Republicans patronise "Eyes Wide Shut" S&M club

[seemslikeadream]

RNC Mailer Includes Phone Sex Number

[barracuda]

Stephen, I wouldn't call for you to be banned. You're one of my favorite throwbacks on the forum. My suggestions to Blue are just a way for me to feel more self-important in the face of the toothlessness of the position of moderator. Sally forth!

[norton ash]

Always such a rich vein, and people make excellent points on all sides.

Morgan, you're a great curmudgeon/avocat diable. I disagree with you, but I'd hate to see you banned

So if Freddie dances and sucks dicks for a few years, and Flossie does the same, would they have been better off working at Wal-Mart or removing asbestos insulation or turning over obese sick people as orderlies during the same period? (PS - I know Freddie and Flossie, no-one coerced them into the life, they bought a home and did what they really wanted as soon as they'd saved enough money, and now they're just fine.)

I'll get one of them to send me the 7 Secrets of Successful Sex Work that they joked about. I remember Rule #1 - avoid coke and alcohol. One can make you addicted and broke, the other one careless and stupid.

[MacCruiskeen]

Morgan, you're a great curmudgeon/avocat diable. I disagree with you, but I'd hate to see you banned.

Same here. Stephen Morgan's misanthropy is of a kind that makes me love him to bits. It restores my faith in human nature.

Really, it was a wonderful post.

[AmyRose]

Peregrine wrote:

You know, looking over this thread, the impression I am getting is that women who choose to work in this profession are unintelligent, naive, don't know any better & "oh how sad".

Peregrine, I would just like to apologize if I came across like I was judging you or your profession. My little late night scribbles were geared more toward Las Vegas and its hypersexualization and overall superficial climate. And It's stories like THIS that I was thinking of and getting upset about. The establishment doesn't give a rat's behind about the women, even if they are strong. I think it takes a very smart and savvy woman to be able to handle the negative atmosphere inside of a strip club (and it felt like a predatory environment coming from both sexes). Fwiw, I do have to commend anyone that can get on a stage even though some of the viewing audience may not be respectful. I'd be a hypocrite if I were to point the finger at exotic dancers. I too loved being on stage and dancing and I don't really care what anyone thinks about that. Some of the burlesque-Showgirl costumes I wore were pretty racy, so ofcourse I was just an object to be admired as well, and part of the problem. I may not have been representing something of a sexual nature, but maybe even worse: decadence, glitz and glamour, consumer culture, an elitist's wet dream - take your pick. It's the entertainment biz. It's lookism. My ego liked it at the time. So, I will now be joining the Prince of Darkness for a cup of tea in the lounge.

But on a serious note, the sex industry in Vegas is dangerous, vulturous, and as corrupt as it comes. But that's not the worst of it. I think gambling addiction and alcoholism is even more prevalent and it's even affected people close to me. I think 82_28 said it much better than I could though:

Peregrine, read that article McC posted (that was awful!). This is exactly what I have a problem with -- it has nothing to do with being "sex-positive". I've seen that final scene in Requiem For A Dream, I have happened upon a friend being raped and far too many of my friends relay to me that in their pasts, they too have been sexually abused, raped or molested. I have no problem with your "position" on this issue and I am not arguing with you nor do I want to come off as rude or caustic. But you do not know the minds of men very well. You do not understand how many men do not give a shit about you as a human and even as a guy myself, if I called them on it, they would kick my ass or worse. You do not know how many men and boys that are out there who are like that. Vacant eyes, predatory, opportunistic, unctuous. Obviously not all men! Obviously not. But you reap what you sow I suppose. I simply do not like any human being put up to or putting themselves up to as an object in any way, shape or form. It sends mixed signals to psychopaths. This is all IMHO. Apologies for any offense. . .

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/ma ... artinamis1

And this was in the Las Vegas Review Journal today. Exactly what 82_28 is talking about:

http://www.lvrj.com/news/ex-prostitute- ... 70417.html

MULTIPLE FELONY COUNTS: Ex-prostitute alleges assault

Trial under way for suspect accused of raping two women

By FRANCIS MCCABE
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Prosecutors say Steven Newberg is a rapist who forced prostitutes to perform sexual acts with him as he held a weapon -- events he videotaped.

Defense attorneys say their client is a sexual deviant who paid consenting hookers to act out a "gross and disgusting" fetish.

Eight years have passed since authorities first charged Newberg with sexually assaulting two Las Vegas prostitutes. One of them, Genia Polischuk, died in 2003. The second testified against Newberg on Wednesday at the start of his District Court trial.

The 45-year-old man faces multiple felony counts, including sexual assault, kidnapping and robbery.

Prosecutors showed jurors a video of the woman who testified engaging in sex acts with Newberg.

During her tearful testimony, she said she was a crack-addicted prostitute and former Glitter Gulch dancer when she met Newberg outside the El Cid hotel in November 2001.

The former prostitute testified that she thought Newberg was interested only in photographing her, but when they arrived at a construction site, he pulled a knife and tied her hands behind her back with black plastic zip ties.

Newberg then proceeded to videotape them engaging in different sexual acts, the woman said.
As the video was played for the jury, the woman hung her head, letting her shoulder-length brown hair cover her eyes.

She said she did not wish to perform the acts that were seen in the video, but she did not fight Newberg because she feared for her life. "I had to be nice to him. It was the only way of getting out of there without getting hurt," she said.
The woman was whimpering in the video.

She said she did not report the rape to police because she was just "a crack-smoking hooker."

She was first contacted about the encounter by Newberg's ex-girlfriend, who found the woman's number in his wallet. During her testimony, the woman denied giving Newberg her phone number.

During cross-examination, defense attorneys suggested she had met with Newberg multiple times and that is how he ended up with her phone number.

She admitted during cross-examination that she has tried to forget the incident, including the fact that Newberg had a knife.

She said that after performing the sex acts, she was paid $60 by Newberg, who drove her back to the El Cid.

The woman, now a mother, said she lives in another state and has been free of drugs and alcohol for the past four years.

During opening statements, Chief Deputy District Attorney Lisa Luzaich said the witness had made many poor choices, but she did not choose to be raped.

Luzaich said the woman's lack of resistance to Newberg in the video was a defense mechanism. "She did what she was told so she could live to see the next day."

Defense attorney Dayvid Figler described the two alleged victims as desperate addicts of crack cocaine who would do anything for their next fix.

Newberg wanted to videotape bondage, humiliation and a rape fantasy to satisfy his own sexual kink, Figler said. The two prostitutes were consenting, paid participants in that fantasy, Figler said.

"This was objectification, and it may be beyond gross and disgusting, but it's not what the prosecutors are claiming it is," Figler said.

The other prostitute Newberg is charged with sexually assaulting, Polischuk, died after the charges were filed. Her body was found wrapped in a blanket near Interstate 15, about 45 miles outside of Las Vegas, in fall 2003.

The cause of her death was not determined. Polischuk died while Newberg was in custody.
Though Polischuk is dead, prosecutors still intend to use testimony she offered at a preliminary hearing for Newberg.

Polischuk was deaf. In a video, Newberg is heard making explicit and degrading comments about her, according to his arrest report.

Figler, during his opening statement, said Newberg is talking to himself to satisfy his own fantasy because Polischuk could not hear what he was saying.

Early on in the investigation, after detectives found a cache of videos at Newberg's home, Las Vegas police said he was a suspect in as many as 10 videotaped rapes.

Newberg was convicted in April 2003 of multiple sex crime felonies, including six counts of sexual assault of a victim under 16 years of age and two counts of using a minor in producing pornography.

He is serving a sentence of 33 years to life at High Desert State Prison for those felonies, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.