Actually there are , but they are questionable at best.

Of course, there’s been no real evidence to back up these allegations. I haven’t seen anyone say “we have recorded phone calls and can back up our allegations with proof” though so it seems like their word against the paper’s. Then there’s the idea that they’re simply trying to shut down the Orlando Weekly for critical stories it ran on the MBI. If that’s true then that would change the entire story to a free speech/censorship case, which is even more deplorable than anything the Orlando Weekly is being accused of.

I am going to try to dig up these alleged articles about the MBI to see if there’s any truth to this story. If so, then the MBI has a serious legal/ethical problem on its hands for trying to disrupt the constitution of the United States and I can definitely see them having problems if this comes to light.

** I’m not trying to imply that she agrees with ANY of the thoughts on this blog or not, she hasn’t even read it.

She did agree that the murder rate is going through the roof and we need to focus our efforts on that.

this entire situation is insane. there’s not much i can add, really, that wouldn’t echo what others have written on the various subjects at this point.

first of all, i always shake my head in disapproval when i see cops going after prostitution. let’s just legalize it, already. other comments express the idea more eloquently, but i tend to remember george carlin’s view on prostitution:

“I do not understand why prostitution is illegal. Why should prostitution be illegal? Selling is legal. Fucking is legal. Why isn’t selling fucking legal? You know, why is it illegal to sell something that’s perfectly legal to give away? I can’t follow the logic on that at all. Of all the things you can do to a person, giving someone an orgasm is hardly the worst thing in the world. In the army they give you a medal for spraying napalm on people. Civilian life, you go to jail for giving someone an orgasm. Maybe I’m not supposed to understand it.”

second, the weekly is never responsible for the conduct of the entities with which it does business. as long as the weekly does not engage in prostitution itself, they have not broken the law, and that is why the MBI is constitutionally outside of its jurisdiction. period. it doesn’t matter if the weekly staff was or was not aware of the activities of their advertisers. that is irrelevant.

i am personally aware, for example, that certain agents under the umbrella of the federal government are currently engaging in war crimes. that does NOT mean that I am responsible for those war crimes. it would be wrong for anyone to accuse me of those war crimes. i am not the one committing them, nor am i complicit in those crimes. my knowledge of them does not make me guilty of them. and so it is the same for the weekly. they are not guilty of any crimes that their advertisers may or may not commit.

after all, it seems to me that the ads in question do not explicitly advertise illegal services, so i don’t see what the problem is in the first place.

i sincerely hope the, um, orlandoans…orlandos…orlandites…orlandans…er, that all y’all continue to make your voices heard. i believe, as a non-florida resident, that the arrest of the Orlando Weekly Three was neither justified or permissible by the US constitution, and that those responsible for the greater investigation be reassigned to fighting crimes that actually harm people in a tangible, quantifiable way. a sober, impartial viewing of the facts and the established law can lead to no other conclusion.

In Holland, women are trained by the Government to posses the skills necessary to have sex with handicapped or disabled citizens as a “civic courtesy” to those who are less fortunate. Imagine that.

I’m big on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 503, since it affects my pro work as a technologist, but right now we (USA) would never have the kind of real compassion it would take to write that kind of thing into law. Its indicative of their entire social stance.

Florida is slowly waking up. Orlando is slowly becoming an epicenter for the war against the Christian right.

Free-thinking citizens fight the oppressive, meat-head enforcement institutions, but the State wins EVERY TIME.

I have more hope than that. By speaking about it openly on the internet, we get some of our power back. Also, and this is a motto I’ve lived by for years: You are only as free as you say you are.

If the man makes you think you are in a cage, you will be. Only you can set your self free, and live in a realtime liberty environment. Just ask Nelson Mandela, who sat in a jail sell for 27 years and was the freest man on earth.

Someone should file a claim against the organizations enacting such apparent and unlawful harassments.

The thing is that “big brother” will always keep pushing and pushing the limits until we stand up for ourselves and refuse to accept such unconstitutional actions and harassments. If we act as sheep we will be treated as sheep.

The ensuing uproar on the internet over this story goes a long way towards that. Thanks for contributing such a thoughtful comment on the subject. Big Brother seems, to me, to be both growing stronger, and weaker. Just like the Roman Empire - before it collapsed. Keep your passports up to date and learn a foreign language. Global Citizenry is the next phase of freedom, methinks. Local politics are petty and are easily stopped - if we stand up and let them know that we caught them with their pants down (exposing all the pimples of incompetence and corruption).

The MBI, has a job to do, and as much as it sucks, their claim is legit that many of the ads in the Weekly allude to Rub N Tug operations, aka happy ending massages. A buddy of mine even admitted to me that he went to a “My Thai Massage” and received a complimentary orgasm. The operation exists. Unfortunately, under Florida State Law, soliciting prostitution is illegal. And the MBI claims that the OW knowingly publishes the Rub n Tug ads, and I would postulate that the MBI is actually correct in their assumption. Although, who is to know for sure?

The REAL issue at hand here goes beyond public humiliation of the Weekly. The real issue is that prostitution is illegal. And you know, Red States and cracking down on any kind of sex crime or scandal go hand in hand. And that is because red states are predominantly Christian-operated with respect to gov. policy, and Christians hate it when people are fucking and having fun, because their faith tells them that the wiener is only allowed to occupy a vagina and under strict conditions. The issue here is a theme that’s been around for centuries, the men are sexually repressed and seeking to punish those who are not.

In Holland, women are trained by the Government to posses the skills necessary to have sex with handicapped or disabled citizens as a “civic courtesy” to those who are less fortunate. Imagine that. And in the U.S. of A. it is illegal to purchase a dildo in 13 states. Blowjobs, which are classified under definition as sodomy, are still illegal in some states. This is the Christian right seeking to regulate your human-animal desire to get off with another person.

Florida is slowly waking up. Orlando is slowly becoming an epicenter for the war against the Christian right. Kids are being arrested for feeding the homeless, Rub N Tugs get shut down, and City Officials attend church on Sunday. Road rage, stress, social anxiety, punishment for speaking freely, and suburban sprawl are all issues lingering in the background. Free-thinking citizens fight the oppressive, meat-head enforcement institutions, but the State wins EVERY TIME. If you ask me, the leftists need to think less radically and more intelligently. We need free-thinkers in office, not down 33rd St & John Young Parkway.

But getting back to the original topic, I look forward to hearing more about the development of this story. And I hope the City doesn’t win, and that free (i mean payed for) love will prevail.

“Big Brother” has been doing this since the dawn of time. It’s nothing new. You can trace these tactics into all area’s of government. The War on Drugs, The IRS, The Penal/Prison System… it’s all about their job security and/or profit. And it all comes down to what side of the fence you’re on as to whether or not you’re getting bent over the wrong way.

In this case, their trying yet again to be the unsolicited pimp of the oldest profession in the world by collecting their money in the form of fines or one-up-man-ship by the moral majority which will help secure their future employment positions.

When digging really deep, it’s not just Orlando that’s like this. The moral majority is always looking for ways to blame the rest of society for it’s unmanaged deviant urges and lack of parenting. People need to take acceptance of their own actions and stop creating scapegoats for their misadventures.

It’s really sad to see Orlando mis-prioritizing their efforts from Murders, Robberies and Violent Crimes to Victim-less crimes like supposed subversive massage therapists and the publications that publish advertisements (which are sold without prejudice or discrimination to any free market entrepreneurs without bias of their chosen profession). It’s not like there are laws that define what is acceptable and unacceptable in regards to advertising therapeutic massage services (like they do have for Alcohol and Tobacco). And even if the advertisements were for illegal sexual services, it’s the law’s own loophole that they need to correct because they’re not advertising sexual services, they’re advertising massage therapy. The last time I checked, massage therapy and the advertising of it is not an illegal act. Yes, at times the advertisements may feature an attractive man or woman, but featuring a picture of an attractive person is nothing new to the world of advertising. They use this tactic to sell everything from Liquor, Cars, and other vices to clothing, makeup, toilet paper, hygienic products, office products and lots more. “Sex” is used to market everything. And doing so is not illegal, as long as it’s not sex that you’re explicitly advertising as for sale.

It’s the readers own prejudices as to whether or not they think that person is a professional or if they’re a “professional”. And if anyone thinks someone is a “professional” because they may be attractive and happen to be a massage therapist then the reader has some deep rooted issues that go far beyond advertising and they possibly need some professional therapy (or as Freud would say; Their true desire is “Professional Therapy”).

What really sucks is that the MBI is giving a bad name to all legitimate massage therapists and it’s going to hurt the income and reputation of more legitimate professionals a lot more than it is going to temporarily deter anyone who might be actually be selling illegal services.

Someone should file a claim against the organizations enacting such apparent and unlawful harassments.

The thing is that “big brother” will always keep pushing and pushing the limits until we stand up for ourselves and refuse to accept such unconstitutional actions and harassments. If we act as sheep we will be treated as sheep.

Yeah, I”m not down on police officers. I just expect them to do their job responsibly and to their best of their ability - just like everyone else.

For Example:
I fired my bank today because they suggested I just float checks against a deposit I made at 10am. So I left Wachovia and went to WaMu (where i feel like they love you :)).

They haven’t picked this up yet, but they should.