Dwindling Liberty

[TheBisexualProfessor]

OK, in the interest of full disclosure let me say that I'm a Libertarian. I voted neither for Obama nor for McCain.

BUT, I still think I have a very valid question. Seems the Attorney General of the US is launching an all-out attack on sex ads on Craigslist. Is that ironic, or what? For years I had to listen to the quacks on the Democratic side say that it was the Republicans who were forcing their morals on the rest of us. Well, dear hearts, THEY never attacked anybody quite like this.

I'd like to hear from Obama supporters ... are you still happy or is the feeling of disappointment and outrage starting to kick in?

Did you vote for Obama or did you vote for an icon that was supposedly Obama? Which is REAL?

[TaylorMade]

OK, in the interest of full disclosure let me say that I'm a Libertarian. I voted neither for Obama nor for McCain.

BUT, I still think I have a very valid question. Seems the Attorney General of the US is launching an all-out attack on sex ads on Craigslist. Is that ironic, or what? For years I had to listen to the quacks on the Democratic side say that it was the Republicans who were forcing their morals on the rest of us. Well, dear hearts, THEY never attacked anybody quite like this.

I'd like to hear from Obama supporters ... are you still happy or is the feeling of disappointment and outrage starting to kick in?

Did you vote for Obama or did you vote for an icon that was supposedly Obama? Which is REAL?

Don't know. . .I didn't vote for Obama either, but I think if the murders took place during ANY administration, governmental pressure would have come to bear no matter what.


*Taylor*

[FalconAngel]

Taylor is right.

The first reaction to a serial crime is to attack the method used by the killer.

Instead of addressing the problem, the idea is to have the knee-jerk reaction of attacking the tools used.

[MetaSexual2]

OK, in the interest of full disclosure let me say that I'm a Libertarian. I voted neither for Obama nor for McCain.

BUT, I still think I have a very valid question. Seems the Attorney General of the US is launching an all-out attack on sex ads on Craigslist. Is that ironic, or what? For years I had to listen to the quacks on the Democratic side say that it was the Republicans who were forcing their morals on the rest of us. Well, dear hearts, THEY never attacked anybody quite like this.

I'd like to hear from Obama supporters ... are you still happy or is the feeling of disappointment and outrage starting to kick in?

Did you vote for Obama or did you vote for an icon that was supposedly Obama? Which is REAL?

I think you need to go back and read the news reports on this, the Obama administration has nothing to do with this. This is all being done at the state level and a Republican, Attorney General of South Carolina, is leading the charge. So you are either spreading disinformation, or you are deeply ignorant about what you are writing about.

[TaylorMade]

I think you need to go back and read the news reports on this, the Obama administration has nothing to do with this. This is all being done at the state level and a Republican, Attorney General of South Carolina, is leading the charge. So you are either spreading disinformation, or you are deeply ignorant about what you are writing about.

As well as the Sheriff of Cook County (who started his action against CL in March, long before SC's AG got in on this), who is , as far as I know, a Democrat. (http://tech.uk.msn.com/news/article.aspx?cp-documentid=14849243) Other states, BOTH red and blue are going after CL. (http://www.crn.com/software/217500170;jsessionid=1QHXW0YGJTVJKQSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2 JVN) This is bipartisan. SC may be making the most noise , but it is FAR from the only one. (http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/retail/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217300435&tcss=global-cio)It is the natural reaction of government to clamp down, no matter WHO is in charge.

Trying to foist this off on the left or the right is an idiots game.

*Taylor*

[MetaSexual2]

As well as the Sheriff of Cook County (who started his action against CL in March, long before SC's AG got in on this), who is , as far as I know, a Democrat. (http://tech.uk.msn.com/news/article.aspx?cp-documentid=14849243) Other states, BOTH red and blue are going after CL. (http://www.crn.com/software/217500170;jsessionid=1QHXW0YGJTVJKQSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2 JVN) This is bipartisan. SC may be making the most noise , but it is FAR from the only one. (http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/retail/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217300435&tcss=global-cio)It is the natural reaction of government to clamp down, no matter WHO is in charge.

Trying to foist this off on the left or the right is an idiots game.

*Taylor*

I agree Taylor, this is a bipartisan knee jerk reaction, but its at the state level. Multiple state AGs of both parties are trying to make political hay out of this. Its just this week the SC AG has been most vocal about it, and BiProf seems to have confused him with Eric Holder. My point was that BiProf is playing into the current lunacy that the Obama administration is somehow responsible for a crackdown on civil liberties, where it is just the opposite in fact.

[TaylorMade]

I agree Taylor, this is a bipartisan knee jerk reaction, but its at the state level. Multiple state AGs of both parties are trying to make political hay out of this. Its just this week the SC AG has been most vocal about it, and BiProf seems to have confused him with Eric Holder. My point was that BiProf is playing into the current lunacy that the Obama administration is somehow responsible for a crackdown on civil liberties, where it is just the opposite in fact.

Just wanted to make sure. This week indeed... I'm sure congress will come up with some bullshat act to tack on a spending bill in the next 6 months.

*Taylor*

[TheBisexualProfessor]

Dear Gang, I'm sorry to have made a very confusing error! It seems that I am spreading misinformation, and I apologize. I could have sworn that on TV last night I saw Eric Holder as the topic was being discussed. Perhaps the news broadcaster had his pics and news out of sync or perhaps I just had a couple glasses too much of wine!

I'm sorry for the confusion. Case closed on this matter. But I remain concerned about the future of liberty in our country because of many genuine reasons, not just this "supposed" one!

[DC_looking]

As I understand it, it is at the state level that the knee-jerk reaction is taking place at the state level. State attorneys general, who have intensified pressure on the company to eliminate the category, announced the move on Wednesday. The adds for erotic services will be replaced an "adult" section that will be reviewed by employees of the site. Increased scrutiny is not necessarily a bad thing. No one's liberties in regard the commerce of sex is being suppressed. I did vote for Obama. Did I think that the execution of foreign policy would be measurably different? No. Did I think the handling of a moribund economy would be demonstrably different from the previous administration? No. Although I was darn surprised when Obama's administration decided not to bail out the Chrysler and GM bondholders. Ok, I am off subject. Sorry.

[hudson9]

...I'm sorry for the confusion. Case closed on this matter. But I remain concerned about the future of liberty in our country because of many genuine reasons, not just this "supposed" one!

1st -- Props to BiProf. for stepping up and owning his mistake. We all make them, but too few of us own them. You're up 2 notches in my estimation.

2nd -- This is what conservatives (as opposed to libertarians) too often fail to realize: power you take for yourself when you're in the gov't, can just as easily be used for things you disagree with when someone else is in power -- and they will be, someday.

3rd -- Yea, "liberals" can make the same mistake. Which is why the old 1-dimensional axis of liberal vs. conservative is to simplistic to make any useful sense. More useful is a 2-dimensional matrix which plots social authoritarianism (social conservative/liberal) on one axis, and economic authoritarianism (economic conservative/liberal) on an intersecting axis. libertarians fall in one quadrant, and communists & fascists end up remarkably close to each other in the extreme of the diametrically opposite quadrant -- with most of the rest of us scattered about in the more reasonable and debatable terratories.

[curious44]

Like many of us said in the recent thread about hate crimes, It's much more about getting re-elected than it is about solving a problem, percieved or real. Both political parties are just as guilty of this as the other, being sleazy is bi-partisan. It's been my observation that the other problem is hastily passing laws in response to a recent crime or other action usually results in bad law. Passing laws targeting Craig's List won't do anything to keep things like this from happening any more than yet another gun law will reduce shootings. People have to be more vigilant about what they post about themselves and about the people they meet. A friend who was recently widowed met someone on Craig's List and they have been dating for a couple months. They were both amused at finding out that they had run extensive back ground checks on each other. Even these cautions can't prevent some weirdo from doing the things this guy is alleged to have done. What if he is found not guilty and laws have been passed restricting Craig's List for no good reason, then what?