| Prostitution: |
| Legal |
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26% |
[ 5 ] |
| Illegal |
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73% |
[ 14 ] |
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| Total Votes : 19 |
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| Author |
Message |
Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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 Thu Jun 24, 2004 5:43 pm Berkeley May Vote to Legalize Prostitution |
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| Quote: |
Berkeley May Vote to Legalize Prostitution
Thursday, June 24, 2004
BERKELEY, Calif. � Residents of this left-leaning city will have a chance to vote in November on whether they think prostitution should be a crime.
An advocacy group announced Wednesday it had gathered nearly 3,200 signatures, about 1,000 more than needed to get the initiative on the ballot.
The measure would have little more than symbolic value, since it wouldn't undo laws against prostitution. But Robyn Few, head of the Sex Workers Outreach Project (search), said a win at the polls would send an important message.
"What we're trying to do is build a groundswell here in California," she said.
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates (search) was out of town and could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Earlier this year, the City Council declined to endorse decriminalizing prostitution.
Beyond its symbolic value, the ballot initiative would order the police department to give the "lowest priority" to enforcing anti-prostitution laws.
Police spokesman Joe Okies said the department didn't have any immediate response to the initiative.
Few, who recently completed six months house arrest on federal charges of conspiring to commit prostitution, said decriminalizing prostitution is a civil rights issue.
"As long as something is illegal, it's going to remain unsafe and exploited. I want to see women be empowered to speak up and demand their rights," she said.
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Last edited by Puck on Thu Jun 24, 2004 5:45 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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| Thu Jun 24, 2004 5:44 pm |
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These people demanding this vote are full of shti. Hopefully the vote won't go their way.
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Jeff Miller
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 22 Nov 2001
Posts: 23947
Location: Mental Ward for the Mentaly Unstable 6th floor, Saint John's 1615 Delaware Longview Washington 98632
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| Fri Jun 25, 2004 12:23 am |
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I voted for Illigal because its a known fact wherever Prostitution is major problems follow take a neighborhood down where I lived when I first moved to Kelso 17 years ago it was nice there full of people starting out than Prostitution moved in. The neighborhood slowly declined to the point it is no longer safe for kids every other week there are raids down there now for drugs and so forth. Prostitution is Wrong.
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Leo Wyatt
Sweetest Angel
Joined: 25 Feb 2004
Posts: 19045
Location: Investigating A Crime Scene. What did Quark do this time?
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| Fri Jun 25, 2004 3:44 am |
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I also voted for illegall. I am glad I don't have that prositution where I live thank goodness so far. Iguess all towns have them but I live on base so I don't see that gargage lol
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Kyre
Commodore
Joined: 15 Mar 2002
Posts: 1263
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| Fri Jun 25, 2004 6:54 am |
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Prostitution will exist, regardless of it being illegal. Why not make it legal and introduce some measures to ensure safety of all participating? As far as I'm aware, that's what Holland does.
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charlie
American Soldier
Joined: 26 Feb 2004
Posts: 598
Location: In The United States
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| Fri Jun 25, 2004 7:15 am |
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The US is not Holland. We have family values that we don't want our kids expose to it.
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Leo Wyatt
Sweetest Angel
Joined: 25 Feb 2004
Posts: 19045
Location: Investigating A Crime Scene. What did Quark do this time?
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| Fri Jun 25, 2004 7:30 am |
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Yah I agree with Charlie. That is just disgusting to think that prostitutes be on the streets where are the morals. This is just sick.
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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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| Fri Jun 25, 2004 11:51 am |
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| Quote: | | Prostitution will exist, regardless of it being illegal. Why not make it legal and introduce some measures to ensure safety of all participating? As far as I'm aware, that's what Holland does. |
And murder will exist, and so will rape, and so will drug abuse, and so will drinking while entoxicated. The argument doesn't stand. As charlie put very nicely, the US is not Holland. In Holland the violent crime rate is 24% higher than in the US, and the property crime rate is 55% higher, according to reprorts which analyzed the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports.
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Vortex
Squeak Attack
Joined: 19 Jun 2002
Posts: 7170
Location: The Edge
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| Fri Jun 25, 2004 4:24 pm |
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| charlie wrote: | | The US is not Holland. We have family values that we don't want our kids expose to it. |
You are right there, the US isn't Holland. It's the country of the free spirit. The country where guns are legal, but a brest of Janet Jackson considered pornography.
You are implying here that the Dutch don't have family values.
So far, with a law like this, the Dutch government is in control of prostitution. No underaged girls having sex for 10 dolars spreading HIV to men that are cheating on their wifes. HIV testing every week. Clearing out bad areas by moving them to certain police patrolled locations, reducing crime in our cities that way.
I still don't see what this has to do with family values...
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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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| Fri Jun 25, 2004 6:54 pm |
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| Quote: | The country where guns are legal, but a brest of Janet Jackson considered pornography.
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Your damn right they are. In England, when they banned anyone from owning a gun, violent crime went through the roof. According to London's "Evening Standard", armed crimed in Britain was "sky-rocketing", with the banned guns as a weapon of choice. "In the two years following the 1997 handgun ban, the use of handguns in crime rose 40% and the upward trend has only continued."
As they say, "If you outlaw guns, then only outlaws will have guns."
And yes, Janet Jackson's Super Bowl incident, all though way to over publicized, was innappropriate for TV.
| Quote: | | No underaged girls having sex for 10 dolars spreading HIV to men that are cheating on their wifes. |
I did not understand this at all, could you restate it in a different way?
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Vortex
Squeak Attack
Joined: 19 Jun 2002
Posts: 7170
Location: The Edge
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| Fri Jun 25, 2004 8:21 pm |
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you didn't understand it? Too bad. But then again, I don't seem to have any family values because my country legalized prostitution. That makes sense!
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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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| Fri Jun 25, 2004 8:35 pm |
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Well you could explain it to me perhaps. I just don't understand it.....as in, the sentence is put in a confusing way.
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Kyre
Commodore
Joined: 15 Mar 2002
Posts: 1263
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| Sat Jun 26, 2004 4:36 pm |
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| kmma wrote: | | Yah I agree with Charlie. That is just disgusting to think that prostitutes be on the streets where are the morals. This is just sick. |
There are prostitues on the streets, now, as we are debating this, whether you like it or not. They will be there whether or not it is legalized or remains against the law. Let's review:
Prostitution exists, and will exist, always.
Would it not make sense to introduce measures to ensure the safety of the unfortunate people who have to do it for a living, and the people who want to use their 'services'? Not to mention that well established areas for prostitution will result in safer streets for everyone who uses them. I've never been, but I believe that's what they have in Holland.
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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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| Sat Jun 26, 2004 6:29 pm |
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Can we not introduce these measures and keep it illegal at the same time?
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Kyre
Commodore
Joined: 15 Mar 2002
Posts: 1263
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| Sat Jun 26, 2004 9:00 pm |
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Why? Why go to all the trouble of helping the people involved to stay free of STD's, violence etc, and then send them to jail? Why keep it illegal when you're funding it's stability?
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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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| Sat Jun 26, 2004 9:03 pm |
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Read Jeff's post.
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Leo Wyatt
Sweetest Angel
Joined: 25 Feb 2004
Posts: 19045
Location: Investigating A Crime Scene. What did Quark do this time?
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| Sat Jun 26, 2004 9:34 pm |
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And First time I will have to agree with Jeff on a subject in here. Of course men want prostitutes be on the street. Really sick and not moral. US has guns for a reason like if someone breaks into your home and try to kill you. There should more security checks on who is buying guns. and for the hooking turns my stomach. Well longs it is not in my state. I dont think my governor would allow that garbage in his town.
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Kyre
Commodore
Joined: 15 Mar 2002
Posts: 1263
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| Sun Jun 27, 2004 5:53 am |
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| JanewayIsHott wrote: | | Read Jeff's post. |
Read my posts then.
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Toad
Chief of Security
Joined: 28 Aug 2003
Posts: 936
Location: The Great Plains
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| Sun Jun 27, 2004 11:02 am |
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| Kyre wrote: | | Prostitution will exist, regardless of it being illegal. Why not make it legal and introduce some measures to ensure safety of all participating? As far as I'm aware, that's what Holland does. |
What is this world coming to.
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Oliver
Thought Maker
Joined: 28 Feb 2004
Posts: 6096
Location: Antwerp, Belgium
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| Sun Jun 27, 2004 11:03 am |
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^This world is coming to nothing. Prostitution has existed as long as mankind.
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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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| Sun Jun 27, 2004 2:29 pm |
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| Kyre wrote: | | JanewayIsHott wrote: | | Read Jeff's post. |
Read my posts then. |
I did.
The idea is nuts.
NO one HAS to do this for a living. It is there CHOICE.
Why don't we just centralize all the murderers in certain neighborhoods. That would keep all of us safe why they kill each other.
The idea just doesn't work. It just makes the problem more difficult to solve.
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Kyre
Commodore
Joined: 15 Mar 2002
Posts: 1263
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| Sun Jun 27, 2004 4:28 pm |
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| JanewayIsHott wrote: |
NO one HAS to do this for a living. It is there CHOICE.
Why don't we just centralize all the murderers in certain neighborhoods. That would keep all of us safe why they kill each other. |
Way off the mark. Here's a nice article that you may want to read. Has some very surprising facts (70% of men in London have at least once, paid for sex).
http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/prostitution.html
It shows that making prostitution legal will not solve all the problems. But when you read that major cities in America spend $7.5 million annually (that's each, not altogether) arresting those involved, with no visible effect, what else is there?
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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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| Sun Jun 27, 2004 5:27 pm |
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This article also mentions that prostitutes also usually have been raped, and protistution can lead to violence and domestic disputes. So, basically, you are going to legalize a catalist for more illegal activity.
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Kyre
Commodore
Joined: 15 Mar 2002
Posts: 1263
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| Mon Jun 28, 2004 12:07 pm |
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Yes, but that's with prostitution as an illegal activity to begin with. By legalizing it, one would hope that the introduction of a variety of safety measures would put a stop to violence/rape etc towards prostitutes.
I don't know what personal issues you have against prostitution (maybe a religious thing, I don't know), but why would anyone want to keep something like this illegal, and subsequently doom those forced into it? By making it legal and working with prostitues and, of course, introducing Unions/other things which would require a big effort, I really believe that it'd end up better than it is now.
Look at the issue for a second with indifference. It will exist always. No matter if you make thousands of arrests every day of every year. I mean, there are women and children being forced into this profession whether they like it or not. It's ok sitting here saying we hate it, and we want nothing to do with it, and it makes us sick thinking about it, and we're glad it's not on our street. But it is on alot of other streets. In my opinion, if we can legalize it, we'd be helping alot of unlucky people.
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Commander Ranahan
Doctor
Joined: 11 Oct 2001
Posts: 9519
Location: Guam
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| Wed Jul 07, 2004 7:46 pm |
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i vote legal ......its a free world what people do on there off time is up to them, to make the choice. not a good time to make a joke but it will open more jobs. Jerry Springer Baby, i need more episodes.
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