In 2003 New Zealand completely decriminalized prostitution with the Prostitution Reform Act. Recently a government report summarized what has occurred since : The PRA has been in force for five years. During that time, the sex industry has not increased in size, and many of the social evils predicted by some who opposed the decriminalisation of the sex industry have not been experienced. On the whole, the PRA has been effective in achieving its purpose, and the Committee is confident that the vast majority of people involved in the sex industry are better off under the PRA than they were previously. As JD at Disloyal Opposition points out: In contrast with conditions where prostitution is illegal, only 4.3% of female sex workers (and half as many male prostitutes) in New Zealand have been coerced into the business. Employment conditions have dramatically improved now that sex workers have access to legal redress for mistreatment by employers and customers. They can also go to work on ...

... exercised by both Republicans and Democrats. From Libertarian Republican : Democrat lawmakers in Washington State are considering an 18.5% tax on the Adult Entertainment industry, including adult magazines. And they have a dual objective: Raise more revenues, while at the same time, stamping out Porn. Here's the insidious hook: tell everybody you're going to use the revenue raised from those perverts who have sexual fantasy lives to help the developmentally disabled in workshops. What's porn? Pretty much anything that includes nekkid people: Democratic Rep. Mark Miloscia said an 18 ½ percent sales tax should be levied against Playboy and other adult magazines, as well as pornographic photographs, movies, videos, cable-television services, telephone services, audiotapes, computer programs and paraphernalia. With everyone in the Legislature struggling to find ways to solve the budget crisis, he said, he's surprised nobody else has made a similar proposal. Now, it...

Since I started blogging, very few things disturb me dramatically. I have learned about government corrpution, special deals, backroom politics, as well as the overbearing DMV workers who want to be our masters . All of this seems the news de juer, but maybe to prove to myself that some things still shock me, there is the story of Custer County Oklahoma Sheriff Mike Burgess using inmates as sex slaves. As I reported earlier this practice is NOT uncommon in other insane square states either . Of course in a county with a relatively high rate of poverty nothing seems surprising anymore. The median income for a household in the county was $28,524, and the median income for a family was $37,247. Males had a median income of $27,066 versus $19,479 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,584. About 12.40% of families and 18.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over. Making both young offender...

This document from the US Customs service, speaks for itself. I love how it gives any federal bureaucrat the right to do with me whatever they want. Maybe they can sexually abuse me at the border like they do down near Mexico or poor "M.C." from Jamaica? I loved the TV show about Customs Special Agents , but one thing is sure, this type of behavior is not helping the image or reputation of the organization. I want to see someone on CNN discuss this problem. ICE enforcement agent arrested for aggravated sexual abuse of detainee by SOPnewswire Posted November 22, 2007 MIAMI - R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Steven J. Mocsary, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Professional Responsibility, Donald J. Balberchak, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Homeland Security , Office of Inspector General, and Al Lamberti, Sheriff, Broward County Sheriff's Office, announced the filing...

....Or do we. A friend of mine reminded me that playing a prostitute on TV or in the movies is very different from actually having to live through that life. In a movie an actress can feel sexy, sensual and beautiful and does not feel the same terrible sadness and often horror that many women who are hookers do feel. If you capture that sense of desperation, and isolation you should win a Oscar. And if you are a hooker, a real one, you know exactly what I am talking about. You'd say, "maybe lose a few teeth or get a nice scar after an angry trucker gives you the monkey wrench love tango. Of course that will lower your price and you will no longer be able to claim the mantle, high priced." For anyone who has seriously studied the issue, within the context of prostitution, sex can be nothing more than violence. It is a sad reality. It is a sad reality that men subject women to this or that women agree to it in the first place. It often goes hand and hand with drug addiction...

The editors are so scared now. The only thing left to be afraid of are lesbians....

The editors do not approve of any of the above content. But find it like a bad edit of married to the mob. Watching this now could save some [UNNAMED] politician's life.

This from our British friends at The Libertarian Alliance . I warn you in advance that it is provocative reading, even by Libertarian standards. Brit Libertarian Sean Gabb has been rather ceremoniously uninvited as a United Kingdom Independence Party speaker because--oh, wow!--they just discovered that he is in favor of drug legalization, eliminating the UK's race relations laws, and in repealing some child pornography laws. That's right: Sean Gabb actually takes a critical look at child porn from a Libertarian perspective. This requires a longish citation to do his reasoning justice: This outrage, it seems, was caused by my brief statement of what it means to be a libertarian. I said the day before yesterday that I believe in legalising all drugs, in repealing all race relations laws, and in repealing some of the laws against child pornography. I am surprised that my statement had this effect. I have spent the past three decades arguing very clearly on every occasion for wha...

In an interesting book called Dr. Bowlder's Legacy, author Nick Parrin makes the case that the one 19th century social historian expunged much of the reality of American political life. So like a Greek temple, now whitewashed that has lost all its color so too has the American social tapestry. I think if Franklin was here and in charge we would be having more sex in the healthy way with our wives and and if single with our friends and a as a result a lot more happy in our business without the social preoccupations of a post-modern straight-laced Victorianism. We would also court and develop virtue in the things that matter and eventually so much of our popular culture would no longer be preoccupied with sex in general. I would like to reclaim a little bit of that color here today by offering a letter from Ben Franklin on advice to the normal single guy on choosing a mistress that was parodied by Steve in his last post. His attitudes and ideas are then contrasted with the second exc...