn: If you want to teach your children "the truth" (as if you possess it), teach them at home, or in church. Keep it out of the public schools
@Topher: You see it as using women as an object when it is simply a monetary transaction for a rendered service. If you pay the neighbors kid $20 to mow your lawn, are you not "using" his/her body? You're placing the stigma on this because of the nature of the service itself, NOT because somebody is paying for it because let's face it, paying for services rendered is at the heart of any capitalist economy.
If you go to see the latest blockbuster in the theater, I'm sure you're not telling people afterwards, "I just paid to give me pleasure" when in fact, that's essentially what you did. Same could be said for ANYTHING you've paid for that brings you some measure of pleasure.
BUT, when that pleasure is se.x.ual in nature is when people get all preachy about it.
The ugly side of the industry as it currently exists in many places of the world, including the US ... the drugs, exploitation of minors, kidnapping/forced into the trade, etc. ... is a side effect of how our society sees the profession. Huebert is on the right idea in that legalize and regulate it, get away from the street walkers and pimps, and make it simply a CHOICE of vocation and not one that a person is forced or otherwise manipulated into, and many of the problems associated with it will go by the wayside.
Or, another way to look at it is ... a person that is a fantastic entertainer as a clown gets a contract from Ringling Bros. and the lesser talented ones you hire for your kids birthday. A woman with great skills choosing the profession being discussed gets a contract from Vivid Video as an adult actress. The lesser skilled ones are hired out for your next bachelor party. The point of that being, nobody bats an eye about the first description BUT, as soon as it's about s.e.x it makes it a completely different discussion.
"You have to remember men are all vile, wretched sinners"
.
This is your perspective in your made up reality, not fact.
sam stone
"Topher: Get used to it. Just as you did not adopt the mores of your parents, don't be surprised if your kids don't adopt yours. You seem to be a very repressed person"
I'm repressive because I want women to be loved by men and not abused by them?
Topher
No, you are repressive because you want to make decisions for women instead of allowing them to make decisions on their own.
topher: i said you appeared repressed, not repressive. that is obvious with your posts.....sinner, sinner, chicken dinner.....jesus this, savior that. do you have fun, or do you sit around feeling all pious? are you married, and/or do you have a girlfriend? if the latter, do you stick to that no-relations-before-marriage standard?
Ah, so because I'm a man I can't make judgments on morality.
sam stone
That's because there's nothing more important in life than what Jesus Christ did. He died so I could live. No one could possibly do anything more for me.
I'm married.
Make all the judgments you want; just don't imagine you have a right to impose your will on others. You don't.
topher: did you hold to the same standard that you want your children to adopt?
Sam ... not sure I understand your question.
topher: did you have relations with your wife before you were married?
Wow. That's none of your business. But, no, we did not.
so, that portion of your life is not other people's business, but the same portion of their lives is yours?
Why shouldn't it be anyone's business when you want to make it your business to decide what women will do about their own pregnancies?
Topher
No, you simply can't make decisions for anyone other than your self or your children. It has nothing to do with your gender, a woman has no authority to tell other women what they can or can't do with their own body.
sam stone
"so, that portion of your life is not other people's business, but the same portion of their lives is yours?"
You asked if I hold my children to the same standard and my children are most def. my business. Again, this subject comes down to morality and you'd rather make it legal to subjugate women. I'd rather they find someone to love, honor and cherish them and never go down that road.
Huebert
"No, you simply can't make decisions for anyone other than your self or your children."
By this standard we'd have no laws at all. Every time there's a vote on an issue or a law passed that is a judgment on morality.
"....and you'd rather make it legal to subjugate women"
i want to make it legal for a woman to make her own choice. it is you who wants to subjegate women by taking their choice away.
sam stone
"i want to make it legal for a woman to make her own choice. it is you who wants to subjegate women by taking their choice away."
I'm not taking anything away. They already don't have the right to sell their bodies (in most places.)
All right, boys, I've gotta get to work. Have a good afternoon and God bless.
No, Topher, laws are not imposed morality. Our laws aren't made to enforce morality; they are made to preserve the rights of the individual to be as free as possible as long as he/she is not infringing on anyone else's rights.
You want to "protect" women against their will, Topher. It doesn't work that way.
you are playing with words, topher. the end result is that you do not want to allow women the right to do as they wish to their own bodies. that is subjegating them.
You have the best solution, Huebert.
Legalize the s.ex trade. Solves virtually every problem associated with it.
Nah. Then they tax it.
I would find it endlessly amusing to find out what each act would cost in an open market.
I have heard marijuana would only be a few dollars an ounce if left uncontrolled.
If booty depreciated that much I suspect MANY might elect to rent a partner rather than endure the tribulations of a relationship.
It would be much harder for a wife to justify a 275 dollar trip to the salon twice a month when hubby could get whatever he wanted for less than the cost of a movie ticket.
Minimum wage laws would probably keep the cost artificially high, but rest assured the price point would end up absurdly low.
Typical perverted thoughts of the atheists.
Yeah tell that to Jimmy Swaggart, Jimmi Bakker, Teddy Haggart 😉
what has this got to do with atheists, kenneth?
Kenneth
I am currently involved with TWO Christian woman. Both are still married to "good, God fearing" Christian men.
One husband is a closet queen, and one is abusive. If you want deviants, the church is where you find em!
Just because people claim to be Christians doesn't mean they are saved. That goes for famous pastors or "Christian" women you are involved with. Those actions are pretty good evidence they are hypocrits. And yes, the churches are full of them. You could even say we are ALL hypocrits. But the thing about churches is there's always room for one more. We're all sinners and we all need the Savior, so repent and trust in Him today!
The lower the price the better William.
Do you honestly think keeping it illegal is beneficial to anybody other than criminals?
No True Scotsman.
It would be beneficial to every single woman and little girl who is involved in it to wipe this disgusting trade out.
Rational
It depends if you have middle men or not.
If you do, they keep the lions share of profits.
The selling of affections is American as apple pie, and the bleeding hearts want to act as if all those involved are victims.
It shall ALWAYS be with us in one form or another, because it is our nature.
William, you're proud that you're a lying predator! If you can't be faithful to one woman at a time, it means you constantly have to have multiple relationships going simultaneously in case one or more find out you are a liar and a player, you won't be left out in the cold. You're typical of the insecure personality that dominates society today. I feel sorry for those women.
Are you completely out of your mind?
Dawn
Lapsed Christian woman are a common commodity.
Apparently they aren't getting what they need at home.
They seem to prefer some fire and brimstone!
"Those actions are pretty good evidence they are hypocrits."
And your posts are pretty good evidence that you are a repressed little boy
to Topher:
No one is proposing to legalize it for children, only consenting adults. Look at the police reports. There are hardly any little girls involved in this. If we were to legalize it, we would have more resources available to help genuine victims.
Do they intend to work with the Altar Boy coalition?
They have more buggery per member than any other
Do you know this first hand?
William, you are weirder than you think.
At the RNC a Kolob job would run you $50. At the DNC you just can't get one.