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...The U.S. (federal and states) will spend about $47 billion this year on drug enforcement, clogging our court systems and overcrowding our prisons, in many cases dooming young men to a life in the underclass...And I don’t think we’re getting a good value for our $47 billion. In fact, I think our efforts may be counterproductive, and that we should explore a more sensible route, the same one we use for alcohol and tobacco. In short, legalize it, regulate it and tax it. Legalization would quickly shrink that $47 billion annual cost of law enforcement to a small fraction of...

Columbus, Ohio, Jul 13, 2009 / 10:47 pm (CNA).- R. Eric McFadden, a former leader of several Democrat-leaning Catholic groups, has pled guilty to two counts of compelling prostitution for prostituting a 17-year-old girl on the internet. Five other counts of pandering obscenity and promoting prostitution were dismissed. McFadden, 46, was former director of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland’s Office of Faith-Based Initiatives. He worked for Catholics for Kerry in 2004 and served as the president of Catholics for Faithful Citizenship in 2005. In 2006 he served as a spokesman for Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and was an...

VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) - Authorities say the dean of Villanova University's law school was involved in a prostitution investigation before resigning last week. State police say Mark Sargent was seen leaving a suspected house of prostitution in suburban Philadelphia just before a raid Nov. 25. He was not charged. Instead, police say Sargent was one of two customers who provided information to authorities prosecuting the case. The owner of the Kennett Township home recently pleaded no contest to promoting prostitution; two co-defendants pleaded guilty to the charge.

Charalambos Christodoulides's body was found in a warehouse complex A property developer told a US prostitute he had strangled a man in London because he was "in the way", a court has heard. Rebecca DeFalco told the Old Bailey of her relationship with her client Thanos Papalexis, of Palm Beach, Florida. The body of caretaker Charalambos Christodoulides, 55, was found in 2000 in the warehouse complex where he lived in Kensal Rise, north-west London. Mr Papalexis, 36, and two of his employees have denied murder. Failed Kosovan asylum seekers Ylli Xhelo, 36, unemployed, and Robert Baxhija, 29, a painter of...

PHOENIX — A prostitute doing time behind bars, Marcia Powell was temporarily moved one day last month to an outdoor holding pen with nothing but a chain-link-fence roof to shield her from the searing desert sun. She lasted less than four hours. Powell, 48, collapsed in the 108-degree heat and died at a hospital the next day, touching off a criminal investigation and bringing an abrupt end to a little-known practice in Arizona's prison system that inmate-rights activists found repellent.

"Although Craigslist is widely known for other services, the erotic services portion of the site had more visitors in the Washington area last month than all "for-sale" ads, according to an analysis that Compete.Com performed for The Washington Post." "Last month, more than 217,000 visitors, or 12 percent of Craigslist's total Washington area traffic, visited the erotic services section, spending an average of 64 minutes."

Seven individuals were arrested for running a prostitution ring that advertised on Craigslist, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. The online classified-ads site has drawn attention from law-enforcement agencies, especially after a woman was attacked and another killed by what authorities call the Craigslist killer. The arrests of Scott Rosenberg, 45, and Josef Davenport, 31, who are accused of owning a prostitution ring in Queens, N.Y., known as Room Service Entertainment. They allegedly advertised in the since-discontinued "erotic services" section of Craigslist. "Until Craigslist gets serious about putting real protections in place, it will continue to be an...

A New York City prostitution ring run primarily on Craigslist has been busted, and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo ripped into the site Wednesday, saying it will continue to be a haven for illegal activity until it takes more action to prevent crime. Seven people were arrested and charged in a 47-count indictment for taking part in the service operated out of Queens. "Until Craigslist gets serious about putting real protections in place, it will continue to be an environment where criminal operations thrive with impunity," Cuomo said. Scott Sal Rosenberg, 45, and Josef Davenport, 31, are accused of co-owning and...

The Catechism describes sloth as a culpable lack of physical or spiritual effort that can actually refuse the joy that comes from God. The slothful person is lukewarm towards, perhaps even repelled by, divine goodness and spiritual practices (Catechism #1866, 2094, 2733). The loss of one’s spiritual moorings manifests itself in flight from God and apathy in the service of one’s neighbor. How can we overcome this most deadly vice? Mass society engenders a sense of powerlessness, but size need not leave us apathetic. It is possible to carve out a more human scale of life. Begin with your family,...

PRAGUE: On a recent night at Big Sister, which calls itself the world's biggest Internet brothel, a middle-aged man selected a prostitute from an electronic menu on a flat-screen television, pressing his index finger against it to review the age, hair color, weight and languages spoken by the women on offer. Once he had chosen an 18-year-old brunette, he put on a mandatory burgundy terry cloth robe and proceeded to one of the brothel's luridly-lit theme rooms, an Alpine suite decorated with foam rubber mountains covered with fake snow. Nearby, in the brothel's cramped control room, two young technicians used...

... Opponents of the clean-up - including coffee-shop owners and the prostitutes' union, De Rode Draad (Red Thread), which represents 20,000 Dutch prostitutes - told The Observer yesterday that they believed that, far from reducing crime, it would encourage drug dealers and prostitutes to go underground in areas where they were banned. They also warned that the new clampdown on drugs and the sex industry would have a profound effect on the economics of a city famous for both things. 'Amsterdam is the city of sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll,' said Metje Blaak, a spokeswoman for De Rode...

Rumor is that PBS is polling so they can run an ad in the swing states. Please freep this poll and vote YES for our Sarah!!! http://www.pbs.org/cgi-registry/poll/poll.pl

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine have been told by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign they will not be his vice presidential choice, NBC News reported on Friday quoting sources.

The lure of a $30 trick with a Lowell hooker ended up nearly costing one man more than $60,000 in cash, police said. Jessica Garcia, 30, was released on personal recognizance yesterday after allegations that she agreed to perform oral sex on the drunken john for $30, but then tied him up and ran off with $62,000 in cash he kept in a duffel bag. The man had been drinking cognac for several hours on Saturday night when he hopped on his bicycle, cash in tow, to search for a street walker, police said.....

Barack Obama’s vice presidential vetting team will undoubtedly run across some quirky and potentially troublesome issues as it goes about the business of scouring the backgrounds of possible running mates. But it’s unlikely they’ll find one so curious as Virginia Democratic Sen. Jim Webb’s affinity for the cause of the Confederacy. Webb is no mere student of the Civil War era. He’s an author, too, and he’s left a trail of writings and statements about one of the rawest and most sensitive topics in American history. He has suggested many times that while the Confederacy is a symbol to many...

An Iranian police chief in charge of fighting vice in Tehran was jailed today for reportedly consorting in an underground brothel. Local media reported that General Reza Zarei was jailed after being caught with six naked women at a prostitution den in the Iranian capital. Ali Reza Jamshidi, a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, confirmed today that Mr Zarei had been taken to jail. He refused to elaborate further about the case, however, saying it was now “in the legal stage.”

• South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford: Strong conservative credentials, would be great for outreach to Mr. McCain's conservative critics. • Florida Gov. Charlie Crist: Popular governor who helped deliver Florida in the primary, could help deliver it in the general election. • Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas: Provides a conservative-leaning female face to round out the ticket. • Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty: Moderate Republican who was an early supporter of Mr. McCain's, could help deliver his swing state in the general election. • Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal: Rising star among Republicans, he has many already thinking president. • Rep....

With Romney's pull-out (suspension, anyway), and barring huge unforeseen events, the GOP Pres nomination will go to McCain. I didn't see any prior threads devoted to discussing a range of VP options. (I did see some suggesting particular people, like Condi Rice.) As I see it, McCain SHOULD want to address three factors with his VP pick, although the 3d is far behind the first 2: 1. Ideological Balance. Someone to McCain's right on those issues where McCain is left, such as Amnesty, Gore-Bal Warming, Judges. 2. Relative Youth. McCain's age is a factor, making his VP pick more important...

What would you say if I told you that there is an American business that drops metric tons of toxic waste on your country and in your homes every day? I'm not talking about chemical waste or nuclear waste but toxins far more lethal - the byproducts of what's called entertainment, which are destroying the social environment. I refer to Hollywood, whose primary products are sex, violence, perversion, nihilism, attacks on religion and a thoroughgoing anti-family ethic. They are produced both for domestic consumption and export. It wasn't always so. As fans of old movies can attest, in the 1930s...

Scores of Boston-area hookers are using a major Internet site popular with soccer moms, apartment seekers and job hunters to post hundreds of daily pornographic ads for unbridled sex romps that can be set up within minutes. A two-week Herald investigation of free “erotic services” ads on the craigslist.org Web site uncovered prostitutes shacked up in hotels, operating from Spartan apartments rented by pimps or willing to meet for “car dates” in parking lots. Fees ranged from $50 to $250. “Craigslist has made it much easier for women to engage in this sort of business,” said Boston police Detective Sgt....

The Houston Police Department's Vice Squad is putting together plans to start raiding dozens of the city's sexually oriented businesses. That crackdown, 11 News has learned, could begin within weeks. Owners of more than 120 topless clubs, modeling studios and adults bookstores in Houston will soon receive a two-page letter from the city's Legal Department. The letter says the businesses are in violation of the city's sexually oriented business ordinance; too close to neighborhoods, schools or parks. The City of Houston has spent more than $1.3 million in court costs over the last decade fighting to enforce this ordinance. Now,...

Rudy Giuliani is hardly the presidential candidate of the religious right. But he sure looks like the candidate of the politically incorrect. Just consider where he's getting his money. Underreported from the first fund-raising tallies: Giuliani is by far the most popular figure in the gambling and casino industry. He's raised $94,900 from bookies of all stripes so far -- twice as much as anyone else.

Nigeria: He Abused His Office - ObjDaily Champion (Lagos) September 13, 2006 Posted to the web September 13, 2006 David Idonor Abuja PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday rose in stout defence of his decision to send the report of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which investigated Vice President Atiku Abubakar to the National Assembly, insisting that the V-P abused his office. In a press statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, Obasanjo advised Atiku to "address pertinent issues at hand, rather than alleging it was a case of political persecution". The...

KABUL - The Afghan government's move to reactivate the Department of Vice and Virtue has set alarm bells ringing among sections of the international community. Under the Taliban, a full-fledged ministry was responsible for formulating some of its most contentious laws. The Taliban's tal-Amr bi al-ma'ruf wa al-Nahi 'an al-Munkir or Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice was responsible for implementing a wide range of codes governing public behavior, including bans on activities ranging from homosexuality and apparently innocent pastimes such as kite-flying and music to the absurd, including on women showing their ankles, as...

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Vice President Dick Cheney spoke to approximately 3,200 Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1 Sailors, Marines and family members here May 23. While aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), where the event was hosted, Cheney thanked the ESG 1 service members for their hard work in supporting the war on terror and providing humanitarian aid to Pakistan after an October 2005 earthquake there killed more than 70,000 people. "This operation would not have been possible without the effort of ESG 1," said Cheney. "Thank you for your exemplary work in this great time of need." Rear Adm....

Rush Talks with Vice President CheneyMay 16, 2006 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: And once again, we are thrilled and honored to have with us the vice president of the United States, Dick Cheney. Mr. Vice President, welcome back. As always, great to have you here. THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, good afternoon, Rush. RUSH: All right, question: Is the president -- are you and the president, the administration -- aware of the dissatisfaction on the whole issue of illegal immigration that exists, not just within the Republican base but within the country at large? THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes we are, Rush. In...

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A proposed law to curb prostitution in the U.S. capital has some homosexual activists worried that the profiling would unfairly target transgendered people. A coalition of 22 homosexual rights groups has signed a letter of protest against the proposed Omnibus Public Safety Act of 2005, which would allow police to establish “Prostitution Free Zones” in public areas. The group warns it “will increase harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens.” Program coordinator Darby Hickey, from the homosexual rights group Different Avenues, complained that the program would unfairly target transgendered people. “There’s widespread profiling...

WASHINGTON, March 17, 2006 – An enthusiastic crowd of about 1,000 airmen, soldiers, sailors, Marines and civilians gave Vice President Dick Cheney a Lowcountry welcome as he traveled to Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., today to thank them for their support in the war on terror. Vice President Dick Cheney thanks servicemembers at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., and vows that the United States will see the war on terror through to success. Photo by Master Sgt. Mike Buytas, USAF  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Cheney visited "Team Charleston," home of the 437th Airlift Wing, to praise the...

Site requires membership to pull up story but here is excerpt... Grandson Wants Russian Authorities to Investigate Stalin’s Death Joseph Stalin’s great-grandson has appealed to the Russian authorities with a request to investigate the circumstances of his great-grandfather’s death, news agencies reported Thursday. “When Stalin was disposed of, Khrushchev, who imagined himself to be a statesman, was able to come to power. His so called activities were nothing but a betrayal of the interests of the state that he headed,” Jacob Jugashvili said in a statement. The betrayal committed in the Kremlin should be judged in the Kremlin, too, he...

Clooney film faces censorship (But You Know The New York Slimes...) by Julia Wheeler The film which won George Clooney an Oscar may be banned in one of the countries where it was shot because of political sensitivities. Syriana was partly filmed in the United Arab Emirates. The authorities there are still deciding whether the film, which is a political thriller, will be shown.

DALLAS, Texas (Army News Service, March 7, 2006) – More than 260 troops from the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force were treated to a special ‘welcome home’ from Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army March 4. Cody joined airport staff and volunteers from the “Welcome Home a Hero” program at the airport to greet the service members. “America is behind you,” Cody said in an address to the troops. “I know how important that it is for you to know, and you are about to see exactly what I mean here at Dallas/Fort Worth.”...

Bloggers Battle Over Cheney Misfire (But You Know The New York Slimes) By Melissa McNamara -snip- The Kenedy County Sheriff's Department has closed its investigation into Cheney's accidental shooting of hunting pal Harry Whittington and issued a report that largely supports the vice president's account of the weekend's events. But that hasn't stopped the shooting in cyberspace, where liberal bloggers were particularly riled up over the role alcohol might have played in the mishap. Many bloggers on the left also smelled a cover up, while many right-leaning bloggers said it was all much ado about nothing.

Cheney accident not unusual (But you know The New York Slimes By REAVIS WORTHAM "Ultimately, I am the guy who pulled the trigger and fired the round that hit Harry," said Vice President Dick Cheney. -snip- "It's bad, all right," I said. "But unfortunately it isn't uncommon for people to be hit while hunting quail or dove. Hunting is dangerous."

DNR seeks input on deer hunting (But You Know The New York Slimes) Realigning deer-hunting zones and expanding otter trapping are two topics the DNR wants to discuss with hunters at this year's public-input meetings Tuesday through March 9.

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Feb. 20, 2006 – It was a day for some troops serving in Iraq to remember. Some were re-enlisting, some received Purple Heart Medals and other troops were being awarded combat infantryman, medical and action badges. The day meant even more to the soldiers because the presenter was Gen. Richard A. Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff. Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff for the U.S. Army, recites the oath of enlistment to soldiers of 1st Battalion, 327th Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, during a reenlistment ceremony last week. Cody visited troops at various...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Vice President Dick Cheney awarded medals for valor in combat to two Army aviators and two infantrymen during a visit with the Combined Joint Task Force-76 troops Dec. 19. Cheney awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor to Staff Sgt. Jonathan Brooks and Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Holland, both infantrymen assigned to 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry (Airborne), for their actions in combat May 30. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Guy Betts, a pilot from Company B, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, received the Air Medal with Valor for engaging the enemy during a medical evacuation mission June...

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Army News Service, Dec. 9, 2005) -- Vice President Richard B. Cheney welcomed New York National Guard Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division back from Iraq Dec. 6 and also thanked 10th Mountain Division troops at Fort Drum for their effort in the War on Terrorism. Nearly 3,000 Soldiers and family members gathered to welcome the country’s No. 2 official at Fort Drum’s Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield Tuesday. “It is pretty neat to have the vice president recognize the Soldiers who have come and gone in these two great divisions,” said 1st Sgt. Mark Martin, Headquarters and Headquarters...

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. (Oct. 3, 2005) -- Vice President Dick Cheney greets MCAS New River Marines during his visit to the Air Station. Many Marines in the crowd recently returned from supporting Joint Task Force Katrina. Cheney landed at New River before heading to MCB Camp Lejeune to address Marines there later today.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Oct. 3, 2005) -- The Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, visited more than 4,500 Marines here Oct. 3, welcoming them home from recent deployment. Cheney’s visit was less about his own appearance at the base and more about boosting morale and extending gratitude from the nation to Marines, some who arrived home as recent as last weekend from Iraq and other operations, including hurricane relief efforts on our own Gulf Coast. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment (3/25), a reserve unit based out of Ohio, many of whom returned...

The courts have slammed the door on one of an accused Upper East Side madam's arguments for why she should get off — that giant companies such as pornography distributors regularly promote prostitution with impunity. Companies like DirecTV and Marriott that distribute adult films are basically paying performers to have sex, reasoned Jenny Paulino, the 44-year-old alleged madam who runs the American Beauties escort service.....Paulino, who was arrested in December after a raid on the supposed brothel, doesn't see that as any different from a pimp — or a madam — paying a hooker to make nice with a john....

Father, son arrested as Cheney motorcade passes By PATRICK LESTER Bucks County Courier Times Plenty of people had choice words for Vice President Dick Cheney as they waited in traffic for his motorcade to make its way through Bucks County Monday. But a 68-year-old Warwick man and his son, frustrated that closed roads prevented them from getting home, went beyond what police were willing to tolerate, and an officer used a stun gun to subdue the father before arresting them. Jay Saddington and his son, Randy, 36, both were arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest at York and Almshouse...

Seeing the same faces shuffle through the system on prostitution charges, the undercover vice detective began to collect them. He placed arrest photo after photo of each woman in sequence, so someone could study the first innocuous picture, skim through the middle and be riveted on the last: the one that shows the ravages of living on the street, where eyes tell tales of pain and despair, anger and desperation. "It's so drastic, and it can be so fast," the undercover officer said of the downward spirals he's seen in six years of working prostitution cases, "and it's all because...

New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has long been rumored as desperately seeking the democratic nomination for president in 2008. And while many political observers fully expect the power hungry former First Lady to hit the campaign trail within only a few months of being re-elected as a US Senator in 2006, US News & World report claims to have a confirmation of sorts. From USNews.Com's Washington Whispers: Hillary's in… You don't have to take it from us about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton 's desire to run for president. Her brothers, Hugh and Tony Rodham, say it's true. Friends...

December 30, 2004 -- Long Island cops have busted two women who were selling hot dogs — and themselves — from a food truck parked along a busy stretch of Sunrise Highway, authorities said. According to police, (the women)started parking in Baldwin about four months ago and sold hot dogs, chips and sodas to dozens of unsuspecting customers from the front of the truck — and sex in the back.

It has literally been nearly twenty years since last I sat down to intentionally watch a broadcast television event. The occasion? Mitch Albom’s book-turned-movie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven. It may become for the pagans what It’s a Wonderful Life has been for Christians – a ritual holiday event. Christians in general, and Catholics in particular, have been raging for years about the Hollywood elite and their stranglehold on the culture. Nearly 20 books have been written on the slanders propagated by Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code alone (and I must say, I contributed to that particular...

Liberal nightmareDonald Rumsfeld agrees to stay on as Sec. of Defense     This is an email-able, copyright-ready graphic you can use in emails, on blogs, in flyers, on posters... anything that's noncommercial.

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

The Vice Presidential Debate 10/6/04 Cheney won this debate. I don't know if he won it by the same margin that Kerry won the first Presidential debate, but he clearly won. He came off as honest, humble and wise. Edwards did as well he could do, considering what he was defending, and Democrats cannot be too upset with his performance. I thought it a bit strange that he brought up Cheney's family before Cheney did. Cheney let it slide and was gracious and brief about gay marriage as he should be. Edwards came off as well spoken, articulate, but also...

Cheney scores: "You're not credible on Iraq because of the enormous inconsistencies that John Kerry and you have cited time after time after time." "Whatever the political pressures of the moment requires, that's where you're at. But you've not been consistent and there's no indication at all that John Kerry has the conviction to successfully carry through on the war on terror." "So they [Kerry, Edwards], in effect, decided they would cast an anti-war vote and they voted against the troops. Now if they couldn't stand up to the pressures that Howard Dean represented, how can we expect them...

The vice presidential candidates' debate tonight between Republican Vice President Dick Cheney and Democrat Sen. John Edwards, touted by the mass media as a possible pivot point in the presidential election, is missing a vital component -- four other candidates for the same office. Because several candidates were excluded from the "official" debate, there will actually be two debates between vice presidential candidates tonight in Cleveland, Ohio. Libertarian Richard Campagna, Pat LaMarche of the Green Party, Ralph Nader's independent running mate Peter Camejo, and Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party all plan to take part in a debate for "third...