Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Let's Get Real About the "List"
Feds Seek To Gag D.C. Madam - March 7, 2007: "MARCH 7--Federal prosecutors want to gag an indicted former Washington, D.C. madam who has recently threatened to go public with details about her former customers. In a motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court, investigators are seeking a protective order covering discovery material to be provided to Deborah Palfrey and her lawyers. Palfrey, 50, was indicted last week on racketeering and money laundering charges stemming from her operation of the Pamela Martin & Associates escort service, which closed last summer after 13 years in business. In their motion, a copy of which you'll find below, government lawyers claim that some discovery documents contain 'personal information' about Palfrey's former johns and prostitutes that is 'sensitive.' "
We would not be hearing about gag orders and the like, if the list were merely of the prostitutes. The gag orders and the tizzy to shut this woman up is all about the men in Washington not wanting people to know that they were both against prostitution, yet cutomers of prostitutes. This is as old a story as there is. Why do we think that the prostitution laws only concern the prostitute? The john walks away as if he's done not a thing wrong. The woman goes to jail. If the laws concerning these things were fair, then I would have no problem. Given that they aren't, I am fine with these men being embarassed. It's not like they will be charged or anything. The women on that very same phone record might be. No one is looking out for them. I am fine with legalizing prostitution. I am not okay with the laws being ridiculously unfair. While the phone records may be in Federal custody as evidence, I think it is this woman's prerogative as to who sees or writes about those records.
We would not be hearing about gag orders and the like, if the list were merely of the prostitutes. The gag orders and the tizzy to shut this woman up is all about the men in Washington not wanting people to know that they were both against prostitution, yet cutomers of prostitutes. This is as old a story as there is. Why do we think that the prostitution laws only concern the prostitute? The john walks away as if he's done not a thing wrong. The woman goes to jail. If the laws concerning these things were fair, then I would have no problem. Given that they aren't, I am fine with these men being embarassed. It's not like they will be charged or anything. The women on that very same phone record might be. No one is looking out for them. I am fine with legalizing prostitution. I am not okay with the laws being ridiculously unfair. While the phone records may be in Federal custody as evidence, I think it is this woman's prerogative as to who sees or writes about those records.
