An Apology Is In Order
Dear South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster,
Two days ago you accused craigslist, and me personally, of engaging in criminal acts, reiterating your previous threat to file unwarranted and unconstitutional charges against us that are clearly barred by federal law. As you put it, “We have no alternative but to move forward with criminal investigation and potential prosecution.”
These very serious allegations followed the dramatic changes we implemented last week, widely applauded by other Attorneys General, that go far beyond the policies and procedures you yourself personally endorsed just 6 months ago, as indicated by your signature on the Joint Statement.
So effective in fact, that our “adult services” and soon-to-be-retired “erotic services” sections combined, for all cities in South Carolina, currently feature a total of 40 ads, all of which comply with our terms of use. That’s 40 ads out of a total of 334,180 currently listed on our SC sites. The rest comprise a thriving marketplace for South Carolinians, offering jobs, housing, for sale items, local services, and just about everything else.
Many prominent companies, including AT&T, Microsoft, and Village Voice Media, not to mention major newspapers and other upstanding South Carolina businesses feature more “adult services” ads than does craigslist, some of a very graphic nature. For a small sampling, look (careful NSFW) here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here.
Have you fully considered the implications of your accusations against craigslist? What’s a crime for craigslist is clearly a crime for any company. Are you really prepared to condemn the executives of each of the mainstream companies linked above, and all the others that feature such ads, as criminals? craigslist may not matter in your world view, despite our popularity among your constituents, but mightn’t you want an endorsement from any of the SC newspapers for your gubenatorial campaign, whose publishers you’ve just labeled as criminals? Do you really intend to launch a criminal investigation against the phone company? What about potential new jobs connected to big data center buildouts in SC by Internet companies? Are you *sure* you want to prosecute all of their CEOs as criminals???
If you are threatening our founder Craig Newmark, a board member with no operational role at craigslist other than as a customer service representative, then you are expanding your list of “criminal suspects” to include thousands of employees at the above-named companies, or the companies’ boards of directors, or both.
Mr McMaster, I strongly recommend you reconsider and retract your remarks, and positively affirm that you have no intention of launching criminal investigations aimed at any of these upstanding companies, because in truth none of them are deserving of such treatment. Certainly when it comes to craigslist, by any objective standard your threats and accusations are unreasonable and unfair:
- threats of criminal prosecution are utterly unwarranted by the facts
- the charges threatened are unconstitutional and barred by federal law
- our adult ad screening regimen is stricter than the one you endorsed
- our adult services ads are fewer and tamer than other SC venues
We’re willing to accept our share of criticism, but wrongfully accusing craigslist of criminal misconduct is simply beyond the pale. We would very much appreciate an apology at your very earliest convenience. As I’m sure would all of the other fine companies whose executives you’ve called out as criminals.
Sincerely Yours,
Jim Buckmaster
CEO, craigslist
May 18th, 2009 at 8:02 am
[…] Here is the original craigslist blog post […]
May 18th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Darn straight. Another bible belt politician exploiting the religious sheep infesting the south with his feigned outrage and superior morality complex. Maybe you should counter sue the office… They have plenty of money. I mean their governor was crying about how his state don’t need stimulus money from the feds.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Well, I am on your side, but I have to say this. It is often said on craigslist, by Craig himself at times, “Not to feed the trolls”. Obviously, this AG is a troll running for political office. So why is Craigslist feeding the troll?
May 18th, 2009 at 10:36 am
[…] Craigslist and certain overly-agressive politicains, but after reading his most recent blog post, An Apology Is In Order, I have to say that I’m really proud of Jim. Having a CEO standing up to politicians and media for […]
May 18th, 2009 at 10:37 am
@Mark,
You do not ‘feed the trolls’ because that encourages them to ask for more ‘food’.
This troll has been fed already by somebody/something else. He is now asking for more. A different strategy is in order.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:41 am
TO: Mr. McMaster
Please resign from your position as AG, effective immediately. The people of SC do not need you wasting their tax money on you trying to further your political career.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:44 am
I live in and grew up in Charleston, SC and affirm that McMaster does not speak for the majority of South Carolinians. We have bashed this effort in our papers and alternative papers. http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/may/18/craigslist_ceo_asks_mcmaster_apologize_attack/
He is a jackass who is killing his own political career with this.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:48 am
I completely agree w/ McMaster. Only rich white men 50+ yrs old in government & Fortune 1000 companies should be allowed to hire prostitutes. They’re smart enough to handle it, the rest of the general public needs to be protected from themselves by these people who know what’s right.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:52 am
I agree whole-heartedly. I am embarrassed to admit I live in the great nation of South Carolina, where the governor is obviously doing nothing for our state, all-the-while he is posturing for a race to the Whitehouse in 2012. McMaster and his “God-Squad” need put in their places…
May 18th, 2009 at 11:13 am
[…] Buckmaster, CEO of the popular online classifieds service Craigslist, has published a smart, scathing rebuke to South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, whose office says it is moving forward with a […]
May 18th, 2009 at 11:15 am
This isn’t a matter of feeding the trolls. Internet trolls are meaningless and this involves a potential criminal charge.
Excellent response, Jim. I suspect he didn’t previously consider any of this and will now have to find a way to bow out while saving face - and that’s his problem.
May 18th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Too funny. This AG is indeed a troll but, unlike regular internet trolls, he has the power to make real trouble. The correct response is to turn and fight as CL has clearly done.
With that said, this has a potential unintended consequence. Internet prostitution, escort services from the phone book, massage parlors, etc.. are nothing new, not limited to CL, and seeminlg easy enough targets for law enforcement at any time. That LE has not gone after these businesses is one part corruption and one part laziness plain and simple. This fight has the potential to needlessly damage the lives of a lot of people who are doing nothing more than buying some illicit sex.
Unseemly, sure but, if legal and regulated, both a source of reliable public money and something that occurs between consenting adults behind closed doors. I have never understood why it was ok for Jesus to forgive a working prostitute but impossible for small-minded, thin-skinned, overly-churchy busybodies to mind their own business. Folks, get a life, please.
May 18th, 2009 at 11:25 am
McMaster is playing politics as usual. Why doesn’t Craigslist eliminate the sites for South Carolina. If would be fun seeing McMaster backtrack when people start blaming him for no Craigslist.
May 18th, 2009 at 11:36 am
[…] services section with a monitored “adult services” section, Buckmaster came out swinging in a blog post entitled ‘An Apology is in Order.’ Two days ago you accused craigslist, and me personally, of engaging in criminal acts, reiterating […]
May 18th, 2009 at 11:37 am
heh, you totally forgot to list the Free-Times. The Free Times is a published weekly magazine, that is freely distributed and found on just about every street in Columbia, either store or restaurant. Its backpages are FLOODED with all kinds of erotic services of various sexual nature with riske pictures.
Yes sure its an alternative publication that give info on weekly activities, but I can’t believe this guy is putting up such a stink about something online, that hardly anyone in Columbia uses. Other than to sell crappy cars, and for the one homo who visits every Publix in the area to check out guys and “missed connection” them.
And I don’t bring this up to throw Free-Times under the bus, but take a street interview of a random sampling of residents here, and you’ll find more know about Free-Times backpages, than anything about Craigslist.
McMasters is a moron, and frankly doesn’t have a clue how things on the intarweb work. (sic section 230). And reminds me alot of Tuttle, Oklahoma’s city manager Jerry Taylor.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/27/tuttle_email/
May 18th, 2009 at 11:48 am
I enjoyed your point of view. I am not in agreement that the ads meet all the ethical standards of the bible. I do agree that had the AG needs to be careful with his words and idle threats. It is a dangerous thing to expect action in the world of the internet. America needs to open it’s eyes and realize that regulation and control only limits a small group. The group that agree with said regulation. Locked doors keep an honest man out, if the man were not honest they would just break in. Removing the ads may keep a man or woman from cheating. Oh wait then there are other sights like adultfriendfinder, ashley madison, discrete affairs, match, swinglifestyle, eharmony, Yahoo groups, and the many other sites. So lets say we remove those sites too. The next thing that happens is some offshore company takes our business and offers the same services. Heck add on to the fact that now we will need to require all ISP’s to remove those sites. It is an endless spiral…. I am sure the American people who did not know those “services” were available from craigslist now know they are. Thanks for the free advertisement Mr. McMaster! Go ahead make it all illegal. It worked for internet gambling…. NOT!!!
May 18th, 2009 at 11:48 am
You’re quite right. This is an outrage. Push for an apology… Rgds Vince
May 18th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Perhaps you should do a search for McMaster’s IP address in your database to see which ads he has replied to over the years. That. Would. Be. Justice.
May 18th, 2009 at 11:49 am
I quite agree. This is an outrage. Push for an apology. Good luck. Rgds Vince
May 18th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Or rather, which ads he has posted. Probably something in the “M4M” Casual Encounters section.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Way to call ‘em out! An apology is most definitely in order.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
[…] political showboating and failure to fully consider “the implications of your accusations.” In a fine post (Techmeme), Buckmaster calls McMaster’s bluff. McMaster said over the weekend that “we have no […]
May 18th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
When I hear an Attorney General like McMaster using the press as his “bully pulpit” it always reminds me of Mike Nifong, the Durham prosecutor who criminally pandered to the local population to get re-elected. .
May 18th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
I’m with craigslist on this. However, I am not with Mike in Milwaukee and his kneejerk bigotry as in: “Another bible belt politician exploiting the religious sheep infesting the south.”
May 18th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Good for you! I am sick and tired of overreaching prosecutors who care nothing about justice and care only about getting as many high-profile prosecutions as they can. It’s nice to see someone standing up to one of these bullies.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Thank you for standing up to folks who try to abuse their power.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I’m standing with you guys, CL.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Agreed. I live in the “Bible Belt” and a majority of us value Craigslist for the wonderful marketplace it is. McMaster does not speak for all southerners.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Dear Jim Buckmater and Craig,
First of all, why on Earth would CL actually agree to take down these “services” from your site while you know full well that the other companies you cite are doing it willie nillie? Have you been sniffing glue?
Let me explain: When the attorneys general start using CL as a whipping boy, you make the claim of First Amendment, and rightfully so. But then like a typical Washingon State resident, you cave under the mildest preasure, enter into an agreement that abridges “your” rights and not a thought about your civic duty of all our rights. Then when one of the southen sharks “senses your cowardice” and comes back for another bite at the apple (as sharks do),… you’re surprised?
And now you whine in your blog like a crybaby?
Look at me. I placed the home addresses, phone number, SSN’s and criminal records of 10,000 police officers on my website. Then promptly got sued by 6 attorneys general, 37 municipalities and 4 counties. But you didn’t see me cave under that pressure. I stood my ground, fought and I won. I do not have the money you have or the attorneys that you enjoy.
What is your excuse?
The way I see this: You were dumb enough to sign into an agreement that every legal scollar knows you didn’t have to. Historians will note that once you start down that self sensorship path, there is no end. Marine biologists will tell you that “sharks” NEVER stop at one bite.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Craiglsit should entirely shut down any activity in South Carolina and see how the people of the state back McMaster after they lose this wonderful free service. I’ve used it numerous times and it’s very handy for cleaning out the garage!
May 18th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
I find it odd how you cling to ideas about freedom and the constitution when you have, in the past, spoken out about the very core elements that make our country great.
Econmic freedom and individual rights.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Thanks Jimmy. Let’s stop these Bible thumpers right in their tracks.
I’m so tired of our freedoms being carelessly taken away by right-wing politics.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
AWESOME! I greatly appreciate someone calling out a public servant when they are only interested in their own needs, instead of the needs of their constituents.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Looking forward to seeing McMaster’s favourite hooker coming forward for her Playboy interview.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
People from craigslist should not publish their photo’s next to their blogs - it weakens their case.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I think Craigslist should have stood up to unlawful prosecution. This response is bogus. They could have tried their luck in court and they would have lost. Craigslist owes it to their loyal following to protect our rights!
May 18th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Great response Jim! Good to see someone at craigslist making a stand. Please keep us craigheads updated in case we need to flood the SC Attorney Generals with emails or phone calls.
Sometimes in life you simply stand up to the bully or else he goes on forever tormenting those he perceives as weaker then he is.
If any good whatsoever comes out of all this debacle it will be that McMasters has ruined his reputation and whatever other political ambition he so obviously lusts for.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
They have the internet in SC?
May 18th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Jim - you nailed it in terms of rightfully pushing back on the fact that AGs have singled out Craigslist as a high-profile target. As you pointed out, numerous companies in South Carolina feature not only more “adult services” ads than Craigslist, but to my knowledge are taking far less action on the issue than your company.
McMaster could use a refresher on the legality of his requests since the law protects sites from being held liable for content on their site created by users.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
HELL, yes!
The massive vacuum of mental capacity contained within the skull of this foolish Attorney General requires exposure to knowledge which will be found within the text of Buckmaster’s stern rebuke.
Press on CL.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Awesome response by Bill Sheehan! A+
I could not had said it better except that maybe could the AG be using the service? Did that question ever come into consideration - think about all the others whom are elected to office that do and have been caught using similar.
I think the AG needs to reconsider his office and maybe the press attention this blog is getting will touch enough people to let them see where this whole mess is heading. As long qas we are bullied to act like that, we will continue to lose civil liberties and remember - once lost they never get returned.
PS: I didn’t have my firearms taken away during Katrina and we worked through the entire storm hard. had those been taken we would have been robbed and forced to stop rescue and other similar services. I know some who have and they remain scarred over the incident. We were ambushed twice during the storm aftermath and were able to act reasonable in response and nobody..NOBODY got hurt because WE DID HAVE FIREARMS!
Kevin N
Realnola - New Orleans
May 18th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
American politics are so amusing!
Yet another two-faced politician bites the dust. Don’t you just love it!
It is high time someone faced down him and his ilk and exposed this gang of morality guardians for what they are.
I wonder if any of these politicians accepted donations from any of the escort services or even sampled their goods like a certain New York AG did?
May 18th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
[…] to Craigslist for standing up to South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster and demanding an apology. The situation they find themselves in, facing threatened criminal prosecution, is absurd. I stand […]
May 18th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Calm down Jim. The AG simply confused Craig’s List with LARRY CRAIG’S LIST.
Then again, if CL is storing IP addresses of respondents to the sexual ads, it’s pretty clear why a politician would want the service shut down (and the database wiped)
May 18th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
This is absolutely ridiculous! I seriously cannot understand how off people can be on topics such as this. Are people blind? Pick up your local paper, there are TONS of adult ads in the classifieds and I don’t see anyone filing lawsuits to newspaper owners …
Typical dual-standards …
Keep up the fight!
May 18th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
There’s no bully like a power-hungry prosecutor. When you take a politician who will do whatever it takes to be re-elected or elected to greater office, and make that person the chief law enforcement officer for a state or municipality, this sort of abuse ensues. Sadly it only ends up damaging and weakening the office, leaving it with little capital to pursue the serious issues challenging the locality.
Craigslist had every right to challenge the corrupt power play represented by the Joint Statement. However, craigslist chose to changes its policies to go beyond the recommendations of that Joint Statement. IMHO this ‘fed the troll’l. When faced with indictments it certainly seems to be the better option, but craigslist has only encouraged these AGs further. Whilst you are to be commended for standing up to this bald-faced corruption, standing up to the Joint Statement may turn out to have been the less costly choice.
May 18th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
WOW, not thats telling it how it is….Today In America, we have allowed the courts and the law to totally destroy freedom, I can’t think of ANYTHING that you can do in the country that is not covered by some Law that you requires you to buy something or pay a fee…..this is just one small example of whats going to bring this country to its knees, Laws and the Courts!
May 18th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
[…] on the story at TechMeme. Update: Buckmaster demands an apology. Well […]
May 18th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
I think it is unfortunate that you gave an inch, now they want a mile. What do you expect?
What we need to do is look at the laws on prostitution and not the sites that people might use to procure sex. If we look at the sites then facebook should be next, have you seen the pictures College kids put up?
Check out Happy Endings? a documentary film on Asian massage parlors in RI where prostitution is legal.
May 18th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Them’s fightin’ words, Mr. Buckmaster. Too bad you didn’t use them BEFORE caving in to the unreasonable demands of McMaster. It’s a little late to take a stand now, isn’t it?
May 18th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
I think asking for an apology on a blog may be a bit weak in this case.
Have you thought about obtaining a court order — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injunction ?
Cheers,
Stephan
May 18th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Really fine response.
The buildup of a firm foundation of facts and then the consequence analysis. So finally the very polite and softly sarcastic appeal.
Enjoyable as language and as an attack on stupidity
May 18th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
You know, I think there is a darker agenda behind this. Who stands to profit from Craiglist being gone? More and more I’m thinking that people in the shadows, using other figures to do their dirty work, are chipping away at the internet. And partnering up with authorities who already want to censor others who are not like them
Why isn’t that Attorney General and others prosecuting that venue who yet again, popped up laptops full of information, the top secret ones and the military gear. How about Virginia Tech and the bullets? How about that guy who was videotaping cheerleaders & selling his up skirt smut there? What, AGs didn’t know about that? If you want to apply the same attack on Craiglist, they should be gunning for that other venue under the Patriot Act, their unregulated financial services products.
I think the CL community needs to rally up and stick our foots up someones butt! I have a feeling the CL owners probably cant say much about lots of things (sorry Jim, that’s how I feel). We have to think like this: If someone wants to take us out, they’ll do is slowly so you wont see it when it hits! We should resist everything and fight for our space on the net!
May 18th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
owned.
May 18th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
No; no; no! No more! Not this time, consiglieri. No more meetin’s, no more discussions, no more McMaster tricks. You give’em one message: I want McMaster– if not, it’s all-out war — we go to the mattresses…
May 18th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
No doubt McMaster would chalk this whole thing up to a “misunderstanding” if craigslist just makes a sizable campaign contribution.
May 18th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
I highly respect your fighting back. I read the AG’s remarks, and thought to myself, “What if I had a company that someone like this AG attempted to damage, by threatening imprisonment? How would I travel to that state freely?”.
I would go further, though. I would make an example of this AG, by becoming active in SC politics and destroying his career. Finance his opponent. Run honest ads showing the voters how importune and careless this AG is. Connect that in the voters minds to his decisions that could potentially charge their friends, family, loved ones.
In short, make a statement to stop other AG’s who see low-hanging fruit in attacking distant internet companies.
May 18th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Mr. Buckmaster,
I am a resident of South Carolina, and I fully support your position. Mr. McMaster is an embarrassment to the citizens of South Carolina, and many of us are tired of people like him trying to use his personal views to launch a political agenda. Be strong and know that you have citizens here in South Carolina who are not afraid to speak out against an injustice being carried out against Craigslist.
May 18th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
I think this says a lot about Mr. McMaster, the Attorney General of South Carolina. He appears to be against Net Neutrality which is a fascist characteristic.
What an embarrassment.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Good one Jim. Craigslist is an amazing service and is a symbol of the power of the web. Don’t let these old time politricks get you down. They are just grasping at air trying to remain in power during this big media shift. Good luck to them. Their gonna need it!
May 18th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Usenet history has shown that people who want to advertise for many things, including adult services and erotic services, will do so wherever they can. Stopping them is a futile effort. It’s just as futile as spam, or even more so since there is a huge market for what they are offering.
What a specific category for these activities does is “sequester” them from those of us not interested in even seeing the advertising. I simply avoid those categories. But if the categories go away, these ads will end up being randomly placed because the providers of those services know that people that will patronize them are in all walks of life. While Craigslist does have a moderation system to flag miscategorized postings, it isn’t immediate (someone has to see it first, to flag it), and it won’t stop the postings.
Having these categories, as disgusting as they might be to many people, is effective in keeping these ads out of regular sections.
I was considering a week at Myrtle Beach this year, given the “economic discounts” I’ve found to be available (yes, there are a lot of vacancies now). That plan is now canceled.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
It’s true that CL is a medium and the Murderers R US.
Removing Erotic Services/ making people pay to post
is going to move the posters and consumers to other areas of Cl, resulting
in lower flagging standards, banned acupuncturists, and new abbreviated code words that will just confuse the sexual non-seekers like, say, me.
No matter how many of us ladies get abducted and killed by men we meet in bars, they aren’t going to shut down the bars, or blame the bartender. Thus:
The atty is not terribly bright or perhaps not educated about what the word “freedom” is actually supposed to mean, and should be relocated immediately to Tehran.
That said,
I wish that one had to go to a different page for the graphic stuff. Like maybe you have to to dig a little more, or type in a different domain. That will solve (and create) problems I’m sure. But I have a pre-teen girl, she wants a dog, I say “GREAT let’s look on craigslist…oh, um,” and then I think about all the buttons on that page that you can push that will get you to a fun-house mirror manifestation of human sexuality. And I don’t want her to learn how to use this excellent resource for that reason. I know, she will see the “you must be 18″ and she will turn back! ha ha.
I’m not anti sex, nor anti-sex ed. I am anti-computer sex-ed, I’ll admit it.
That’s all I got. Thanks for listening.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
An open letter is nice and all, but the real way to get back at a politician is to clog the money faucet.
Every political candidate has to list their donors in their campaign financing statements. Time to play “real politics” and launch a negative publicity campaign to wipe out his donor base.
If he has no money, he can’t run for office. If he can’t run for office, he’s no longer a threat…
A classic case was when the Washington state AG attacked Ben Suarez’s mail order company in the mid 80’s. Ben had already been run through the ringer with the FDA, and learned that while open letters soothe the soul and stroke the ego, full-scale attacks on a candidate’s money base through bad publicity and expose’s are much more effective….
Find the skeletons and expose them.
Once you burn this guy, you’ll learn that the other AGs and bureaucrats will be less inclined to scald themselves taking you on…..
May 19th, 2009 at 1:35 am
[…] on this issue as they have complied with everything this douche bag has demanded. Good for them for demanding an […]
May 19th, 2009 at 1:36 am
Craigslist should do what it wants and the conservative / fundamental so called Christian politicians should go play with themselves and leave the rest of us alone! Do not force your values on me and I will not try to force mine on you…if you do not like it, do not look…
May 19th, 2009 at 3:04 am
Nice to see someone taking up a stand against these ignorant idiots. Suggest counter-suing his office just to set an example.
May 19th, 2009 at 3:44 am
Living in North Carolina, I have to say I love your site. I personally, have no issues with anything on your site, last time I checked, this was AMERICA, where you are SUPPOSE to have the freedom of speech. Please keep up the good work, and dont let South Carolina nor any other state push you around!
Kuddos!
May 19th, 2009 at 4:00 am
[…] to Craigslist for standing up to South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster and demanding an apology. The situation they find themselves in, facing threatened criminal prosecution, is absurd. I stand […]
May 19th, 2009 at 5:29 am
“Perhaps you should do a search for McMaster’s IP address in your database to see which ads he has replied to over the years. That. Would. Be. Justice.”
It does amaze me how often self-appointed moral crusaders have secret kinks in their personal lives, in particular TV evangelists, a certain Congressman from LA and a recent Governor of NY. I’ll bet digging into the private life of the SC-AG would yield some juicy tidbits.
One of the (many) reasons the GOP is in the wilderness is because they sucked up to the extreme religious right for far too long. It’s about time these people were outed and marginalized.
May 19th, 2009 at 5:42 am
[…] CEO Jim Buckmaster just laid down probably the most inteligent and kind smackdown I have ever read in an open […]
May 19th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Christians are morally superior. Get with the program my friend.
May 19th, 2009 at 7:44 am
It is very simple. Mc”Disaster” is playing “Let’s get free press and defend the rights of those who don’t care against evil”. This is his moment in the sun but as I vacation at Hilton Head it appears the clouds are rolling in. Jim can you get a new catagory for trading Atty. Generals to somewhere else..sure we couldnt sell McDisater
May 19th, 2009 at 7:47 am
So why is it that CL did not tell South Carolina to get stuffed to begin with? This was all about politics to begin with. Changing your site to serve the needs of some bible thumping politician does not serve the best needs of your users. Companies the size of CL get sued by idiots like this every day. This would have best been resolved by “no comment” and having you legal department deal with these people. Quite honestly I think this politician picked the fight with CL because of the news that the serial killer made and because CL was small enough so he could pick a fight. Google or a larger company would have handled this differently. I think CL should put their erotic services section back. What happens between two consenting adults is none of the governments business.
May 19th, 2009 at 8:03 am
Just block all of SC. Solves several problems at once.
1) no more political grandstanding by a limelight seeking jack ass
2) no more worries from the likes of the Christian fundamentalists and their mass hypocrisy
May 19th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Sounds like McMasterbate is tired of having to wait until his prostitudes are available, now he can have availability at any time, and probably at a reduced rate, dure to lack of advertising.
May 19th, 2009 at 8:32 am
For the Politicians and Bible thumpers out there. Your so quick to preach and judge. Well Mary Magdelen was a hooker and that was Jesus best friend. What happen to that part of the bible?
It’s amazing you can sell any thing you own. Your house, your car, personal belongings, but you can’t sell your ass or your time.
Politicians, if you would just legalize it, regulate it, and tax it we (hookers) can take the world out of the deficiet we are in. You could still get your drug bust out it.
I am one of the providers can you please tell me why it was legal when i owed irs 50,000 but it’s not legal now. Go figure!
May 19th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Some of you have resorted to the time worn tactic of assuming the entire state is made up of bible thumpers. I haven’t noticed that we have a monopoly on political buffoons.
I don’t think you’ll be hearing any more from McMasters on this. I bet he’s gotten enough criticism from South Carolinians that he’s probably in full retreat.
May 19th, 2009 at 9:12 am
[…] the weekend Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster turned into an internet cult hero, with his now famous blog demanding an apology from an attorney general threatening to prosecute him for […]
May 19th, 2009 at 9:36 am
>> Another bible belt politician exploiting the religious sheep infesting the south with his feigned outrage and superior morality complex.
I recall living in Columbia, South Carolina some time ago when the state legislators spent a couple of weeks debating over whether the confederate flag flying on the state house grounds should be a cotton or, I say, a cotton/polyester blend, suh.
South Carolina is full of yahoos like this; a xenophobic, proud-to-be-average good ole boy paradise. Spend some time there and you will feel like you’ve gone back in time to the 1970’s. One of the best days of my life was when I moved away from that dung heap of a state. I don’t even like to pass through it when traveling.
May 19th, 2009 at 10:50 am
[…] remove its adult and erotic services sections, CEO Jim Buckmaster lashed out at McMaster on his blog: Many prominent companies, including AT&T, Microsoft, and Village Voice Media, not to mention […]
May 19th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Very simple solution that should take the heat off Craigslist and satisfy the SC AG … remove all SC pages on CL … nope, not for SC anymore. Then let the (hopefully web savvy) citzenry of SC jump all over the AG’s a$$ about it!
May 19th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I think it would make more sense to simply shut down ALL Craigslist service to South Carolina with all site accesses from that state directed to a page with a brief explanation of why and the e-mail, phone number, fax number, website, and mailing address for anyone who’d like to express an opinion to the SC AG about it.
How long would it take the AG to find out that his constituents find Craigslist a lot more popular and useful than they find him?
May 19th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Craig, the law is with you! If he doesn’t apologize, just place that section back! At reelection time, have fun with tv ads against him. That will scare any other morons that want to mess with Craigslist.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Simple solution: Just pull all South Carolina content from Craigslist. Probably wouldn’t hugely affect the company’s bottom line, and the AG would get the backlash he deserves.
May 19th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Thanks for the listing of all the sites I can go to for a hookup!
Wow, if it wasn’t for the AG, I would never have known…..
May 20th, 2009 at 8:17 am
[…] Buckmaster, the CEO of Craigslist, responded by demanding an apology from McMaster. Why? Because there are dozens of publications, both in print and on the Web, that […]
May 20th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Excellent!!!!! It’s about time the grandstanding politicians got shoved back!!!
The whole Craigslist ‘erotic services’ issue was a non-issue to begin with.
The more prudent scumbag politicians have moved on, just the desperate clingers to the political teat left……
May 20th, 2009 at 10:22 am
The CEO of CL has staked out an importance position. Why is CL being singled out–because of its popularity? The Village Voice is making a fortune off of similiar ads and, in fact, there are so many websites these days that it is impossible to police all of them. Prostitution should be legalized and allow people (adults) to engage in sex acts without prosecution.
No one, to date, has been able to curtail prostitution. However, to single out CL as a major Internet “pimp” is a bit much.
May 20th, 2009 at 10:55 am
The South Carolina attorney general is grand standing to advance his political career. Typically the people that take a strong stand for “morality” are such hypocrites. It would not surprise me in the least if it comes out that he has been seeing hookers on the sly in an Elliot Spitzer sort of way. LOL.
May 20th, 2009 at 11:25 am
This Atorney General wrongly using his position to further political ambitions. Everyone knows these ads are in every paper and local periodicals. This stratwegy will backfire on him.
Craiglist is a wonderful service that has helped sooo many people. It is truly un American to waste Craigslist’s resources and the tax payers, by wrongly trying to prosecute innocent parties.
Maybe he should sue the city of Columbia for providing street corners!
May 20th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Thanx for standing up to abusive politicians. You are a hero!
Bill
May 20th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
You know they want the porn off of craigslist for the state, because of kiddies looking at it. MAYBE if there parents were more responsible and monitored what the heck there children were doing and looking at on the boob tube and the computer than this attorney would not have a leg to stand on. Isn’t it election year next year? Guess his seat is being challenged. Either that or billy bob, and mary sue were caught on state computers looking at PORN.
YO AG, your going to loose
May 20th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
You want quick action on this?
Close all SC Craigslist sites and replace them with a note quickly stating your case and then add office phone numbers, email addresses, and mailing addresses of the of the AT and the Governers office.
See how quickly they back-pedal. I can all but guarantee this would be finished in a matter of days.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Dear Jim,
I have so much respect for you . This is very direct and well written . I hope all goes well for Craigslist who services do so much good for the community . Warmest Regards, Cheray Unman
May 20th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/787412.html
Friday, May. 15, 2009
Exclusive: McMaster builds team for governor race
Why am I not surprised? It would appear the Attorney General had to reach deep for campaign issues. Running against a reported field of five vying for the GOP ticket, is it issue enough?
May 21st, 2009 at 8:04 am
What a bad letter Jim. So you want us to feel sorry for you, as if you are being picked on simply because other companies do it too. What a sad excuse. That’s like someone saying don’t point me out for stealing because a lot of other people steal to. You should take the lead on this and do what is right, fix it and then encourage the others to follow your lead. Instead you want to point out what they are doing wrong and make it look like you are being picked on.
Unfortunately you are putting traffic to Craig’s list ahead of using common sense. Shame on you. I will no longer use Craig’s list.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:04 pm
fantastic post. kudos. i hope all this slides off your back. this is nothing but someone targetting a “small guy” to look good and for some PR.
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:41 pm
I’m glad Craigslist is taking this stuff down, and I think your countermeasures are appropriate.
But please don’t stand here and tell me that you didn’t know prostitution was going on or that you weren’t encouraging it, or that Craig Newmark was just a bystander. Although I don’t believe Craigslist was created to facilitate prostitution in any way, it has become a way of doing that. The erotic services have become so blatantly overridden with prostitution that Craigslist the company did very well know what was going on.
Craigslist should be praised for taking action. But Craigslist is not innocent - it knew damn well that illegal sex was being sold on the site.
All lawsuits should be dropped at this time by all parties. Its a waste. I hope the resolutions solve the problem.
Now, if we really want to fix the world, we should just make prostitution legal and then there would be no problem.
May 23rd, 2009 at 5:21 pm
What a tool, seriously look at the back of any trash or legitimate newspaper, full of racy “masseuse” “escort” “prostate massage” “male sexual specialist” and “sex consultant” listings with barely legal pics and content. And wtf is this bull about pornography, porn isn’t illegal yo! Not in south carolina not in california, the only thing is that in mississippi and utah the age to buy/view porn is retardedly 21 for someone GODAWFUL reason!
May 24th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Good for you. Tell that slimy bastard! Get ‘em!
May 26th, 2009 at 8:10 am
What ever happened to decency and morality? Prostitution may be the oldest decadence, notice i didnt say profession but that doesn’t mean we have to have it blatantly pushed in our faces. Jesus may have forgiven the hooker but he also said go and sin no more. let prostitution stay in the back alleys and gutters where it belongs instead of in newspapers, cl and magazines on and on ad nauseum.
July 31st, 2009 at 4:00 am
That’s really bravo thing… well i never thought that US politics are also like that…. You rock man
August 30th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Unfortunately, it was another case of another South Carolina politician looking for his “golden goose” issue that will “propel” him to some greater glory within the state. The flip side is that our state, in large part, see’s no merrit when this kind of case comes up. I mean, it was based almost solely on McMaster’s own interpretation of the law. I mean, what next? Will he see terrorist within the AARP? It’s all politicas, nothing more.
McMaster is supposed to “look out for the people of South Carolina”, not just look out for the “person in South Carolina”, the one person being himself. JUST MORE WASTED MONEY BY AN OFFICIAL IN ONE OF THE POOREST STATES IN THE COUNTRY! Who’s he really platying to? I mean other than himself?
September 5th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
This witch hunt is insane. The South Carolina AG needs to grow up. Whether or not there’s sex being sold doesn’t matter to me one iota. If an individual wants to sell his or her companionship, it should be legal. Period. I don’t care if they have sex, sing, put on costumes, or serve whipped cream in unusual places. It should be legal.
September 25th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
If these rights are taken away, it will open up a door to a bigger problem and set our society back socially, much in the way we did with letting prop 8 fall by the wayside.
October 29th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Jim Buckmaster your words are brilliant. You held a mirror of truth for the accuser to look into, along with relevant counter evidence. A well delivered expose that can not be refuted. Reading this ‘Apology Is In Order’ makes one aware of the excellence that produces a kismet pride.