Target Practice
South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster today announced that our recent improvements, which go far beyond measures he himself personally endorsed with his own signature six months ago, not only aren’t good enough, but actually require a criminal investigation:
“As of 5:00 p.m. this afternoon, the craigslist South Carolina site continues to display advertisements for prostitution and graphic pornographic material. This content was not removed as we requested. We have no alternative but to move forward with criminal investigation and potential prosecution.”
He evidently feels justified in singling out craigslist for investigation, and publicly condemning me personally as being worthy of criminal prosecution.
Seriously? The craigslist adult services section for Greenville, SC has a total of 1 ad for the last 3 days, featuring a photograph of a fully clothed person. The “erotic services” section for Greenville, which we recently closed, has 8 ads total which will expire in two days, and even for these ads the images and text are quite tame.
Meanwhile, the “adult entertainment” section of greenville.backpage.com (careful with link, NSFW), owned by Village Voice Media, has over 60 ads for the last 3 days, and about 250 in total. In sharp contrast with craigslist, many of these ads are quite explicit, quoting prices for specific sex acts, featuring close-ups of bare genitalia, etc.
Of course, no one in mainstream legal circles thinks either company should be subject to civil suit, let alone a criminal investigation. But if for whatever reason you were so motivated, would you target a venue with 9 PG-13 rated ads, or one with 250 XXX rated ones?
And FWIW, telephone yellow pages and other local print media have both companies beat hands down as adult service ad venues for South Carolina.
Any interest in targeting them for criminal prosecution? Didn’t think so.
Update - 1st comment on this entry lists 19 adult ads for 1 day from the Charleston Post and Courier.
Update 2 - 5 pages of escort listings on live.com (owned and operated by Microsoft), click on the “images” tab at the top of the listing page if you want to see photographs (careful NSFW), and note the sponsored “hotel” ads being sold against these listings
Update 3 - 26 escort ads for Myrtle Beach on yellowpages.com (owned and operated by AT&T). Anyone care to count the escort ads in the print yellow pages for major cities in South Carolina?
May 16th, 2009 at 6:37 am
I head up a “new” online newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. Frankly, we’ve been embarrassed by McMaster’s actions and inability to differentiate in this case. - And McMaster’s probably bid for governor does not escape us.
Nor does the targeting of Craigslist over print media escape us. Here’s the “personal” ads that were available in South Carolina’s flagship paper, The Post and Courier, on May 15 [phone numbers redacted]:
A 2 A Affairs Massages — A Touch of Relaxation — ###-#### * Bl#1253
A 1 A All For You Lori, Jordan, Carissa, Stacia, Maya ###-#### BL###-####1
AAA Angel Swedish Goddess Stacie 843-###-#### bl#l027470
CLASSY In Call S’ville * 7am-9pm 843-###-#### * bl#30990
Affordable Prices Beautiful GirlsGreat Massage 843-###-#### l#6035
Amazing Belles Latin & English! 2 New Girls! 24/7! 843-###-#### Y bl#01784nc
Angels From Heaven Ask About In/Out Specials 843-###-#### Y #01751NC
NEW BLACK MODELS Male/Female Dancers, Priv Shows. L#00512*843-###-####
Paulina 843-###-#### 9am-6pm. Jillah 843-###-#### 11am-6pm bl38178
Private Dance 1/2 hour special 843-###-#### bl#30727
J Sportsman’s Paradise Best Hands In Town ~Meg~ 843-###-#### * bl#23014
{A Taste Of Spring{ 24/7 *** In/Out 843-###-#### *** pl#07004
AA -Brooke, Alex, Chloe, Nadia, Stacy. BL0703NC ###-#### 9a-6p
Y Always Available Y Out Calls Only 843-###-#### * pcl#07-005
Y LA FEMME Y A Soothing Touch 843-###-#### bl#26992
Fantasy Destination Mailing & Charo In/Out Call 843-###-#### bl#10842
J Sportsman’s Paradise Best Hands In Town ~Meg~ 843-###-#### * bl#23014
Katie Blue eyed, blonde. In/Out. Private Shows. 843-###-#### Bl#C-002
Y HEART SHAPED Y 4 lovely ladies * 4 priv shows 843-###-#### * pcl#07-005
May 16th, 2009 at 10:24 am
This McMaster is obviously a posturing buffoon with not a shred of respect for the law that clearly protects CL in this case, and an embarrassment to his state…
but these CL blog entries that keep pointing fingers at other advertising outlets are equally embarrassing…the real issue at hand is the immunity granted interactive web services by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which in nearly every case have held for the defendants, including Craigslist itself in Chicago Lawyers’ Committee For Civil Rights Under Law, Inc. v. Craigslist, Inc.-
“Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook issued an opinion on March 14, 2008 affirming the decision by the district court. The court noted the burden and ineffectiveness of imposing a duty on Craigslist to eliminate such postings: “[I]f postings had to be reviewed before being put online, long delay could make the service much less useful, and if the vetting came only after the material was online the buyers and sellers might already have made their deals. Every month more than 30 million notices are posted to the Craigslist system…fewer than 30 people…operate the system[.]” Additionally, the court stated “[u]sing the remarkably candid postings on Craigslist, the [plaintiffs] can identify many targets to investigate…and can collect damages from any landlord or owner who engages in discrimination[; but,] cannot sue the messenger just because the message reveals a third party’s plan to engage in unlawful discrimination.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Lawyers%27_Committee_For_Civil_Rights_Under_Law_v._Craigslist
Quite odd that with that CL-specific precedent a matter of record, that CL’s response to this round of bullying is to manually review material before it is put online, precisely what the courts have already ruled is an unreasonable burden…something just doesn’t add up.
CL has little to worry about from a legal standpoint, and this insistence on directing attention towards other advertisers is at best a distraction, and at worst supports the notion that CL is actively engaged in an attempt to destroy traditional print advertisers.
It also squanders the opportunity to stand up for free speech rights and the rule of law, something CL has always paid lip service to but now seems unwilling to stand up for even with the law and crystal clear precedent on its side.
Like I said, something just doesn’t add up here, and South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster isn’t the only player engaging in disingenuous posturing.
May 16th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
I think you should bend over and do whatever they want, I mean- you already showed you have no backbone, so why quit now???
May 16th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
To clarify a previous comment: I think it’s a positive thing that “erotic services” has been dropped, not that you are under criminal investigation.
May 16th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I’m really glad you wrote this blog and it’s on the news here in Charlotte (on the SC state line). Regardless of my opinions on the topic, I very much appreciate it when hypocrisy of politicians is exposed.
My best guess as to why CL’s was singled out is because CL’s has been on the news and most people know about it. The AG, like most politicians, needs to consider his re-election at all times because he really, really digs on power. So, to gain the good favor of SC, he needs to attack something that people know about and try and make himself out as a hero.
May 16th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
It is quite simple. Henry McMaster is running for governor in 2010. He is doing whatever he can to get his statewide name recognition numbers up. He is a moron, and enough of us (South Carolinians) realize it.
May 16th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
I dont feel that CL needed to make any changes. The small charge of 5$ and working with law enforcement was the best move possible. Now the sections seem to be confused as to what role they play. I fear that we will begin seeing prostitutes promoting themselves in the dating sections and therapeutic ads.
May 16th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
SC. Attorney General Henry McMaster = Nazi Communist
May 16th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Craig, I hope you now realize that you can never appease these control freaks. There comes a point where someone has to do the right thing and take a stand for freedom of speech. Perhaps now is the time. I can only hope that you beat McMaster horribly in the courts, and then sue him for malicious prosecution.
Also, just an after-thought, but I would like to see all revenue from the new “adult” section go to a legal organization that advocates for the decriminalization of prostitution and freedom of speech.
May 16th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Craigslist makes a deal with the devil, and then is shocked when they are bitten anyway? Seriously?
May 16th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Just thought I would send to you a copy of the email that I sent to the stupid Attorney General of SC. He’s doing this for political gain and if people can’t see that they deserve what they get
“I’m not from SC and I don’t really care what happens in SC but I find it appalling when a Politician takes a social issue and uses it for his benefit to get elected to another political office. As a Republican I would really suggest to you that you start out by becoming a little more inclusive and not so rigid in your beliefs. The Republican Party needs to learn that the Ultra Conservative Right is not the only way for things to be done. And if you can’t become inclusive and stop using a touchy current social issue for political gain, I hope that you get your ass kick big time in the election.”
May 16th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
What is there to complain Craiglist?
Craiglist failed to defend the freedom of press & free speech in the first instance by bending to the wills of LE by agreeing to cooperate with them, and (now ) whine and beg for protections under the freedom of press when its is actually participating (accompolice) by charging for the postings. Why didn’t Craiglist from beginning defend its position in the courts? Reporters does and many have gone to jail instead of becoming a snitch! Yes, Craiglist deserve what is coming because you betrayed our free speech.
May 16th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
In fighting for a legitimate cause, if you cave in even once, you have lost forever. This lessons have been learned in the Soviet Union in the 1920s. Anyone who has seriously dealt with oppressive forces knows this: for example Israel has zero tolerance policy, which is the only policy that keeps organizations like Hamas or Hezbollah in check. You just NEVER YIELD ANYTHING. You caved in to the request to squash free speech once by modifying the site, now you are bearing the consequences.
May 16th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
I live near Greenville. I can’t figure out by what right any state can regulate what someone puts on a server in another state. Are we regulating the intrusion of electrons?
If McMasters doesn’t stop this crap, here’s what I’d do if I were you, Jim. I’d stop providing service to South Carolina. Anyone who clicked on
“South Carolina” would see a message that says: “For several years, Craigslist has provided advertising services for millions of South Carolinians. For that, we are being threatened with prosecution by SC State Attorney General Henry McMasters. Until we received assurances that we will not be threatened with criminal prosecution for the actions of a few of our customers, South Carolina will not be eligible for services. Craigslist will continue to serve 49 states and cities throughout the world…….”
Craigslist is more popular than McMasters. At that point, McMasters can pretty much forget about being elected to anything.
May 16th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
This would be more persuasive if backpage.com — a pretty close to carbon copy of craigslist — weren’t an obvious competitor to craigslist.
Granted, it’s a feeble competitor, but still.
If Craig and Jim want to be on the side of the angels — and for both legal and political reasons they should — they ought to point out that more prostitution hookups occur through eros.com (and similar sites, including bigdoggie.net, utopiaguide.com and ozzyssandbox.com) than through backpage.com.
Why blow off massive public support in an off-hand way?
May 16th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
He’s arepublican running for office; thus he has no issues to run on. Typical conservative who wants to regulate what goes on in private bedrooms.
May 16th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Man…I live here in the capital city of Columbia, the politicians and people who run this city and the rest of the state are ass backwards as all get out. Our elected officials are so inept that in an audit they found that they were paying the same bills three times in a row, then the guy running the finances “retires” and then gets hired again by the city to ….wait for it…take care of the cities money!!!! My point is, this is Sc and this is what you should expect from politicians from this state, we are after all the state that goes after Olympians for bong pics. I wouldnt worry too much legally, there is no grounds for what this asshat is doing, its all grandstanding for election time. WHAT YOU NEED TO DO…is publicly humiliate this clown in the press, call his retarded ass bluff. Trust me, the people of this state know about this embarrassment in the news and would love for this guy to be put back in his place. I agree with the other poster who said shut the entire SC portion down, then there will be so many pissed off people that Mcasshat will feel an election threat, then he will let this whole thing disappear. He should be going after all the racists posting in the rant and rave section..read it lately? It speaks volumes.
May 16th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Craig’s List could end up like Howard Stern. Remember the “wardrobe malfunction” at the halftime show of the Super Bowl a few years back? People were outraged and demanded the government “do something.” The head of the FCC, Colin Powell’s son, did something. He went after Stern who had nothing to do with the incident that started the firestorm. Stern had done plenty in the past, he was famous for it, and so he was an obvious scapegoat for all that was wrong with radio - at least the sexual end of it - and Mr. and Mrs middle American would be very happy to get him off the air whether he had ever met Janet Jackson or not. Stern ended up on satellite radio. Craig’s List has no such option.
Once this guy got named “the Craig’s List killer” the die was cast. It won’t matter if someone else does more or less of this kind of advertising as long as someone is “doing something” and that something is highly visible. This is not a legal issue. It’s pure politics.
May 16th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Make SURE your GC reads through the very recent yahoo 230 case. Lots of judges have tried to cut down 230 (and failed miserably), but this one did find a reason to do it. Who knows if it’ll hold up on appeal.
May 16th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
I think you should be screaming EVERYTIME your site is targeted by politicians. What’s happening to FREEDOM in this country?
How many people were killed by drunk drivers this past week. I demand we outlaw cars, and I demand we outlaw booze.
Let adults make their own decisions. No more of this oppressive nanny state. Government (and that means you Obama), get out of our lives!
May 16th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
i am a libertarian-conservative, and this crap is exactly what is wrong with the republicans!! i am all for morality, but not imposed by the gov’t, nor a the point of a gun!!!
END THE SUPPORT OF THE LEVIATHAN STATE!
May 16th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
It’d be far less nauseating if these keystone kop attorney generals would be as passionate about crimes that truly affect the populace. Like showing as much anger towards the bloodsucking towing companies, who every week fraudulently cause more pain and suffering than all the escorts on craigslist.
but massage artists and escorts don’t make campaign contributions and towing company vampires do not pose in provocative attire.
I agree with the other posters that you stop treating this buffoon like some highly respected oracle and expose him as the fool and bully he appears to be.
May 16th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Because one cretin attorney general is South Carolina wants to act like the Taliban everyone gets their pants in a knot. What is this a$$h*/e going to do, hijack a plane and dive it into Craigslist HQ. Fight the damn thing. Any intelligent SC voter will perceive him for the tortured piglet he is and send him back to auto insurance claim cases where he belongs.
May 16th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster is an entity misplaced by time with a Christ complex- he believes his moral superiority must be layered upon what he sickeningly views is a distressed and broken society.
He should be leading heretics to the stake in 1235 and burning their asses to the bone for not following prescribed doctrines- not holding such a significant position of power in the year 2009.
Craigslist should have stood up to this religious pile of tramp garbage.
May 16th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
I would like to suggest you move the domain overseas. To the Bahamas where all the gambling website’s reside. The weather’s nicer, taxes are better. Show them where the ‘land of the free’ truly is. If not, just link the erotic services to ’sfredbook.com’. Nobody seems to bother them either.
May 17th, 2009 at 1:25 am
Hi Jim,
Thank you for your comments. I love Craigslist for protecting the 1st Amendment Freedoms. But, I have to say - as a person who has posted on erotic services for legal services and who never posted a nasty photo - but fully clothed PG rated ones - the many changing rules with no warning - have really felt painfully oppressive and have been EXTREMELY stressful.
Last week - I really needed to make some money to pay for a cat I adopted to get a spay job. I thought spay jobs were only about $300 but the vet said there were complications and now the bill is a WHOPPING $800. It is a really sweet cat and I want her to have the best care. She was an unwanted animal and I felt sorry for her because she has had a hard life. Her tail is broken from some kind of an earlier accident.
Please be more FAIR with the new Adult Service ads. Please, PLEASE don’t put our accounts on hold anymore or take adult services away without any warning ever again. I was so stressed out last Tuesday - that I got TMJ when I was sleeping and severely damaged a back tooth. The economy is tough and will not be getting better - people need to just be able to survive. I am a single mother with an autistic child who needs very expensive ongoing occupational therapy. Because of the unpredictability of my child’s needs - I can’t work a conventional job and taking appointments for outcall services helps pay my bills and take good care of my daughter - around my child’s schedule and the babysitters schedule. The child’s father wants nothing to do with my daughter or me and is not supporting us in any way. In fact, he has been dodging us for years.
Keep up the good work and please - after putting us former ES providers through so much pain and agony over the years with all the drastic changes without warning - please, PLEASE be nicer. We are still human beings just like you. There were some providers like me on CL ES who were not posting offensive and illegal ads - but really trying to comply who were severely punished for the misdeeds of the rotten apples.
ps: Please, please stop putting our accounts on hold - now that CL is going to monitor our submissions. It is so DEVASTATING to be banned from craigslist when you are not spamming but just posted like 2 ads a day in a top 5 Major U.S. Market where your ad is out of sight and out of mind after like an hour - just to try and get a call or two for the day. I think the “one post per 48 hour rule” should some how be relaxed in top 10 major markets (I can understand the rule in smaller markets where ads stay on the front page all day). Please post one ad yourself in New York in 48 hours and see how you only get 1-2 calls for like 30 minutes and then nothing because you have already been pushed too far down the queu. Please see what WE go through - in the hope that you will make the rules more geographically fair for big markets. We need to post more than once every 48 hours in big cities so that we are not so desperate for business that we take one of those 1-2 calls even though the caller sounded dangerous. When our phones are busier - we can turn down the clients who sound shady in favor of the clients who sound safe.
Thanks and please have a nice day
May 17th, 2009 at 5:29 am
Be grateful for the free advertising that South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster is providing for Craiglist. If he is able to enforce any law against the free press, at this point he is an an accomplice in whatever crime may have been committed by providing the free advertising to you since many of us never heard of either of you previously.
May 17th, 2009 at 6:47 am
He’s going after Craigslist? Oh my, what about I95.
Have you ever driven down it? Its fine, with humorous South of the Border ads until you hit SC. Then it seems like every mile the South of the Border ads have been replaced by highway BILLBOARD ads strip clubs and whore houses like “Club Boob”, and “Truckers Welcome: We Bare it All” and of course, “Oriental pleasure massage” and “Asian Erotic Spa”. There are literally tons of others.
If he really wanted to do something online, why not go after “The Erotic Review” which actually lists hookers and detailed descriptions (plus reviews) of their services.
Of course, the first actually targets SC citizerns (and therefore voters) and no one knows of the second . . . So we get stuck with a grandstanding AG going after a popular web page for finding jobs, selling cars, and swapping your house hold junk.
May 17th, 2009 at 6:59 am
While I’m quite sure that you are aware of some of what went on Craigslist, but so did everybody else. The answer to your question about why the prosecutor is targeting you is very simple: pandering for votes and using the ubiquitousness of Craigslist to get attention. He doesn’t really care about the charges - just the votes. Good luck, and keep exposing the true “bad guys” to show the contrast and the folly of this politician.
May 17th, 2009 at 10:14 am
A politician complaining about prostitution is the ultimate hypocrisy.
Craigslist becomes political pinata for SC Attorney General
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=17524
If you’re a pol who wants to garner some headlines there’s one easy route to news coverage: Kick Craigslist. South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster is following the attorney general to governor formula: attorney general finds headline-making issue, gets tough on the perps, issues a few statements and later runs for higher office.
May 17th, 2009 at 10:26 am
I agree with a previous post, put the $10 listing fee in a legal defense fund to provide legal counsel for escorts that get arrested. I thought the Supreme Court ruled many years ago that a woman is entitled to the right of privacy when it comes to her body. Let’s take it to the Supreme Court. You are in a unique position to do this.
May 17th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Yeah, dunno why Craigslist is being targeted by these guys. I sense a conspiracy by Big Business to get CL out of the competition because it’s bad for business. CL offers most every advertising opportunity for free, enabling private sellers to thrive economically. This is what Big Brother Business wants eradicated ASAP.
Even here in Vancouver, Canada, the newspapers are having a heyday exploiting the news that sex trade workers are using CL to earn money. But what about a low-income family who is just trying to conduct some spring cleaning in order to make a couple of extra bucks from some dusty items in their garage? I am sure there are millions of such families out there. Without CL, these families would have to pay for their photo ads!
May 17th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
All of you people criticizing CL in the name of free speech are hypocrites. None of you have the BALLS to do a damn thing, never offered to help, never put YOUR OWN nuts on the line, and sit back armchair quarterbacking. Bravo you brave defenders of freedom, bravo. Look at yourselves in shame, none of you have done a damn thing yet act all high and mighty. Get a life losers.
May 17th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Yeah, that’s what happens when you cave like wusses to terrorism.
Maybe you should stand up for your site next time, now that you’ve learned your lesson.
May 17th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
I think Craigslist is a desirable target for American political gangs — and their enablers in the Establishment-supporting mainstream media — because Craigslist is undermining their power and privilege.
The mainstream media has acknowledged that it’s job is to support the status quo. No surprise there.
But the mainstream media is also in dire financial straits, and blames Craigslist in part for lost classified and other ad revenue.
Furthermore, Craigslist is a means by which the underground economy and counter-economic movement flourishes.
There are alternatives to Craigslist, but Craigslist is the most visible threat to the political gangsters right now. I know Craigslist has caved in somewhat to these extortionists already. I hope that Craigslist can hold out a little more before leaving the scene (assuming that Craigslist has determined that it cannot beat the State by itself). There can be no compromise with a shakedown artist, all he has to bargain with is the promise not to carry through on his threats. And when he needs more (more public face-saving, more money to pay off allies, etc.), the shakedown artist will be back with more demands.
May 17th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Jim,
I responded to your entire situation in my recently released book and to this article on my new blog: http://accusedmadam.blogspot.com/ .
I was a ten year target (still am and have been since the jury found me not guilty of organized crime charges) of the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation in Orlando. Remember them? The agency that threatened state racketeering charges, and then later federal charges, when the “Erotic Services” section wasn’t removed back in 2008. For an entire decade I operated escort services in Orlando, and in a most conservative manner. My website was likely the most conservative of its type in the country, but it didn’t matter. Of course I won though, and they lost, in a court of law. You really can’t back down to this crowd - trust me on that.
There’s also a surge of ads on Bigdoggie.net and The Erotic Review. Consider reading my book - it’s not about me except in the context that I have been a target since 1994. Best of luck on this mess.
Vicky Gallas
May 17th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
I need to add that your reference to print ads is another subject entirely. The MBI went after a list of publishers, including Sprint Publishing, Bellsouth (now AT&T), the Orlando Weekly and any other publication that accepted escort or adult ads in the Orlando area. Every publisher caved - you were the last holdout. An entire chapter in the book addresses the topic of publishers, and I’m not trying to promote my book here, but no one seems to pay attention to what has been done and I’ve already written about every bit of it.
May 17th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Personally, I think that the reason all of the various state AGs are moving against Craigslist is because the newspapers are dying due to declining circulation and ad revenue. This targeting of Craigslist is a last gasp of status quo political muscle from the old way classifieds are done in print media. Essentially, the newspapers can not defeat Craigslist with their product in the market so they are resorting to political means. Two years from now, when there are about 50 - 100 less newspapers, it is likely that the successor websites to these newspapers will be doing everything they can to imitate Craigslist’s successes in online classifieds.
I think Craigslist should fight this unfair attack a little harder for the sake of whatever new classifieds paradigm emerges in the future. If they give an inch, we will all lose a mile.
May 17th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Jim,
You gave in to one AG and now they all want easy political juice by taking down CL. You need to fight these guys from the beginning with lawsuits defending free speech.
By the way, you have disabled images in the therapeutic services section. It is killing my sister’s legit massage business. Please fix this now.
May 17th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
I think you need to go ahead and just put the erotic service section back up and keep the charge at $5.00. If people don’t like what is in the section,simply don’t click on it.There are over 50 sites on the internet where girls advertise and he is not targeting them! Stop cowarding out to these people and fight them.They have no way of winning,you are not breaking any laws and you are not responsible for anyone’s actions.STAND UP AND FIGHT!
May 17th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Just block all access to all of craigslist in South Carolina, with the message “your governor has determined your are not mature enough to view craigslist” and a link to his contact page.
The best backlashes against an extremist arise from when they somehow manage to get their way.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:22 am
Obviously the print media, nervous because they should be, is helping fuel the fire. When was the last time any of us ran a classified ad? CL works, is cost effective and everybody gets it (can’t say that about my dailey newspaper)
No Attorney General (read politician wanta be) seeks to piss off their local print newspaper, and what meager profit centers they have left via adult ads, so they’ll go after CL and the bogeyman that is the internet
Remember newspaper editorial endorsements help win elections…or so they think
May 18th, 2009 at 6:02 am
CL is protected by the CDA in this case. You should tell the AG to go pound sand. If you are going to censor something, do it geographically. As in, drop the SC section and tell SC users that they should sign a petition to get it back.
What has happened since this started is that escorts and whores have begun posting in every other section on CL. Strictly platonic, women seeking men, casual encounters are now filled with the crap that used to be confined to the erotic services section.
It’s like the AG stomped on a roach motel and all the roaches scattered throughout the house instead of being confined and contained in a discrete space.
This is wrecking CL for legitimate users of CL personals in cities like NYC and SF. Block SC if you must but don’t kill the golden goose to satisfy a puritan loon in some state that wishes it was still in the confederacy.
May 18th, 2009 at 6:30 am
Attorney General Henry McMaster only plays the hypocrite game of the government and has become a personal vendetta this “fight” against Craiglist. The motive is always the same, money. Why the attorney and the system don’t go against the multi billionaire sexual industry in California?. Simply, because this industry pays a juicy tax portion to Uncle Sam. Craigslist is too cheap for the gangsters in Washington. The formula is old and simple, no “my money” no business!!
May 18th, 2009 at 6:32 am
I love TechCrunch’s suggestion. SHUT DOWN Craigslist’s South Carolina listings, for, say, a week, and replacethe page with the photos and phone numbers of Henry McMaster and his state house boss.
They are elected officials. Let them hear form their electorate.
May 18th, 2009 at 8:01 am
[…] Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster is giving even the normally sleazy Attorney General title a bad name. This is an office that has […]
May 18th, 2009 at 8:01 am
[…] is only a matter for a prosecutor to get involved in when nonconsensual activity has taken place. The response to the South Carolina AG by Craigslist is noteworthy. South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster today announced that our recent improvements, which […]
May 18th, 2009 at 10:09 am
As has been suggested in many other posts, just close the entire South Carolina section and link instead to a page outlining McMaster’s unfair targeting and political posturing. For the same reason he’s going after CL (eyeballs), he’ll back-off once a backlash starts. CL offers a trully valuable service to the community; McMaster offers sh#t.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:39 am
[…] sole resource for it on the Web available to South Carolinians, Buckmaster finally grows a set and gives McMaster what-for on the craigslist blog by listing other classifieds sites with 30 times the escort listings and far more explicit […]
May 18th, 2009 at 10:43 am
As a long time sex worker rights activist, it has been my experience that the louder a politician hollers about the ‘immoral’ behavior of others, the greater the odds are that this individual is doing or engaging in behavior exactly like that of those the politician wishes to expose or stop. Eliot Spitzer is a prime example of that, but there are and have been so many more who are just like this AG of South Carolina who rant against the same ‘immoral’ behavior that they themselves practice.
I suggest that the media investigate this AG and find out where and how he gets his kinks…
and as for Craigslist, please don’t let these bullies intimidate you. We don’t yet live in Soviet America, and the constitution still protects the rights of the individual from the majority, and it protects our freedom of speech. Who are you people who think you know better than other adults what is best for their lives? Shame on you, Henry McMaster, for using your public office as a bully pit to threaten other people who engage in consenting adult activity.
When and if it isn’t consenting, we already have laws to protect those who are victims. The old saying goes- don’t call us, we’ll call you— when we need your help! Don’t turn all of us adult women into “victims” because the religious right and radical leftist feminists tell you that all sex work degrades all women- treat us like the adults we are!!!
May 18th, 2009 at 10:49 am
I created a Facebook Group to see how many people we can get to stand up to McMaster. Join up, spread the word, and Craig/Jim - keep up the amazing work!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=82193692538
May 18th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Just forward this link to S. Carolina’s most prominent son: Stephen Colbert and everyone will get what they want, the case will be dropped, McMaster will get nationwide name recognition (though probably for being a douche) and Colbert and his nation will get a couple of laughs.
May 18th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I do not understand the AG of South Carolina’s intention with this highly publicized focus on erotic services.
Is he aiming to use free press to highlight South Carlina as a hotbed of sex? Does he want his state to be a sex trade state? Is he seeking to increase sex tourism to his state?
My new impression of South Carolina is that it is a sex state and it has a horny AG who drools over erotic advertisements.
Maybe the AG of South Carolina wants to compete with Las Vegas as a sex city?
It is bewildering, but I will think of South Carolina now, as a sex state after all the press it has from the AG and his focus on eroticism.
May 19th, 2009 at 10:16 am
I don’t think McMaster would be doing this if he were not preparing to to run for governor. Anything that brings him attention is a plus as many people in SC have never heard of him.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
How can CL users help the cause?
May 19th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Perhaps this situation will provide the impetus for all CL users who believe in our sexual liberties, sex-worker rights, and freedom of speech to better organize into a formal advocacy group that stands up for our sexual freedoms. Those who oppose sexual freedoms are organized. If we stand a chance to prevail over the right-wing control nuts, we need to do the same. For starters, perhaps someone with some computer savvy can start an online petition.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:25 am
Henry McMaster is a nut all of this is politically motivated “He wants to run for governor”
HE WILL NOT GET MY VOTE!!!