The expansion during the “boom”period has left us with an unwieldy, politically charged, power base designed to insulate those connected to it against expulsion by hiding behind their large infrastructure. Now that public officials, including Sheriff Dart, face intense scrutiny, their efforts to distract attention away from this buildup has intensified. Everpresent scandals at all levels of government, served up nightly by the swarming media correspondents eager to gain viewership, highlight the situation. Corruption & moral impotence regarding contracts, hiring qualified people, police tactics etc., demostrate a lack of effective leadership. One of the retorts I hear regularly is “Well, It’s a big city, county, whatever, we can’t watch everyone, whattya gonna do?” So, let me get this straight you either 1. Dont know about it. Or 2. Are lying. So you are either incompetent or a lair, I can take my pick. Should I really abide by their claim of ignorance? Perhaps they don’t wish to know. That would appear to be a more convincing argument to me.

If Sheriff Dart wants our support he must confront the county’s budget issues directly. Should he not concentrate his efforts & resources on more serious criminal activity? Targeting bookies, massage parlors, strip clubs, narcotic dealers, & surprisingly visible targets would demonstrate, at least to me, that he is more professional & committed. Many “organized” criminals are too content, comfortably residing just below the surface, with little to fear from law enforcement. Putting pressure on them by conducting raids etc., would go a long way, in my opinion, to restoring credibility to public officials. More to the point, to campaign against individuals who place ads, create a media circus in bypassing your own attorney general & file a personal lawsuit, target a well known public service provider yet bypass the large, commercial media interests, is self-serving. The use of his position to gain attention, hopefully avoid scrutiny, and diminish the likelihood of any organized resistance illustrates an all to common tactic among our public officials. Author a confrontation, publicize it, but take no “real”action in terms of combatting corruption, crime, or questionable behavior. Our corporations, government, & legal system all engage in increasingly risky behavior. Yet somehow they must believe we are taken in. Moreover, this incident serves as a small example of how the “game is played”. At the risk of being too critical, I just ask this question. What are we paying this guy for? Mr. Dart apparently takes his responsibilities somewhat lightly, in my opinion. Prefering instead to garner attention by proxy. Publicly, he chooses to squander his resources & authority on low level offenders, who are easier to catch, have little or no organization, & few financial (legal) resources. Ultimately, he fills our system (courts, jails) with huge numbers of relatively minor offenders who pose little serious threat to the public. Recently I met a young hispanic man who told me he has been arrested 43 times, convicted 35 times of domestic violence. Most times, the police, not the combatants, have preferred charges against him. Do we really have the resources to provide for this kind of social patrol. I say no. Let us train our resources upon the organized, well financed thugs who advertise in the newspaper, telephone books, & seemingly operate openly. Street gangs, “chop” shops, amusement vendors (gambling machines), & others who are the “real” source of ongoing criminal activity are our concern not ”ïndependent” prostitutes and certainly not Craigslist.

Parents - it is your duty to monitor what your children are doing on the internet!!! If you are too lazy, or just don’t care, don’t blame anyone but yourself for their mistakes.

Bitter Women - It’s time you got over it! If you weren’t such prudes, your husbands wouldn’t go looking elsewhere. If you can’t spell such words as solicit, but hookers can spell it. Craigslist didn’t ruin your life, or the life of your kids, there was a reason that your hubby stepped outside of the marriage for companionship and a little attention.

Law Enforcement - Go after the pimps, and traffickers, and legalize and tax this trade!

Craigslist - Thanks for the great site!!!!!!!

This is a comment to a post from Linda Stiel. I am sorry I have to defend craigslist on your comment. It is not craigslist fault for your marriage going under. No one told your husband to go in the “erotic” section and have an affair or whatever he did to ruin your marriage on their site. You can not file a lawsuit against them for your husband’s negligence. File the lawsuit against your husband for committing adultry that is what divorce court is for.

As far as craiglist not having morals, it is your husband that does not have any morals for cheating on you.

For that matter you better go and check every other adult website and see what else your husband has been doing because I am almost positive craigslist was not the only site he has been on, it is the only one you caught him on.

Interviewer asks, “What’s the great difference between an online site with classifieds and newspaper classifieds?”

And Dart replies, “one of it is they have specifically tailored their site to facilitate it [prostitution]… unlike an ad where people put content in, they have an opportunity to put content in specific sub-categories depending on what it is you like, and then within the sub-categories the photographs … this is not something where under anyone’s interpretation you could say this is an escort service, the photographs are either naked or semi-naked, quite often showing sex acts in addition to which they actually lay out the prices as to how much they charge for different acts for how long a period of time they are; none of that is in any other — it’s not allowed in any other newspaper that I’ve ever seen…”

Some of what Dart says is true, especially about the pictures. By the “letter of the law” many of the posts may not be direct solicitations for prostitutes, but it’s pretty clear that there are loaded meanings behind abbreviations like “HH” and “HR” — with prices — using the word “kisses” instead of currency. I personally think it’s hard to make the argument that these ads are carefully filtered, because even the most inexperienced auditor would quickly see what’s going on.

On the other hand, Dart’s argument about the newspapers and Craig’s list categories is off base. “Erotic Services -> w4m” is not explicitly for prostitution, any more than the “personals” or even “escorts” section of your local news paper.

And this brings us to the main point: Do we sue newspapers who have published ads for escort services that turn our to be prostitution services? Did our police departments sue the newspapers in Beverly Hills for running Heidi Fliess’ ads? Do we sue hourly-rate hotels where prostitutes and johns go to complete transactions? The makers of the automobile the john uses to pick up the prostitute?

OR do we go after the prostitute herself, and the John himself?

Craig’s list isn’t allowing anything not available elsewhere. Furthermore, used by the police well, Craig’s list has proven to be nothing other than a useful tool for law enforcement.

Dart is just doing this for attention, and he’s getting plenty. Welcome our next senator.

So with as much passion as a particular public official, Chicago Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is making his statement about craigslist by suing them, this responsible, equally important citizen is going to express her views in order to balance the scales of justice and make certain the general public has the opportunity to see a less political, more realistic, well-rounded truth of not only craigslist, but other issues surrounding the world in which we live, the adult services offered, and supply and demand.

Let’s take this cake one bite at a time by beginning with this issue of prostitution. I will begin by clarifying there is a huge difference between illegal activities and the phone sex operator industry. There is nothing illegal about advertising the service I offer. The company who employs me, Phone Sex Kingdom, has been in business ten years, is very reputable, and has a zero tolerance for anything illegal. We are arguably the best in the business. Although you won’t hear me argue that. I wouldn’t associate with a company who misleads, mistreats, or abuses our laws.

That being said let’s put some very clear perspective on how many sites Mr. Dart might want to consider suing if he gives much consideration to where the opportunities for prostitution begin.

Why not just start with the window of the internet alone, then go from there? This is being written from first-hand experience. Let’s address these dating sites, and remember many of them are endorsed by conservative, professionals, who are well-known. Men and women go on everything from well-meaning free dating sites to the more, in your face sites, that go far beyond basic dating services. People may have long term, dating, or friends listed. Or they may have alternative lifestyles or married but looking.

I personally have blocked out anything beyond dating or long term because I want someone who is at the same place or looking for something similar to what I’m looking for. But then when you meet this person who has painted himself to be an upstanding, 43 year old gentleman, and he turns out to be a 53 year old party animal looking for a “piece” isn’t that misleading? But is it the fault of the site owner that Joe Nice has turned out to be Joe Dirt Bag who wants to know my favorite position (and I don’t mean political) before he knows my last name, my dog’s name, or what I like to do during the Summer? No! It is our responsibility as consumers to beware.

Now let us take a second bite of the cake and address the broad, truth about what “prostitution” really is in life. Merriam-Webster sums it up as the following: 1) the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations especially for money (note: not just for money) 2) the state of being prostituted : debasement

Broken down a little further, which is certainly necessary. Debasement is to lower in status, esteem, quality, or character. Surely a politician with ambition has never or would never lower himself to such a position! Prostitution takes on many forms and it’s not always the trading of money for sex between strangers. Quite frankly it’s my view that most intimate relationships share in prostitution.

“Honey, if you bring home the bacon you can have sex every other night.”

Wife to Husband, it may be unspoken but it holds water, “You didn’t take out the trash, thank me for dinner, or buy me that ring I wanted so you’re going without this week.” Bold? Absolutely! Is there truth in my thoughts?

Many of you would choke on your own tongue before you admit it in Lady’s Bible Study, but you know I’m right. And for the men reading this, you’re probably thinking I’ve hit the nail on the head. But I can’t help but wonder if you would be brave enough to discuss this with your wife, girlfriend, or teach your college student that these are the cold, hard facts of life!

Another nibble of cake. Yes, as a phone sex operator I do receive calls on a daily basis asking if I offer “in service” or “out service”. That is because the consumer has failed to read the large print on my ad that clearly states “I do not escort so don’t even ask”. I make my money legally and it is up to someone, who seeks me out by the way, to either accept my services or reject them. I work with my brain, not on my back.
For those who may not agree with phone sex services allow me the opportunity to expose the views that many of us who are in this line of business and our clients share. The men who use phonesexkingdom.com range from the legal age of 18 to men in their 70’s.

Yes, some are young. But if they are old enough to sign the dotted line at the post office to fight for and die for their country then they are of consenting age. Many of our callers are happily married men who would rather use our phone sex service than to cheat on their wives who have lost interest in sex. Many are lonely, or people who have been hurt. Some have tastes that step outside of what the average American (whomever that may be) considers the norm. But if they’re calling us, expressing their most intimate desires, we are prepared, educated, intelligent, women who are meeting their needs. Supply and demand.
You can pass judgment on whether what I do for a living is right or wrong because we all have opinions. But come on people, let’s draw a line in the sand of when it’s time for politicians to stay out of our lives!

Craigslist.com has provided the information up-front to policing officials. They have not hidden information. This is a profitable business that is following the rules and someone who is seeking higher ground politically wants to cost him his business in a time when our economy is hurting like most of us have never seen in our lifetime.

If he’s going to clean house he might want to start sweeping every bar, casino, restaurant, dating web-site, massage parlor, and every other public place where men and women are propositioned on a daily basis.
Don’t believe me? Take a trip to your nearest casino on a weekend night, watch those women who are being handed stacks and stacks of chips by out of town business men, then follow them. And while you’re monitoring, look for that gold band on his left hand, then check out her empty ring finger.

About 10 years ago I met a very meek, mild-mannered, elementary school teacher who was trying to raise two daughters after her husband died. At that time she confided in me that, in her small town, she was advertising on another very popular website, prostate massages for $100, because she felt desperate about feeding her girls and maintaining the mortgage she was left with. If you think a prostate massage was all those men in big, fine homes, who drove the best of cars was getting, you might want to re-think this situation that was never brought out. I can’t help but wonder if it was because at that time that particular site didn’t charge to advertise personals.

For the final bite of cake, let me add another personal experience that is as true as the sky is blue. When I first moved to this state and was working in a very advanced position for a well-known financial institution I was approached in a national chain restaurant by a man and woman who were quite a bit older than me. He worked for the Governor of the state in which I reside, who happened to be Republican. She is now an elected Republican official in this very same state. So be careful if you believe there are partisan lines here that are left-wing, because that is not the case at all. Yes, I’m telling you that two, married Republicans are swingers. Do the politicians really want to dance this dance with the adult entertainment industry?

Take care of the individuals who are breaking laws, but there is no need to kill the messenger who has been forthcoming in providing whatever information the police have asked for in breaking up illegal activities. Craigslist.com has played by the rules.

There’s always icing on the cake so in closing I will suggest to you, the reader, to look into countries where certain activities are legal and check out some of their statistics, divorce rates, political, police, and incarceration spending. Perhaps it is time for our basic “checks and balances” to be re-checked.

Bailey Addison, PSO, http://bailey.phonesexkingdom.com/
http://phonesexkingdom.com/
March 9, 2009