Immigration anyone? I never write about it, but lots of people are talking about it these days.
Since 9/11, “Homeland Security” is supposed to take care of immigration, in the form of an outfit known as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”).
I guess there must not be an immigration or customs or border problem. Because I just read about a massive Homeland Security raid on a website which is accused of facilitating gay escort hookups. It is called Rentboy.com, and activists are screaming about discrimination:
“To many in our community this feels like a throwback to when the police raided gay bars in the ’50s and ’60s,” Justin Vivian Bond, a performer and an activist who is transgender, wrote in an email. “This invasion of a consensual hookup site which is run for and by members of the L.G.B.T. community feels like a real slap in the face after gentrification and the Giuliani and Bloomberg administrations drove so many gay bars out of business and forced people to meet online instead of in person,” the activist added, referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Danny Cruz said he had posted ads on Rentboy “to supplement income” for about seven years, starting when he moved to New York. He said he had talked regularly to the executives who were arrested, both about his business and about staying safe.
“I don’t see why the government would be interested in what two people do behind closed doors,” Mr. Cruz, who is now involved in the Sex Workers Outreach Project in Los Angeles, said.
Khaalid Walls, a spokesman for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which participated in the investigation, said in an email that “any insinuation that a specific population was targeted is categorically false.”
The federal complaint says that although Rentboy.com, whose headquarters are on 14th Street at Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, had a disclaimer telling visitors that they could not exchange money for sex, that was “clearly” happening. Escorts, the complaint says, posted ads including penis size, pay rate and preferred fetishes, and the site’s visitors then contacted them directly. On a separate website, DaddysReviews.com, clients would review the individual escorts, the complaint says.
The seven current and former Rentboy executives were charged with conspiring to violate the Travel Act by promoting prostitution, and each faces up to five years in prison.
Mr. Walls said: “As the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, ICE is responsible for the enforcement of laws that promote the legitimate movement of people, goods and currency in domestic and foreign transactions. Our allegation with this case is that the business and its principals purported itself to be an escort service while promoting criminal acts, namely illegal prostitution.”
OK, regardless of what anyone thinks about prostitution (male or female), what in blazes does it have to do with HOMELAND SECURITY?
What galls me the most about the activists is that none of the bloody fools even seem to be questioning the idea that the federal government should be in the vice squad business, much less an agency that was given vast powers to go after terrorism.
Since when are gay escorts and their clients engaged in terrorism?
Unless this outfit was funneling money to ISIS or AL Qaeda, I am not getting it.
Comments
19 responses to “Protecting our borders!”
If a gay website is all we have to worry about we must be in wonderful shape.
Even if you think this kind of thing should be shut down, where are the local police?
This is a good example of what’s wrong with expanding government – they never stop.
Speaking of expanding gov’t…
Several of our local ranchers lost cattle due to a 290,000 acre fire in the local range.
Guess who is in charge of evaluating the claims and reimbursing them?
Yup. Good Ole DHS.
Like duct tape, is there anything the DHS can’t do?
As a reminder, George Bush, a Republican, is responsible fore creating DHS.
From his original proposal:
The changing nature of the threats facing America requires a new government structure to protect against
invisible enemies that can strike with a wide variety of weapons.
I fail to see how a bunch of call boys can be invisible let alone imagine what kind of weapons they can strike us with.
Maybe they were running a glory hole of mass destruction?
Perhaps ICE agrees with Alan Keyes that homosexuality is “the thermonuclear device–that is aimed at the soul of America.”
http://www.classicalvalues.com/archives/2004/08/did_we_fight_a.html
It is the height of irrationality to deal with an irrational world as though it were rational. sartre.
Every once in a while, captain gets it right. (Or Sartre does…).
I think MMM nailed it, pun intended.
Hole in One!
(agreeing with Randy…)
the latino birthrate will be the final solution to the conservative question.
You have to admit calling something “Rentboy” is asking for trouble. At least here, in Amsterdam that would be just one more gay escort service, nothing special. I don’t think even NYC is ready for something quite that blatant just yet. Why ICE/DHS is involved beats me.
Sex, one of the few things free to give away but illegal to sell.
With DHS involved the site was probably cutting into a competing business interest.
Eric:
Are you stupid? Can you read?
“What galls me the most about the activists is that none of the bloody fools even seem to be questioning the idea that the federal government should be in the vice squad business, much less an agency that was given vast powers to go after terrorism.”
From the article:
“I don’t see why the government would be interested in what two people do behind closed doors,” Mr. Cruz, who is now involved in the Sex Workers Outreach Project in Los Angeles, said.”
Were you so excited to be galled by activists that you didn’t even bother to read the article?
@ captain – you may be right. But, almost all the latinos I know are FAR to the right of you on all social issues. (Even the illegals). So, how will that help you?
kathy because they, 71% last election, believe that voting republican is like someone who is jewish voting for the nazi”s!
Latinoids are voting for the party of rampant corruption, not ideology.
“kathy because they, 71% last election, believe that voting republican is like someone who is jewish voting for the nazi”s!”
So, they are crazy?
Umm, btw – the ones I know aren’t – they vote Dem/Rep depending on what the politician claims (which, admittedly, isn’t always what they actually believe – but I have that same problem).
Chub says immigrants bring vitalis. That’s blatant discrimination against Brylcreem.