All forms of prostitution were illegal in the state until 1980, when legislators -- while amending the existing law to speed up prosecution -- inadvertently deleted the section that addressed the actual act of prostitution.
Normally I would chime in here about regulation and allowing the market to work while minimizing dangers -- but RI can't even be sure their lawmakers and politicians aren't cooking the books and ruining the banks, so certainly they wouldn't get regulating prostitution right.
LEGALISE ALL PROSTITUTION! If you think it's dirty or depraved, you need to see "The WI Ladies' Guide to Prostitution" where a bunch of pensioner ladies set out on a worldwide fact finding mission to support legal brothels in the UK. FASCINATING: http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/G/g-spot/wi-ladys-guide-to-brothels/programme.html
@SugitaAlcimede: The thing is, in 95% of cases, it IS dirty and depraved and exploitative and this is, with reason, what people think of when they think of prostitution. It's the modus operandi that people know.
Prostitution advocates face the challenge of showing that there need not be anything dangerous/depraved/dirty about it.
@LaComtesse: Which is exactly what they do in the documentary. It's really interesting to see these old grandma's hanging out with hookers and figuring out what they like and what they dislike about each brothel.
I live in Lil Rhody, and a gal in my tennis league owns a "males only" styling salon. She gets calls ALL THE TIME asking if hers is the salon with a "trim and wank" special. I guess there is one up the street from her that legally offers just that.
@Kaehoku: If I remember right, Buddy Cianci wasn't in JAIL, but he was accused of burning his ex with cigarettes while a state trooper stood gaurd outside the door. He was re-elected.
That was felony number one.
He didn't run again when he was accused , tried, and convicted of corruption charges.
@NewsBunny: oh, honey, don't sell Illinois short! We've had 3 governors in jail, and soon we'll have a fourth! Don't even look at our local governments in and around Chicago. Todd Stroger, FTL!
I'm actually with the mother in Florida--I'm not really down with federally and state funded schools teaching religion. To my mind, that includes songs. Now, if teachers want to talk about the songs' historical context, or do some critical analysis--I'm all for it. But just flat out teaching religion in schools is unconstitutional.
@wealhtheow: I'm with you. Once you aren't religious anymore, you realize how completely institutionalized religion is in public schools. This is a perfect example...no one thought twice until this mother said something. Now if only we could fix that damn Pledge of Allegiance...
@wealhtheow: On the one hand, the atheist hand, I strongly agree with you. The tacit approval of religion in schools isn't cool, and bothers me a great deal.
On the other hand, the choral and classical singer hand, I disagree strongly. This genre of music, and most classical music, have strongly religious themes, but to not teach them leaves a gaping hole in music education (which is already underfunded and undertaught anyway). I was never taught them like I had to believe them to be able to sing them with strength and skill, and being a nonbeliever singing such nonsense words probably made me a better singer in the end, anyway--I could emote about god and Christ with the best of them down to the bottom of my little atheist heart. My choral education, in the public schools I attended k-12, did not include any history or theory of music; I did take both in college, because I wanted to. The songs were just words on paper, part of a musical tradition that was vaguely glossed over, presented equally alongside Disney medleys and modern compositions.
To cut religious texts from the realm of choral performance would be to lose a great deal of beautiful music. Some of my favourite music is religious (I'm a Verdi fan). It isn't doing the nonreligious any favours to argue that we cannot have this music in schools (and limit an already limited curriculum further); rather, we should try to educate the students about the nonnecessity of belief in performance. Use examples from opera, perhaps: no opera singer believes she is really going to die, or marry the hero, or whatever, but that is what she sings. We can all sing things that are not true for us, and beautifully.
@Her Grace: Certainly a lot of music has religious themes, and it would be a shame for students to miss out on all of it. But (and I think we agree here), when songs with religious content are taught I think there should be at least some in-class discussion about it. Otherwise you get what I got in school--90% Christian music for public school choir, with all the accompanying pressumptions.
On a complete tangent, I didn't take music past elementary school and can't think what you mean by "an already limited curriculum". Do you mean because of budget constraints, or are there things that music classes specifically omit?
I don't know about the Ohio thing, I live in Toledo and saw a pole this morning that said that showed approximately 54% support in favor of requiring the father's written permission
@whats_in_a_name: The spousal consent provision of a Pennsylvania abortion law was held to be an "undue burden" on a woman's right to choose (Planned Parenthood v. Casey), so as of right this second, this bill as written (which goes farther than just spousal consent) would be unconstitutional and invalid. If the SCOTUS really means what it says about stare decisis, the law would have to be struck down.
The thing that's so shocking to me is that if you're not sure who the father is you have to submit a LIST OF DUDES YOU SLEPT WITH. Seriously, Ohio? They are not messing around when it comes to slut shaming. Yikes.
@Megan: Thanks, I didn't know that this type of provision had already been found unconstitutional.
@Penny_Esq:
Saddly that part don't shock me at all, I have an acquaintance who was pregnant awhile ago, she was asked to list all of the potential fathers (she didn't know who it was) when she went in for prenatal care.
Actually, what every woman seeking an abortion should do is name the doofi who sponsored the bill as possible babydaddies. The required paternity tests and public humiliation could be big fun!
@CParis: Win! And you know at least one of them has a secret abortion in his past.
@whats_in_a_name: What purpose is served by listing the potential fathers? Unless you have their medical records their identities wouldn't necessarily improve your prenatal care, right? Crazy.
The bill requires prenatal (around 10 wks) paternity testing, so that you can identify the babydaddy and secure his approval before you get the abortion.
Sounds like an episode of the "Maury Show".
I'm not sure that the repeated footage of that girl bouncing around was even relevant after the club in question refused to let the news crew film the inside of the venue. If underage stripping is the issue at hand, why have footage of someone who is of age (assumption*) grinding about in the background... shock value? ah. right.
09/09/09
All forms of prostitution were illegal in the state until 1980, when legislators -- while amending the existing law to speed up prosecution -- inadvertently deleted the section that addressed the actual act of prostitution.
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
Prostitution advocates face the challenge of showing that there need not be anything dangerous/depraved/dirty about it.
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
07/23/09
07/24/09
That was felony number one.
He didn't run again when he was accused , tried, and convicted of corruption charges.
07/23/09
07/23/09
Then we all do jazzhands.
07/23/09
I lived and worked there for four years. THE LONGEST FOUR YEARS OF MY LIFE.
It's too bad. It could be a marvelous place to live: all that coastline! But the politicans -- and the people who keep voting them in -- are NUTS.
Full Disclosure -- I am from Massachusetts, the only state that really matters in New England.
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/24/09
:)
07/23/09
What's all this "if"?
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
On the other hand, the choral and classical singer hand, I disagree strongly. This genre of music, and most classical music, have strongly religious themes, but to not teach them leaves a gaping hole in music education (which is already underfunded and undertaught anyway). I was never taught them like I had to believe them to be able to sing them with strength and skill, and being a nonbeliever singing such nonsense words probably made me a better singer in the end, anyway--I could emote about god and Christ with the best of them down to the bottom of my little atheist heart. My choral education, in the public schools I attended k-12, did not include any history or theory of music; I did take both in college, because I wanted to. The songs were just words on paper, part of a musical tradition that was vaguely glossed over, presented equally alongside Disney medleys and modern compositions.
To cut religious texts from the realm of choral performance would be to lose a great deal of beautiful music. Some of my favourite music is religious (I'm a Verdi fan). It isn't doing the nonreligious any favours to argue that we cannot have this music in schools (and limit an already limited curriculum further); rather, we should try to educate the students about the nonnecessity of belief in performance. Use examples from opera, perhaps: no opera singer believes she is really going to die, or marry the hero, or whatever, but that is what she sings. We can all sing things that are not true for us, and beautifully.
07/24/09
On a complete tangent, I didn't take music past elementary school and can't think what you mean by "an already limited curriculum". Do you mean because of budget constraints, or are there things that music classes specifically omit?
07/23/09
07/23/09
Also, as Katha Pollitt pointed out elsewhere, this very provision was determined to be unconstitutional under Planned Parenthood v. Casey. So it's just a publicity stunt, as the vast majority of these crazy anti-abortion bills often are.
07/23/09
The thing that's so shocking to me is that if you're not sure who the father is you have to submit a LIST OF DUDES YOU SLEPT WITH. Seriously, Ohio? They are not messing around when it comes to slut shaming. Yikes.
07/23/09
@Penny_Esq:
Saddly that part don't shock me at all, I have an acquaintance who was pregnant awhile ago, she was asked to list all of the potential fathers (she didn't know who it was) when she went in for prenatal care.
07/23/09
Actually, what every woman seeking an abortion should do is name the doofi who sponsored the bill as possible babydaddies. The required paternity tests and public humiliation could be big fun!
07/23/09
07/23/09
@whats_in_a_name: What purpose is served by listing the potential fathers? Unless you have their medical records their identities wouldn't necessarily improve your prenatal care, right? Crazy.
07/23/09
The bill requires prenatal (around 10 wks) paternity testing, so that you can identify the babydaddy and secure his approval before you get the abortion.
Sounds like an episode of the "Maury Show".
07/23/09
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=128_HB_252
07/23/09
Thank you.
Regards,
Texas
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
I'd call it the "Horny Toads Club".