Comments on: DC “Family Values”: Punish Women, Give Men a Pass

By: Jim Harnage

Jim Harnage — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:44:50 +0000

In defense of comments made in the awful wake of her unfortunate death I submit the following email from Deborah Jeane Palfrey to me, a minister as I knew her, back in July 2007. For more info see Palfrey story at http://www.dianedimond.net

Jim… what an absolutely lovely letter. It is greatly appreciated. Now, in my opinion you are the archetypical Christian. I believe there is something in the Bible which speaks specifically to the identification of the truly righteous, i.e. how most would be surprised to discover who these persons/souls really are in this world. Something as well about only a few ultimately inheriting the Kingdom of God, as I recall. And I do believe these chosen few sure as heck aren’t the persons/entities you have spoken of here.
–Sincerely, Jeane Palfrey

PS I am no longer accepting donations. In fact, the cc is to remind my attorney one more time to delete any such reference to the website.

By: DrBubbles

DrBubbles — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:18:02 +0000

You also have to remember this is a money laundering trial. Evidently Butler forgot to remember, too: "Butler apologized to the jury for some of the more explicit testimony — he asked one witness about her menstrual cycle, to the chagrin of everyone present — but defended it. In a case that is fundamentally about sex, 'you have to be explicit,' Butler said." [Emphasis added. Link.

By: The Egalitarian Bookworm (Chick?)...

The Egalitarian Bookworm (Chick?)... — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:53:56 +0000

More Unhappiness-inducing Links…

The suicide of the Deborah Jeane Palfrey, DC Madam is seriously one of the more fucked up things that’s happened in a week of serious fuckupidtudes. The feminist blogs have covered the double-standard……

By: Roy

Roy — Fri, 02 May 2008 07:32:42 +0000

Well, you women have yourselves partly to blame. It’s you who demand that prostitution be illegal (out of jealousy). Yeah, there are a few weak-dick jesus-is-my-lord men who want it to be illegal, too, but they’re a small minority.

By: Feministe » Tragic Result

Feministe » Tragic Result — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:38:31 +0000

[...] the women that do the sex work, than for the men who act as customers. Yet, this blog has covered before, in this case, the johns were spared public humiliation, but the sex workers were dragged up on the [...]

By: Em

Em — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:59:36 +0000

“They have to nail this down: hence the menstruation question – if the ‘prostitute’ didn’t have sex but still got the cash, that supports the Madam’s argument they weren’t being paid for sex ”

So what, like when she’s menstruating is supposed to be the time when she’s least likely to have sex, and like if she was ever /not/ going to have sex with a client, it would be while she’s menstruating?

The proceedings were sexist, either way you look at it.

Not only that question, but also just that if you’re going to charge someone for money laundering, and not charge johns for prostitution…

By: Em

Em — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:55:56 +0000

“I thought the sex workers loved to talk about sex. They certainly love to brag and talk about it on their blogs. It all look so fun.”

There are different types of sexwork, you know. Somehow I don’t think the prostitutes in /this/ trial were bragging about it on “their blogs”…
And somehow I don’t think women doing sex work for $40 an hour are doing it b/c they think it’s glamorous.

And not all sex positive feminists want women to be prostitutes, or even think that prostitution is an okay practice.
You sound like a confused individual.

By: A Paperback Writer

A Paperback Writer — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:48:02 +0000

Very thought provoking.
On a less-disgusting but still parallel note, has anyone else noticed how, with this whole mess in El Dorado, Texas, it is the women and children who are being detained and questioned (sure, the women are free to go, but their children aren’t, so it’s unlikely a woman is going to leave her toddler behind and go) while the men are free to go? Yes, of course, some of the women are probably accomplices to the rapes and abuses, but the men have, for more than a week, walked free.
(I don’t really like how Texas is handling this whole thing, but I can’t help but see the parallel here…..)

By: martine Votvik

martine Votvik — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:47:59 +0000

“TinaH says:
April 17th, 2008 at 2:43 pm – Edit
How’s the whole Swedish thing of making selling sex legal but buying it illegal working out?”

Here is a link that is discussing various questions about the law with links to national research.

I’m Norwegian and we are well on our way to introduce the law here too. I’m looking forewards to seeing how this will change Norwegian society. But one thing:

it is the changing oppinion of the public of the buyers responsibilities that is making this law at all possible.

It seems other parts of the world have a long way to go on that account… Things like this make me sick. It’s aso middle ages.

By: Idontgetit

Idontgetit — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 02:16:19 +0000

Let me add that the john in the Palfrey case should each be hauled in and given the same treatment. Where are the johns? What happened to the phone list?

Why don’t some of you intrepid bloggers investigate that and track it down. Instead of just responding to the news you could go out and make some of your own. The information is there, you just need to ask for it in the right way. Go for it.

Bring out the johns!