Craigslist Crackdown

Craigslist Cracks Down on 'Erotic Services' - News and Analysis by PC Magazine

"More than ever, those who would misuse Craigslist to violate the law will find that Craigslist is a very inhospitable place," he concluded.

This is good news for everyone. I've often wondered how much illegal activity was going to Craigslist. I've sold and bought from it and it's a great service, but I can just imagine the shady stuff happening that most people don't know about.  From arranging hookups to outright prostitution, I'm sure it's been done on Craigslist.

Probably the best thing to do to thwart internet crimes related to children and sexuality, is to raise the level of public exposure to those using the services. People are going to flock from a service that throws a spotlight on every potential user. Good stuff.

Another tool to protect your kids

Those of you who run the Mac platform and have youngsters who will soon be, or already are, ready to surf the web on their own (they should be at least 15 years old, imho), will be happy to see the release of NetNanny for the Mac.

http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/11/net-nanny-for-the-mac-released/

NetNanny is one of the most popular Internet filtering and parental control software, and they've been around forever. It's great to see them release their Mac version.

While I still prefer a network-wide solution, like the D-Link SecureSpot, this one is very good and highly recommended.

Barnes and Noble to sell pornography? Maybe it already does!

After a recent trip to Barnes and Noble, and reading recent reports on the web, it seems that there is a growing problem with national booksellers Barnes and Noble.

Here is a summary of a recent excerpt from OneMillionMoms:

In
Collierville, Tennessee, recently, an 11 year-old boy named Landon
Howse was walking through the Barnes & Noble bookstore when he
noticed a book lying open on one of the reading area tables. His dad,
Brannon Howse, was right behind him. What Landon saw were graphic
pictures of two men engaged in sex. The book was titled "Ultimate Gay
Sex," and is one of the many sexually explicit books offered in Barnes
& Noble stores.

Mr. Howse
was obviously stunned and upset at what his young son had just been
exposed to just walking through a general bookstore. When Mr. Howse
complained to the store management that this kind of material should
not be on the bookshelves anywhere in the store, especially a store
children frequent, he was met with indifference. When he complained to
law enforcement that Barnes & Noble was in violation of the
Tennessee "harmful to minors" statute he was given the run around.

Now let's be clear. I have a problem with Barnes and Noble providing easy access to ANY adult material, not just adult gay material. Here's the letter that I sent to them:

Dear Chairman Riggio:

I am writing regarding an issue I have with your retail stores. It seems that there are dozens of books that contain graphic and explicit photos that can be accessed by just about anyone, even children and minors. As you know, many of your patrons like to take books off the shelves and browse them at the café or on nearby couches. Unfortunately, these books are often left there and can be picked up by just about anyone. I think your company needs to be more responsible with books of this nature. Either take them off the shelves completely or put them in special restricted areas where children cannot view them.

I would also ask that you be fair and honest in your evaluation of such books. I have seen and heard that books like "Ultimate Gay Sex," with graphic sexual pictures, have been easily found on your shelves. Is Barnes and Noble going into the gay and pornographic market? I hope not!

Please know that your response to my concern will determine if I will continue to patronize Barnes & Noble.

I shop at Barnes and Noble (alot) and I have seen this before. I never realized how bad it was and after a quick trip there now I see there is a real problem. Please take the time to contact them and tell them they need to be more responsible with their adult materials.

I understand that many books have adult material, even the classics, but those with graphic images need to be put off-limits to minors. Even rag shops that sell hard core pornographic magazines know this. Come on Barnes and Noble, make your stories family friendly!

Mr. Stephen Riggio, CEO sriggio@bn.com
Chris Troia, Chief Information Officer ctroia@bn.com
Mary Ellen Keating, Senior V.P. of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs mkeating@bn.com
Jaime Carey, Chief Merchandising Officer jcarey@bn.com
Carolyn Brown, Director of Corporate Communications e-mail: cbrown@bn.com

Jamie Lynn Spears: motherhood is "so much fun"

Like Rebecca says, being pregnant is the new black. I guess Jamie Lynn Spears agrees.

While I think the world needs more kids, I don't like the idea of kids having kids outside of marriage. The media wants to cover it as 'news', but really all they are doing is glorifying the fact that these young girls are having sex and children out of marriage.

For thousands of years before the twentieth century, young women have been having children at young ages. That's no big secret. However, those societies were different and operated under strict moral codes that said that young women should be married when they have children. I have no desire to relive the days when woman couldn't vote and were treated as property of their husbands, but in this case, God I miss the good old days!

Economy and the Family Part 1: Strip clubs

This is the first post on the impact of a slow economy on family values. And I'll admit this is an interesting place to start: strip clubs.

I can't tell you how many fathers I have met in the course of my travels that actively go to strip clubs, with or without their spouse's awareness. For some it's just a distraction, but for others it's an addiction. Either way, husbands and fathers who go to strip clubs are putting into jeopardy their marriages and their families.

So it appears that the downturn in the US economy is also impacting strip clubs, at least here in South Florida where I live. This is from the Sun Sentinel:

Angelina Spencer is national executive director of the Association of
Club Executives, a group that represents adult entertainment clubs. She
says she fields calls every day from strip club owners around the
country feeling the pinch of a bad economy.

Spencer says entertainment is a luxury item and ``one of the first things people give up.''

Fathers and husbands spending less time at strip clubs is a good thing, even if the reasons for their absence have more to do with their wallet than their ideas of sexuality and respect for their wives.

On the flip side, a down economy also means that there are more women who are willing to try strip teasing as a form of income, which is why we should be helping groups like XXXChurch to reach out to men and women in the adult entertainment industry.

Not to turn this post into a discussion of this organization, but despite their lack of orthodox methodologies and teachings, they really are doing something really interesting to reach out to those afflicted by addictions to pornography and the "adult entertainment" lifestyle.

Teens Had Pact To Get Pregnant

http://wbztv.com/local/gloucester.high.school.2.751873.html

A recent graduate who had a baby during her freshman year told Time she knows why the girls wanted to get pregnant.

"They're
so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally,"
Amanda Ireland, 18, said. "I try to explain it's hard to feel loved
when an infant is screaming to be fed at 3 a.m."

Wow this is really interesting. So a bunch of teenagers actually wanted to get parent of out wedlock to "feel loved unconditionally". Talk about candidates for hearing PJPII's Theology of the Body!

Some of the lowlights here:

1. They used homeless men to impregnate them
2. They didn't feel "loved" by anyone else in their life
3. School officials are allowed and encouraged to give contraception to students.


Just more evidence that our teens need to hear the truth about their bodies, their God, and the love he has for them.

Lesbian Kiss at Ballgame has everyone wound up

From http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9142SUG1&show_article=1

The hoopla here is that a lesbian couple was asked to stop kissing because it made another fan uncomfortable. I can sympathize with the fan because I've seen from experience that lesbian and gay couples often have displays of affection that are, shall we say, a little more intense than the average straight couple.

Sibrina Guerrero complained that there was another couple there making out just a few rows up front. She claims she was singled out because of her sexual orientation. I wasn't there, of course, but I'm sure it must have been one heck of a smooch fest for it to make another fan uncomfortable.

The gay and lesbian lifestyle is carnivorous in its approach to sexuality. I mean think about it, their sole reason for claiming their minority status is the fact that they have a different sexual drive than others. Plus, in this case specifically, it seems like Guerrero may just be a little more than enthusiastic about her sexuality:

Since the incident, Guerrero's job and her
past have come under scrutiny. She works at a bar known for scantily
clad women and was a contestant on the MTV reality show "A Shot at Love
With Tila Tequila," in which women and men compete for the affection of
a bisexual Internet celebrity.

Face the facts, the lives of gay and lesbian couples are diven by sex, why should we expect them to act prudish in public? It seems like it's part of the coat of arms for the GBLT movement that you need to come under public scrutiny at some point in your life. Why is every GBL-or-T person I've ever met so obsessed with sex?

The first steps to a pornographic mindset

Another example of the kind of thinking that leads our young people to think and experiment at shockingly early ages.

I know she's in it for the money, but can Beyoncé really be that ignorant of the damage she's causing to young girls?

Check out the article, you'll see what I mean:

http://www.parentdish.com/2008/05/12/beyonce-sexing-up-childrens-clothing/

Suicide Note of a pimp

Suicide note. Those are two words you never ever ever want to say when talking about a loved one. Well, Florida police have released the suicide note for a woman known as "the DC Madam", who apparently ran a prostitution ring for almost 13 years.

This is just another sad example of what happens when the value of our bodies and the God-ordained sexual experience is devalued to the point of death, literally, in her case.

For me this raises the question of legal prostitution, which is rampant in many parts of the world. Here in the United States, prostitution is only legal in one state, Nevada, but in many parts of the world, sexual services can be gotten very easily.

An upcoming post will deal with the issues of prostitution, but I wanted to make a post about the note itself. Look at the handwriting, the nuances of her penmanship, the details of her punctuation marks. There is emotion in this letter; the emotions of a sad woman, with a desperately warped perception of love. Let us pray for her soul and for those involved in this lifestyle.