The Cook County Sherrifs office is suing Craigslist over it’s availability in providing ads for “Erotic Services” under the auspice that Craigslist is the “single largest source of prostitution in the country”.
Specifically, they are asking Craigslist to refund the sheriffs office to refund $100,000 in ad expenses the sherrifs office used to post phony prostitution ads for the purpose of stinging unsuspecting respondants and arresting them for answering the illegal ads.
Is everybody stupid but me? To be sure, prostitution carries a tremendous social cost on all its participants and arguably is against the greater good. But when will lawmakers wake up and realize THE ONLY WAY TO ELIMINATE PROSTITUTION IS TO MAKE IT ILLEGAL.
If they illegalize prostitution in North America and other G7 nations, with an eye to making it illegal in emerging nations as well, we can eliminate this age old problem.
As it stands, suing Craigslist is merely shooting the messenger in this case.
Further, Craigslist should be suing the Cook County Sherrifs office for posting illegal ads, the respondents to these ads clearly did not get what they were pursuing when they acted on the offers posted. These kind of shady dealings could cripple the reputation of Craigslist. If I show up at a doorstep expecting to buy a used copy of “Guitar Hero” from an ad I saw on Craigslist, and get put in handcuffs instead and arrested, I would likely question the legitimacy of Craigslist as a forum for commercial transactions. I am sure this is contrary to the value proposition offered by Craigslist.
While I like the idea of moving forward toward a totalitarian state where local sherrifs offices can dictate to private industry how they should run their businesses on the basis of a moral superiority we all know law enforcement officials possess relative to the general public, I think in this case they are off base.
Currently, prostitution is a global problem due to the lack of laws prohibiting the act. Law enforcement agencies taking action against Craigslist and using Craigslist to ensnare unsuspecting consumers is just stupid.
Wake up, lawmakers, you control the outcome here. Once it is made illegal, the problem will go away.
8 responses so far ↓
la_flash // March 9, 2009 at 4:26 am |
You’re right and I agree with you.
However, if we need to solve the problem of prostitution, it should not only be illegalized, but a careful study must done to correct the root cause of it all. Illegalizing it will only make it hard for the prostitutes and the pimps to operate, but they will find ways to operate.
You know what. It’s good to learn new things everyday. I didn’t know that prostitution is not illegal in some parts of the world. Thanks.
Michael // March 10, 2009 at 12:06 am |
la_flash: How could it be illegal? They are everywhere!
bearmancartoons // March 9, 2009 at 6:58 pm |
Confused. Isn’t prostitution already illegal in most of the country…yet it still goes on…
Michael // March 10, 2009 at 12:06 am |
Bearman: Whaaaa?!? Are you sure? I don’t think that’s right…
la_flash // March 10, 2009 at 2:13 am |
Prostitution is illegal in our country, but there are still prostitutes operating somewhere (police sometimes raid those prostitution dens).
It’s like stealing. It is illegal, but stealing is still there.
Michael // March 10, 2009 at 2:21 am |
flash: Stealing illegal? What kind of crazy laws do you have in the Phillipines? In the U.S. both are legal.
Charlee // March 23, 2009 at 6:08 am |
HAHA
everyone IS stupid but you!
in particular, lawmakers! have you seen ‘religulous’, the film by bill maher? in it, a senator says something like ‘you don’t need to pass an IQ test in order to be in the senate!’ with a proud grin.
homeboy could use your enlightenment, i think!
Michael // March 25, 2009 at 3:21 am |
Thanks Charlee.