October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Tribes Question Foster Group’s Power And Influence

Children at the Black Hills campus of the Children’s Home Society head into the main building for lunch. The home caters to children with special needs, many of whom are Native American.

On a small crest deep in South Dakota’s Black Hills, a dozen children jumped on sleds and floated across the snow. They are wards of the state, and this is their home: the western campus of the Children’s Home Society.

There are rolling hills, a babbling brook — even a new school.

Children’s Home Director Bill Colson says it’s a place to help children who can’t make it in regular foster homes.

“We want to solve the problems, and sometimes it just seems like you’re beating your head against the wall,” he says. “But the reality is we are making progress, and I feel great about it, and our agency feels good about it.”

State officials say Children’s Home and other organizations like it are necessary. But Native American tribes say their children don’t need to be there. Instead, they should be placed with their relatives or tribal members.

Federal law agrees. In 1978, Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act, to halt a century-long practice of forcing Native American children into boarding schools. It says that except in the most extreme circumstances, children must be placed with family or tribal members if they have to be removed from their homes.

But a 2005 government report found 32 states are failing to abide by the law in one way or another. And an NPR news investigation has found that in South Dakota, 90 percent of Native American children in foster care are placed in non-native homes or privately run group homes. It’s a generation of children once again being taken from their native traditions and culture.

At Children’s Home, which is the largest private foster care provider in the state, Colson says he’s heard the tribe’s complaints. But he says the organization’s priority is to return Native American kids to their families.

“Our goal is to have kids be in a family and be successful,” he says.

With multiple campuses and emergency centers, Children’s Home provides services for up to 2,000 children a year. It’s now one of the largest nonprofits in the state. But it wasn’t always.

The Turnaround

Ten years ago, this group was in financial trouble. For several years, tax records show, it was losing money. Then in 2002, a former banker named Dennis Daugaard joined the team. He became the group’s chief operating officer. A year later, he was promoted to executive director. And things began to change.

Nati Harnik/APSouth Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, seen here at a news conference in October, spent seven years in leadership positions at Children’s Home Society before becoming the state’s governor.

The money the group was getting from the state doubled under his leadership. Children’s Home grew financially to seven times its size. It added two new facilities.

State records show it seized on a big opportunity. The state began outsourcing much of its work, such as training foster care parents and examining potential foster homes. Children’s Home got almost every one of those contracts.

The group paid Daugaard $115,000 a year. But that wasn’t his only job. He was also the state’s lieutenant governor — and a rising star in state politics.

The seven years Daugaard spent at Children’s Home — and his ability to turn the place around — were prominent features of his successful 2010 bid for governor.

Competition-Free Contracts

It could be that Children’s Home was the best organization for the job, at the best price for all those contracts it got.

But it would be difficult for tax payers to know. In just about every case, the group did not compete for the contracts or bid against any other organization. For almost seven years, until this year, Daugaard’s colleagues in state government just chose the organization and sent it money — more than $50 million in all.

“It’s a massive conflict of interest,” says Melanie Sloan, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, adding that any organization run by a state’s top elected official would have undue power in that state.

“When you’re lieutenant governor, people are anxious to curry favor with you,” she says.

Daugaard declined NPR’s repeated requests for an interview. In a statement, his office said Children’s Home was the only viable organization that could have done the work, and that Daugaard never used his influence as lieutenant governor to secure contracts for the organization.

Tribal leaders, though, say the unusual relationship provides a window into the role money and politics play in South Dakota’s foster care system. They say the dominance of Children’s Home in this area is but one example of the interests of the state trumping the interests of native children.

“They make a living off of our children,” says Juanita Sherick, the tribal social worker on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge reservation.

She says the state pushes aggressively in her cases to place kids in Children’s Home who, she says, should be placed with their grandmothers, aunts and uncles — family members who are often desperate to take them in.

“Give the children back to their relatives, because the creator gave those children to those families,” Sherick says. “Who has any right to take them away from those families?”

Tribes Want Alternatives

In recent years, critics say Children’s Home has become a virtual powerhouse. It not only examines all the potential foster families and homes, it houses the most children. It trains the state’s case workers and holds all of the state’s training classes for foster parents. It does all of the state’s examinations of children who may have been abused.

For all of this work, Children’s Home is paid tens of millions of dollars every year.

On the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, tribal social worker Rose Mendoza finds that ridiculous. Children’s Home got the state’s only contract to examine potential foster homes, called kinship home studies, even on the reservations.

Laura Sullivan/NPRChildren’s artwork lines the halls of the Children’s Home Society in South Dakota. Officials there say they try to keep Native American kids connected to their culture.

“Why send a private agency onto our reservation?” she said. “[Children's Home] is not calling us to request permission to come onto the reservation to do these home studies.”

Mendoza says her agency would do the work for free. They know the families, they know the homes.

In a state where the majority of foster children are native, Mendoza and many of their tribal officials say home studies, social worker training and family placements should be done by people who know and understand the children’s culture.

“Everybody says cultural differences,” Mendoza said. “But it’s really understanding what that means. It’s a way of life. Our way of life is different.”

Tribes weren’t the only ones left out. Troy Hoppes ran a group similar to Children’s Home named Canyon Hills Center. He says he didn’t know about many of the contracts until after they were given to Children’s Home.

“I just remember in the news there [were] some grants that were awarded, and obviously I was envious,” he says. “We wanted to get some grants for ourselves, as well.”

Hoppes says his organization would have jumped at the chance to take on the additional work.

“Facilities love the opportunity to branch out with things like that and give their staff opportunities to advance their skills,” he says.

Gov. Daugaard’s Response

In its statement, Daugaard’s office said that any group home that has a license to care for children can be placed on the state providers’ list and given children.

But Hoppes says that they were on this list, yet the home struggled to fill its beds. At the same time, Children’s Home had a waiting list.

In his statement, Daugaard also emphasizes that the job of lieutenant governor was part time, and that he never supervised any of the people who approved the government contracts. State social services officials in their statement said Children’s Home was never treated any differently from other organizations.

Children’s Home has won many state accolades for its work with children. But that doesn’t mean much to Suzanne Crow or her granddaughter Brianna, who spent three years there.

When Crow was a child, she was also taken from her family. She was sent to a boarding school.

“Every night me and my sister would meet at her bed and would say, ‘Let’s run away tomorrow,’ ” Crow remembers. “We used to make all our plans just to comfort ourselves that we’re still there. This foster care system reminds me of that.”

She didn’t want Brianna to grow up like she did, not knowing who she was, not knowing that someone in the world loved her. It took a court order for the state to send Brianna home to her stepfather.

“I didn’t care what it took,” Crow says. “I battled with them.”

State records show South Dakota paid Children’s Home almost $50,000 over three years to care for Brianna.

But across the state, grandmothers, aunts and uncles, family and tribal members would have cared for Brianna — and hundreds of other Native American children like her. They would have done so for free, keeping them close to their tribes and culture like federal law intended.

*********

Readers: As you know this is just horrific. When will this kidnapping end for these peoples? I only HOPE this will come to an end before these peoples have reached their end.

Doug: Yes a “civilized society” has done wonders for the Native American Indians. You can see how pleased they are with the outcome of their lives…their tribes.

Wilma: Yeah. Exactly.  But as you can see, money is being sent, aid is being given, but the children are being used, separated from the families to get it. It is a sick story.

Al: You guessed it right. As you can see from the article I posted today, these children do have a high resale value.  Did I already say this was sick? I’ll say it again, “What is happening to the Native American Indian families is sick”.

How convenient that the ex-banker Dennis Daugaard, also holding a leadership position at Children’s Home Society  is the republican Governor of South Dakota, bringing in the big bucks to this foster home, all at the expense of these children. Time to get this man ousted.

Stay tuned for Part III

Peace & Love...and do something today strictly for someone else.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

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All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

“ Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox“

Good morning!

This is a nod to you Zen Lill….

I Cheated on You… Will You Marry Me?

Every time I got cheated on, I was promised stronger commitment to make up for it. The first time, a reluctant boyfriend begged to move in, the second time a boyfriend got down on his knees and proposed, the third time a boyfriend signed us up for some very pricey counseling. All three times were effective tactics because I stuck around longer, though never making the mistake of marrying any of the clowns.

Recently, it was announced that Adam Giambrone is about to marry Sarah McQuarrie, his live-in girlfriend of more than five years. For those who don’t know, Giambrone is Toronto’s would-be mayoral candidate who had to resign because it was revealed he had an on-going affair with a 19-year-old girl (who, resolutely, disclosed transcripts of their passionate texting and messaging). Furthermore, Giambrone revealed publicly that there were multiple affairs going on in his life. Then he resigned from his candidature.

An attractive journalist friend confessed to being hit on by Giambrone at a media event; said he had a boyish, single-dude vibe about him. She was intrigued, especially since he seemed so sincere. If you read the incriminating texts, you’ll see how Giambrone comes across as someone who really is sincere and, is, additionally, tragically committed to a woman in pearls who photographs well. If you’re a 19-year-old you will buy this, but you don’t have to be 19 — you can be a middle-aged desperado and a tied-down man’s lies will sound like the sweetest nectar to your ears. This is because you believe in love and because (some) men are good at manipulating this belief.

In any case, here we are now, 18 or so months later, Giambrone asking to marry his woman in pearls, despite, at one point, swearing up and down he would not do that (in one text to his 19-year-old lover). If you were a cynical person you could say Giambrone is marrying his political beard. But if you go by what Joe Pantalone, a former deputy mayor of Toronto and a friend of Giambrone, says, you’ll be happy to know that “the couple is deeply in love.”

I believe in love. And I also believe in men having fire lit up under their asses after dalliances, suddenly panicking and making the gravest of life decisions to save the said asses. I’m sure Giambrone is planning to run for the office again so his marriage to McQuarrie may be politically motivated after all, but I’m also quite sure that he’d finally realized what a gem he had at home all along while chasing skirt elsewhere. Or maybe he just realized that he didn’t like to be alone and she was the only one who understood him (yikes).

Either way, bad boys don’t let go so easily. They are all about prodigious-son returns — at least my own experience shows it. And women are forever forgiving, posing with pearls and pearly smiles beside their bad boys. Is McQuarrie’s “Yes” a case of low self-esteem blues? Possibly. But then, hello Hilary Clinton!

And I can tell you that my own self-esteem has nothing to do with forgiving my bad boys in the past. I mean, even if I wanted to get rid of them there was no way to do it — the amount of declarations, poetry, gifts and begging was astonishing, weakening every defense I had… And then there were always the big guns (marriage, moving in, therapy) that would finally make me capitulate completely and give it another go. As I said, I believe in love and love means forgiveness, even though, for me, cheating was supposedly a deal breaker. At the same time, I can always lower my standards (not my self-esteem as I don’t draw it from my relationships, thankfully), especially when it comes to love.

Plus, with the opposite sex, I’m just naturally weak. How could I not be? Biologically, I’m programmed to respond to pursuit. And what is begging and pleading and promises if not a form of pursuit? You get worn down and you capitulate. Sometimes you end up with a very heavy rock on your finger that blinds you so effectively that you can’t see past it. I don’t know for sure what made McQuarrie stay but I’m guessing it was biology and belief in love. Because what is “will you marry me?” if not the biggest declaration of love in our screwed up Western world?

*********

Readers: So…what do you think of this write? Can you relate? Do you agree with what the author is saying? After reading much about relationships here, and learning, especially from the man’s point of view (that’s a big nod to your write about two years ago Robert), I don’t agree with all that she is saying.

First of all, I don’t think “will you marry  me?” is the biggest declaration of love for many men. No…he’s getting married not because he’s “deeply in love”, but because he got busted, realized what he has, and he wants to solidify the deal before someone else does. He wants to own that piece of meat, lock, stock and barrel.

In my opinion, Giambrone is not going to stop cheating. He may try to convince himself that he won’t cheat, and he’ll definitely convince her. But even after vows are exchanged, he’ll continue to go out and taste some “strange” stuff now and then, knowing McQuarrie will be available any time he wants it. 

Once a cheater, most always a cheater. As Greg said on my blog, “I am a prisoner of my hormones and my habits.” Most men will do it if the opportunity arises. The ones that don’t are too afraid they’ll get busted. But if they knew they wouldn’t, most men would jump on the opportunity…literally.

But what about her cheating on him?  It seems most men wouldn’t stand for it, even if they are doing it themselves.  Also quoted from Greg: “NO, I would not like it if she was fucking around. Sorry, that’s just the way it is. If I found out she was sneaking around, I’d activate our prenup and kick her to the curb.”

Gwen’s comment is a great example. Gwen: What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander, but unfortunately the consequences differ. I can’t believe your own family was not supportive. That says a lot. And one thing it says, is that it is forgivable for a man to cheat, but it isn’t for a woman.

Lastly, the author states, “…I can always lower my standards…especially when it comes to love.” Why would any woman lower their standards when it comes to love? When divorce is so high, and you’re making one of the biggest commitments in you life, that is the time to raise them.

That’s enough for me. Thoughts? Stories you want to share - Blog me. Something off topic? Doesn’t matter – blog me. The forum is now open.

Peace out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

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Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

“ Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox“

Good morning!

Let’s see…Florida is getting ready for the 2012 republican convention…and it won’t be the hot weather they’re preparing for. Nope, it will be the hot sweaty hands of the GOP stuffing dollar bills down the panties of pole dancers, and shelling out the big bucks for prostitutes. Wha’at?! Not the moral, conservative republicans who value family and the sanctity of marriage? Yep, you guessed it. This is big money making time for these adult playgrounds when the GOP is in town; they expect a 30% spike in sales. And don’t think for a minute religion won’t be involved either. I can hear the fellas panting now… “Ah…Ahhh…OMG…I’m…I’m…c…!” You got the picture. Now here’s the write:

Adult Industry Prepares For 2012 GOP Convention

TAMPA, Fla. — Following an extensive remodel, the Penthouse Club in Tampa, Fla., is finally ready for next summer’s Republican National Convention. Club operator DeWayne Levesque has installed two secluded VIP sections, which he hopes will help his club attract a bigger share of the 50,000 visitors expected to descend upon the city on Aug. 27 for four days of conservative politics and liberal partying. In addition to the club’s new carpets and furniture, the private rooms are designed to provide cover so that camera-shy donors, politicians and aides can enjoy the strippers without fear of getting caught, he said.

A few blocks from the Penthouse Club, another strip club owner, Joe Redner, said he has high hopes for what the convention means for business at his all-nude club, Mons Venus. “I’m guessing we’ll make five times as much in a night as we usually do,” Redner told HuffPost. “Republicans got plenty of money. They take it all from poor people,” he said.

Redner said he thinks many convention visitors will be in the market for a lap dance, but newly-released academic research suggests that some will be interested in the darker elements of Tampa’s adult scene, too — sex for sale. HuffPost teamed up with Tampa-based reporter Shawn Alff, of the Creating Loafing media group, to examine the potential impact of the RNC on two major pillars of the city’s X-rated economy: prostitution and strip clubs.

“I can make between $50,000-$60,000 a night at Mons Venus during the days leading up to the Superbowl,” Redner explained, “up from $10,000-$12,000 on an average night.” When asked how a buttoned-up, political clientele might differ from a Superbowl crowd, Redner laughed. “All customers look [at the dancers] the same, no matter what they’re wearing or what they’re here for.”

Mons Venus typically closes at 5 a.m., but Redner said he would be willing to keep the club open 24-7 during the GOP convention if demand merits it. That said, he may charge clients a premium at the door. “During the Superbowl I charge $50 a head. I may decide to do that during the convention, too.”

In the meantime, Redner’s got a few bones to pick with GOP policymakers. “[Republicans] keep saying this stuff about how if we tax the rich, then small businesses won’t be able to grow. But I’m a small business owner, and I put all my money right back into my businesses in the form of capital improvements, which I don’t pay taxes on anyway. So their argument isn’t how reality works.”

Another adults-only perk for conventioneers are scheduled appearances at clubs by well-known female adult film stars. Agent Brian Gross, who represents actresses Joanna Angel, Ryan Keely and Alexis Ford told HuffPost that “large events … give big name adult stars who dance on the circuit a great opportunity to get in front of a large crowd for their on-stage performances.”

One star who might feel right at home during the convention is Lisa Ann of the “Nailin’ Palin” adult film series, which lampooned the former governor of Alaska. Lisa Ann is currently touring, but no word on whether she’s slated to hit Tampa next summer. X-rated starlets also offer the clubs a competitive advantage, which is critical in an industry that Redner said has been hard hit by the Great Recession.

For those with cash to spend, however, the options abound. An adult video producer who gave his name as “Brandon” said he plans to offer conventioneers an erotic limo service that includes the company of “models.”

But don’t expect to see Washington big-shots climbing out of Brandon’s limo anytime soon. “The people in Tampa from D.C. will be there to work, not to get caught in a limo with [that stuff],” said a veteran Republican operative. “Now the delegates, that’s another story, because they’ve only got one thing to do the whole time, which is vote for the nominee.”

He also pointed to the recent surge in opposition video-trackers as a possible deterrent for strip clubs and the like. “I remember seeing ambush video guys outside of parties as far back as the 2008 convention in Minneapolis,” he recalled, “and there’s just so much more this time around.” No doubt many Republicans also vividly remember the public outcry caused by a party-sanctioned visit to an L.A. bondage club last year.

For Republicans, elevated risk means that a higher premium will likely be placed on discretion, and this could be good news for Tampa’s other adult services industry — prostitution — which is quietly poised for a 30 percent spike in sales during the Republican National Convention.

This number represents the findings of a study released by Baylor University this year, which measured the impact of the 2008 Democratic and Republican conventions on prostitution markets in Denver and Minneapolis. To gather data, researchers tracked new ads for prostitutes online at Cragslist.com’s now-defunct “Erotic Services” section, as well as the more exclusive escort site Eros.com.

The results showed that both conventions “increased the count of Craigslist sex worker ads by a substantial amount.” In Minnesota, the researchers observed “a 29-44 percent increase in Craigslist ads in Minneapolis during the RNC.” The Democratic convention, meanwhile, produced a 47-77 percent increase in ads for sex workers in Denver. The actual number of new ads posted during the conventions, however, was nearly identical for both cities. Denver had fewer ads to begin with, so it grew by a larger percentage.

Perhaps surprisingly, the one group of sex workers who didn’t benefit from the 2008 conventions were the high-priced escorts on Eros.com — the kind of women who have been linked to more than a few politicians in the past. One of the authors of the study, Dr. Scott Cunningham, recalled a high-priced escort who explained the trouble with political conventions. “She said to me, ‘Scott, there just isn’t enough disposable income at those political things. But there’s a really great radiology convention up in Chicago, and I always go to that.’”

The reality, however, is that most of Tampa’s prostitutes won’t be jetting from one convention to the other. Conversely, they could end up in the hands of a man like Charles Fox, who ran a brothel in the middle of South Tampa for nearly seven years until he was arrested last month. According to police, Fox kept up to five women at a time enslaved in a small greenhouse using a combination of fear, drugs, alcohol and violence. He sold them to men online, controlled their every move, and took 100 percent of their earnings. Those who protested were tied up, raped, or worse.

For men like Charles Fox, political conventions are a great place to make money, said anti-trafficking advocate Andrea Powell. “You can be sure a pimp knows when large numbers of men are going to be in the area,” she said in an interview with HuffPost, “and he’ll do whatever he can to get his piece of that business.”

Powell is a co-founder of the Fair Fund, which helps rescue trafficked young women, and she said there is absolutely no way for a potential customer to know whether a prostitute has been trafficked.

“This concept that you can differentiate between willing sex work and trafficking is really complicated, because sex work fuels trafficking, and there’s so much money involved,” she said. “Consider that one girl can have sex with 15 men in a night, at $100 an hour. This means she’s producing $35,000-$40,000 a month for whoever owns her.”

With police resources stretched thin during the convention, officers are unlikely to make prostitution busts a big priority. “Our primary focus will be to ensure that we have a smooth and safe event,” Tampa Police Department spokeswoman Laura McElroy told WSFA this spring. “But we will enforce all of our laws, and have officers assigned to enforcing our prostitution laws.” Police also said they would be “keeping an eye on Craigs list [sic].”

But if that’s the plan, then Tampa law enforcement may be a few steps behind. Craigslist.com closed their “Erotic Services” section in 2009, under increasing pressure from the Justice Department and consumers. In response, much of the online prostitution jumped over to the Village Voice-owned site Backpage.com, which currently dominates the market (disclosure: Creative Loafing publishes classified ads on Backpage.com, although not for adult services). In Tampa, more than 480 new ads for adult services were posted to Backpage.com on Monday alone, with at least 230 of them tagged “Escort.” Many of these had disclaimers saying that hourly rates were for “companionship only,” and not for sex. But the photos suggest otherwise.

Unlike Craigslist.com, Backpage appears to welcome the chance to litigate any challenges to its adult services section. Their case is girded by a 1996 law that absolved individual websites of responsibility for illegal content posted by users. Last month, lawyers for Backpage.com won a victory in court when a judge dismissed a lawsuit that had been brought on behalf of a teenage girl forced into prostitution and sold by a pimp through Backpage.com.

As prostitution continues its steady migration from the street corner to the Internet, sites like Backpage are well-positioned to play an even bigger role at 2012 political conventions than Craigslist did in 2008. But a lot can happen in 12 months, and Backpage has powerful enemies. As the site fends off external threats, the toughest criticism leveled at the Mons Venus club may come from the owner himself. “I would never frequent a strip club if I didn’t own one,” Redner said. “I don’t like to be teased.”

This story is part of an editorial partnership with Creative Loafing Tampa and Creative Loafing Charlotte, the alt-weeklies covering the Florida and North Carolina cities that will host the 2012 Republican and Democratic National Conventions, respectively.

***********

Readers: Okay let me be clear, this isn’t about strip clubs. I don’t see anything wrong with visiting a strip club; I have visited quite a few myself and have indulged in some pole dancing fun. But I do not perch myself on high moral ground and then cheat on my spouse, or pay for sex. Or talk about spending cuts, and then spend on corporate jets and strip clubs, etc. Nor am I a closet gay, fighting against gay rights and hoping to pray away the gay. It’s about the hypocrisy. I could go on and on but I think you got the picture? The GOP…How hypocritical can one be?

And I just have to say one last thing: What is even more ridiculous are the stupid women who buy this BS and support these so-called “moral” men. Ladies: Wake up. Start thinking for yourselves. See the truth; it’s right in front of your eyes.

Like I said, I could go on and on…but I’m done for now. Your turn. Blog me your thoughts.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

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All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Miyu: Okay…so I did a little reading on Chikan. I don’t think your actions are the least bit humorous – You may “grope for fun” with your friends, but it sounds like this “fad” is a bit more serious and not very amusing for the school girls who are really getting molested on trains.

Chikan Subway Gropers Beware!

Japan hosts a large population of over 125+ million citizens trapped within the confines of a 143,619 sq mi island, which for clarification is slightly smaller than the US state of California (163,707). Suffice it to say, Japan is an extremely overcrowded nation—making it an ideal spot for perverts that like to grope innocent women.

In Japan, a man who commits such an act is known as a chikan. And it just happens that the overcrowded subway cars of Japan’s capital city Tokyo are the chikan’s favorite spot to practice their iniquitous behavior. In fact, chikans sometimes even group together for a mass grope, wherein one man holds the victim in place while the others take turns violating her body.

Added to that, a 2001 reported cited by Wikipedia claims that more than 70% of Tokyo highschool girls have been groped by a chikan at least once while riding the subway.

Japan Railways, the largest subway operator in Japan, finally struck back earlier this year by creating “females only” cars for the Chuo Line (Japan’s busiest line) that passes through Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station—which itself is the world’s busiest train station. Unfortunately, getting a ticket is quite difficult; plus those fortunate enough to get in can expect to be “crammed like sardines.”

Fast-forward to April and we start to see some real action. Between April 15 and 21, over 120 police officers from Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) congregated in metropolitan Tokyo for a mass takedown of gropers, aka the chikan. The operation netted 77 suspects, 49 of who were arrested on the spot, and six who were busted on the previously mentioned Chuo Line.

In addition, another popular rail operator, East Japan Railway Co., jumped on the bandwagon by installingcameras in each of its subway cars. The effort resulted in a 50% decrease of molestation reports. And according to the Daily Yomiuri, JR East intends to follow suit and “install cameras in all 30 trains on the line from June.”

It has taken years to occur, but it looks like Japan is finally taking a stand against the chikan. So for any chikan subway gropers out there, beware lest you find yourself groped as the government lays its firm grip on YOUR BODY!

Miyu: You’re taking something that is very serious and making a a joke out of it, at the expense of women. Not a nice thing to do. It is reported that at least two-thirds of women have experienced this. I wouldn’t call this a “fad’ but a huge problem.  Calling it a “fad” diminishes it and this is a sick and serious thing that is happening. Once again women’s safety and the concern for women is being made into a joke and not taken very seriously when groups such as you and your friends and “doing it for fun”. Next thing you know it won’t just be “groping”, it will be “rape”. Once something becomes acceptable, the next step is not far behind. This behavior is sickening. I HOPE that you’ll rethink your actions and instead of  adding to the problem you’ll start respecting and protecting women and girls and do something.  Why not be heros and start a group that finds and condemns the perps?

************

Howie: And now some people are saying that Obama was talking fearful because it turns out that Hurricane Irene wasn’t as bad as they expected in some part of the US. Obama tells it like it is. He erred in the favor of the people that were going to be affected, because it is their lives that are at stake. Whereas the republicans only care about the dollar. They say there is not enough money to help with the damages from Irene, FEMA only has 800 million, yet 900 million is spent on Afghanistan every week. And if Obama didn’t suggest enough that people prepare for the worst and the worst happened, we’d be hearing how he should’ve done more.

The “republikkans” don’t care what Obama does, they just want him out at whatever expense. FOX won’t admit it, but it’s all over MSNBC. I heard on the news last night an example of just how the “republikkans” can’t ever give kudos to Obama. They said that even if a child was drowning and Obama went in and saved the child, the “republikkans” would say that Obama didn’t know how to swim. Kind of sums it all up doesn’t it?

In my opinion, let the rest of the country see just how much the republicans care little about the people and more about stuffing their already overstuffed pockets. The more they show their true colors, the more (I am crossing my fingers) people will see them for how they truly are, and vote differently in 2012.  But I don’t know…

ZL: It has been quite the year for drama for you hasn’t it? I HOPE for your sake, this is the last of it. There are some crazies out there ( Japan seems to be  full of them)  - please be careful. On the up side, happy that you enjoyed yourself on the east coast, and life is fantastic…and it seems a little more zen.

Bob: Thanks for coming back! I have missed your posts. I HOPE that you are recovering quickly from your surgery, and all is well in your life.

Doug: Touché!

I think that is a good way to end this write today. Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Many years ago, I used to read Jackie Collin’s books as pure entertainment. Little did I know then, that the men in her books, and the things that they did, were more true to real life than I had imagined. How naive I was. I haven’t picked up one of her books in at least 20 years, and then while flipping through July’s Bazaar magazine, I came across this:

Read more: Jackie Collins on Arnold Schwarzenegger – Jackie Collins on Cheating Men – Harper’s BAZAAR

***********

Readers: No Jackie, men don’t get that staying “faithful is smart and sexy”…they’d rather get their “helmet polished”! Oh, that is just too funny. She’s got one thing right…you can’t make these things up. The “lecherous lotharios” live on! There is sadly, just too much good stuff here to not repeat it, and get a little morning chuckle. I certainly did –   I HOPE you did too. Happy Monday!

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"