Canadian Supreme Court Strikes Down Anti-Prostitution Laws

[LongBlade]

This was a big headline on Foxnews, so I figured it may have some relevance here.

Canada's highest court has struck down the country's prostitution laws in their entirety in a unanimous 9-0 ruling.

The high court on Friday struck down all three prostitution-related laws: against keeping a brothel, living on the avails of prostitution, and street soliciting.

The ruling is a victory for sex workers seeking safer working conditions because it found that the laws violated the charter guarantee to life, liberty and security of the person.

source: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/12/20/canada-supreme-court-strikes-down-anti-prostitution-laws/

[Centurion40]

One down, one to go!



Just think of the tourism boom that cities like Windsor, ON could see with legal weed-brothels!!  But we'd need to move fast in order to undercut Nevada & Colorado from beating us to the punch!

[LongBlade]

It sounds like a victory for sex workers. If they're safer for it, then I guess that's what really matters.

[Steelgrave]

Here in Maricopa County, the local law enforcement agencies put in a ton of resources fighting prostitution, including going after Backpage girls and using SWAT-like tactics to bust into a single escort's hotel room. Interestingly enough, our country has laws in place which provide asset forfeiture on a very large scale, including seizing and putting up for auction a vehicle used by a john in a single incident (even though prostitution is a misdemeanor). So the dirty story behind prostitution here isn't that sex is dirty....it's that there is a lot of money which can be diverted into government hands by the prosecution of prostitution. A brothel owner facing prison time committed suicide about a year ago after having everything she owned seized, her bank accounts, her home, her car, etc...... Most of the girls working for her were college students. There were no minors, no sex slavery, no forced prostitution. All consenting adults, customers and escorts alike. But the raid that shut them down could have rivaled us going after Bin Laden, complete with TV cameras of course.

I'm enough of a libertarian to believe prostitution shouldn't be illegal, and anytime you give law enforcement a financial reason to enforce which laws they choose....watch out!

[LongBlade]

Here in Maricopa County, the local law enforcement agencies put in a ton of resources fighting prostitution, including going after Backpage girls and using SWAT-like tactics to bust into a single escort's hotel room. Interestingly enough, our country has laws in place which provide asset forfeiture on a very large scale, including seizing and putting up for auction a vehicle used by a john in a single incident (even though prostitution is a misdemeanor). So the dirty story behind prostitution here isn't that sex is dirty....it's that there is a lot of money which can be diverted into government hands by the prosecution of prostitution. A brothel owner facing prison time committed suicide about a year ago after having everything she owned seized, her bank accounts, her home, her car, etc......

I'm enough of a libertarian to believe prostitution shouldn't be illegal, but anytime you give law enforcement a financial reason to enforce which laws they choose....watch out!

Brilliant. Now all we need to do is remove the 4th amendment and turn those guys loose!

wait...

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

I don't think we have an equivalent to your 4th amendment up here. Being subjects of the Crown, the Crown officials probably do as the see fit. Fortunately the vast majority are decent people. Getting paid enough that they do not feel the urge to become corrupt helps a lot.

[Steelgrave]

Our Fourth Amendment is a big, wet noodle that law enforcement and prosecutors attempt to get around at every opportunity. Courts routinely rule in favor of the Fourth, only to have these same groups and people immediately start looking for a way around or even more often, simply ignore the court. And I'm increasingly skeptical that the vast majority are decent people. I fight not becoming jaded, but I read too much news and have taken too many legal classes. At times I feel we are as corrupt as any south american junta-run country. It's not a good feeling.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Fortunately Japan, Canada and Australia are the least corrupt.

[Centurion40]

Fortunately Japan, Canada and Australia are the least corrupt.

How do the Swiss fare? 

[LongBlade]

I think most are decent, well-intended folk.

The problem is when the kookie analysts start making up scary scenarios and sending the decent folk on red herring chases to justify their bureaucratic existences.

I expect an air of desperation to enter into the mix with the most recent court ruling against the NSA's domestic spying. The judge put it all out there: the programs are useless in identifying plots. After you have a suspect they make great tools, and I fully endorse their usage after a warrant has been requested and issued.

But now that the handwriting is on the wall the analysts are desperate to try to prove that their unrestricted snooping has value. Expect humorous mistakes to follow.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Fortunately Japan, Canada and Australia are the least corrupt.

How do the Swiss fare?

I think the article was on the economist if you can find it. 1-2 yrs ago?

[LongBlade]

Fortunately Japan, Canada and Australia are the least corrupt.

How do the Swiss fare?

I think the article was on the economist if you can find it. 1-2 yrs ago?

Maybe this will help?

http://www.transparency.org/cpi2013/results

[Staggerwing]

I can almost hear the fleets of tour busses warming up their engines south of Viagra Falls.

[Steelgrave]

I can almost hear the fleets of tour busses warming up their engines south of Viagra Falls.

"Viagra Falls"....snicker  8)

[LongBlade]

I can almost hear the fleets of tour busses warming up their engines south of Viagra Falls.

<narrated in a manly narration voice>

Windy's of an age where he knows how to get things done...