MLA arrested seeking prostitues while at a conference in Minnesota

[troutman]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Buddy broke the law. String him up by his thumbs, and so on.

Can someone remind me why prostitution is illegal?

There are good arguments for legalizing prostitution. While it remains illegal, we should not shrug our shoulders and say "so what?", when parasitic pimps and violent johns are abusing sex workers.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by troutman

There are good arguments for legalizing prostitution. While it remains illegal, we should not shrug our shoulders and say "so what?", when parasitic pimps and violent johns are abusing sex workers.

Didn't Ontario just effectively legalize it due to a court ruling? I remember reading that the owner of a Nevada brothel wanted to open one in Toronto after the ruling, but I haven't seen anything else past that

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Point two is speculation on your part. Perhaps his "relationship' was in the crapper, and that is why he was playing away from home.

He has a wife, children and grandchildren. Those who know him are all saying the same thing - they never suspected - didn't see this coming - etc, etc.

I highly doubt even if the relationship was "in the crapper" that somehow will make it any easier on them.

Point one, is a bigger issue. I didn't know he was on "official bidniss" at the time.

For his constituents and Albertans as a whole, yes that's the bigger issue - to his wife and family - not so much.

I like a couple of the quotes from this piece.

http://www.660news.com/inside/blog/p...s-perspective/

Another says “he’s never done this before,” as if a grown man goes on a conference and decides this is the weekend that he’s finally going to give into that longtime fantasy of soliciting a prostitute.

Can we please wake up?

and

No one looks at a case of sexual exploitation, whether it be a child or otherwise, and thinks ‘I’m OK with this.” That disgust should be transferred to what Allen got himself involved in. It was (in his own words) a “profound lapse of personal judgement.”

[rain_e]

Paul Paulos of St. Paul? Really?

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by rain_e

Paul Paulos of St. Paul? Really?

lol really.... That's Sgt Paul Paulos of St. Paul Paulice department aka SPP of SPP.

[gargamel]

Originally Posted by troutman

There are good arguments for legalizing prostitution. While it remains illegal, we should not shrug our shoulders and say "so what?", when parasitic pimps and violent johns are abusing sex workers.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but it's worth noting that criminalization prevents victimized sex workers from having any recourse against those parasitic pimps and violent johns.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by troutman

There are good arguments for legalizing prostitution. While it remains illegal, we should not shrug our shoulders and say "so what?", when parasitic pimps and violent johns are abusing sex workers.

I agree. I just kind of file this crime in the same file as people getting busted smoking weed.

[GP_Matt]

I read that the other MLA that was with him, Wayne Cao, was at a museum at the time. It looks like they sent complete opposites.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by 4X4

I agree. I just kind of file this crime in the same file as people getting busted smoking weed.

Perhaps for a single person; for someone who is married - there is no way they fall into same catagory.... not even close.

[Rathji]

I, for one, welcome our prostitute wielding overloads.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by First Lady

Perhaps for a single person; for someone who is married - there is no way they fall into same catagory.... not even close.

Depends if you are talking in a moralistic or legal sense. In modern times, you cannot be charged (in Canada) for "adultery" as a crime. So the act of soliciting a prostitute (not destroying a family) is what should be looked at, rather than the moral implication of his action.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Depends if you are talking in a moralistic or legal sense. In modern times, you cannot be charged (in Canada) for "adultery" as a crime. So the act of soliciting a prostitute (not destroying a family) is what should be looked at, rather than the moral implication of his action.

He wasn't in Canada at the time. He was in a country where it (prostitution) is illegal.
As our representative in another country its not unrealistic to expect him to follow the local laws.

The moral implications will also have an impact on how he performs his job. He will be under incredible emotional stress as he either trys to salvage his marriage or as he goes through a terrible divorce.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by First Lady

He wasn't in Canada at the time. He was in a country where it (prostitution) is illegal.
As our representative in another country its not unrealistic to expect him to follow the local laws.

The moral implications will also have an impact on how he performs his job. He will be under incredible emotional stress as he either trys to salvage his marriage or as he goes through a terrible divorce.

Yes, but the post you had responded to was about the criminal aspect of this incident.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the moral fallout or the impact on his job. 4X4 was speaking to the crime itself, and nothing more. As in, he equated solicitation to marijuana, likely with the subtext that both should be legalized and regulated.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by First Lady

He wasn't in Canada at the time. He was in a country where it (prostitution) is illegal.
As our representative in another country its not unrealistic to expect him to follow the local laws.

The moral implications will also have an MAY impact on how he performs his job. He will be under incredible emotional stress as he either trys to salvage his marriage or as he goes through a terrible divorce.

Fixed your post.

You may be correct, but you shouldn't talk in definatives

[schteve_d]

Originally Posted by 1stLand

We can get into a philosophical discussion about the legality and morality of prostitution.

Aren't some relationships and marriages a form of prostitution? Some women are only with their husbands because they can provide them with a higher standard of living and a weekly stipend or living allowance to buy clothes, nice things etc.
Once a man withdraws these financial stipends sometimes the 'relationship'.
will end.

You reminded me of my favourite Onion article:

AKRON, OH—Area resident Helen Crandall, 44, was arrested by Akron police Sunday, charged with conducting an elaborate "sex for security" scam in which she allegedly defrauded husband Russell Crandall out of nearly $230,000 in cash, food, clothing and housing over the past 19 years using periodic offers of sexual intercourse.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/hou...ity-scam,1773/

[Rathji]

The guy shouldn't be an MLA anymore, but using that logic, many of the people who are MLAs shouldn't be either.

I think a by-election would be interesting.

[jammies]

Originally Posted by First Lady

1) he was representing Alberta at the time; so his "free time" activities (once publicly known) are impacting his role as a government member.

Not if everyone just said "who cares?" and moved on. It's only an issue because people make it an issue. And people shouldn't.

As far as him breaking this particular law in the US, I put that at about the equivalent stigma of getting busted in some Third World craphole for not saluting Dear Leader's statue or some such equally absurd regulation. Not that the US is some Third World craphole, but their drug and sex laws are generally reminiscent of one.

Originally Posted by First Lady

2) going forward how well will he be able to do his job? This is probably one of the most traumatic events a relationship can be put through. Again this will impact his ability to properly represent his constituents.

You can't be serious. If any kind of stressful event was cause for quitting/being fired from your job, there'd be a handful of people working 800 hour weeks while the rest of us were unemployable.

The main problem I have with this situation is that I abhor the idea that your personal and public life have anything to do with each other. I don't like the current trend towards having companies vet you via social media before hiring, and I don't like how "character" is becoming more important than actually being competent at your job. A tendency to value a superficial upright moral posture over all other qualities only creates pressure for conformity via fear of censure, which is something you find in totalist dictatorships and should have little strength in a supposedly free nation.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by jammies

...
The main problem I have with this situation is that I abhor the idea that your personal and public life have anything to do with each other. ...

I agree with the above statement when we talk about, say, Tiger Woods. His personal shenanigans had been exposed and negatively affected everyone around him. We have no clue about the real situation and the kind of relationship he had with his wife, as well as the girls he may have had sex with, but the publicity of his affairs made the outcome irreversible and inevitable; plus it severely affected his golf game. Public morals aside, this was strictly between him and his wife to sort out.

But, when media publicizes affairs of a school teacher with students or a doctor with patients, the professional ethics and trust come into play. So, for a politician willingly and knowingly breaking laws, this should be a reasonable outcome. Politicians are not celebrities but public figures and they know what is at stake and what are the sacrifices. Having said that, look at Spitzer and Weiner: both are coming back strongly shortly after having their sex scandals exposed by media.

[old-fart]

So for those saying "who cares what he does on his own time if it doesn't effect his job, including illegal acts" I assume you'd all also be just fine if some MLA went to Thailand, found an 8 year to rape, chopped his or her's head off, stuck it on a spear in the front lawn of the embassy, claimed "diplomatic immunity" and hoped a plane home? Or even didn't make the immunity claim and served time in a Thai jail. He could run his job remotely, couldn't he?

On his own time and all....

Dude should quit his seat, run in a byelection if he thinks he can win, and/or move on with trying to explain to his family his "lapse of judgement". We should expect more of our politicians, not less.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by old-fart

So for those saying "who cares what he does on his own time if it doesn't effect his job, including illegal acts" I assume you'd all also be just fine if some MLA went to Thailand, found an 8 year to rape, chopped his or her's head off, stuck it on a spear in the front lawn of the embassy, claimed "diplomatic immunity" and hoped a plane home? Or even didn't make the immunity claim and served time in a Thai jail. He could run his job remotely, couldn't he?

On his own time and all....

This is the strawmaniest of strawmen that ever strawed a straw.