Do you give a crap who screws who (consensual, legal age)?

[uppityperson]

So long as it is consensual and between people of legal age, do you care? OK, I can see having issues with a partner with whom you thought you had a monogamous relationship or some such, but then the issue is not the sex but the deceit, or lies, or whatever it is called (brain fart).

And leaving legalities of the sex aside (remembering that some places it is still illegal to have anal sex and others it is illegal to pay for sex).

And yes, the poll has biased questions.

[lonestarnot]

1. Nope, but we have laws... Snort!

Only to be ignored or broken... :applause: It's just a gd piece of paper.

[endarkenment]

2. I care about hypocrisy.

Legalize prostitution. Spitzer should resign.

[klyon]

24. We could elect him Pres. then it all would be legal. Right?

Right?

[endarkenment]

29. Why? He prosecuted the same sort of prostitution rings he was using.

I see no indication that he comprehends that this should not be a crime at all.

[HughMoran]

3. Unfortunately, this is a "what's good for the goose, is good for the gander" issue

This sucks :(

[zanne]

4. It was a stupid-ass thing to do.

I have a suggestion for one of Bill Maher's new rules: Don't run for office if you can't keep it in your pants.

[sandnsea]

5. Spitzer put people in jail for what he was doing

He's caught in his own web.

[uppityperson]

11. And leaving legalities of the sex aside

[sandnsea]

18. Actually, I don't approve of infidelity

It isn't specifically my business, but I think there is something missing in a person who can't maintain a committed relationship. It does show a lack of character.

[uppityperson]

22. Me too, that's why I put that part in my OP. But I know people who have sexually open relationships,

and it works for them. If it works for them, I'm fine with it.

[sandnsea]

36. I think there is something missing

in a person who can't maintain a committed relationship. Unless there's extenuating circumstances, like health, I think it shows a lack of character. In fact, if it were between two relatively equal Democrats, I'd factor in known affairs.

[TayTay]

19. That is the relevant point

It is not the particulars of what he did.

This man was a PROSECUTOR!

This is a clear violation of the public trust. It is not about one person's sex life. It is about a breach of the public trust by someone who damned right and well knew better. He was a PROSECUTOR. There are people sitting in prison right now who were engaged in criminal conspiracies to break the law. They were put there by Eliot Spitzer.

How awful and sad for his family. But, this is not some excusable offense. He knew better.

[sandnsea]

25. Isn't this the saddest thing

What is wrong with these men. Do they really think they're omnipotent and consequently deserving of special sexual favors. Criminy damn.

[uppityperson]

27. But my question is Do you give a crap who screws who (consensual, legal age)?

Not about Spitzer, but in general. Do you care who has sex with whom, so long as it is consensual and between people of legal age?

[TayTay]

41. My question back to you is what does that have to do with this case?

If your point it is to disassociate the behavior and pretend that consensual adult sex is fine, then why put it in a thread about someone who might be indicted on criminal conspiracy charges?

The issue here is not the legality or illegality of sex and whether or not you care who or what your neighbor has sex with. That is not the issue here. This man, a former PROSECUTOR, broke the law.

Don't you care about that at all or is everything just grist for the mill? This man knowingly broke the public trust and violated a law. He did not stand up and crusade for that law to be changed and he did not become a champion of decriminalizing prostitution laws.

Is this the argument that you are making? That elected officials have the right to choose which laws they keep and which they break? Isn't that the problem with have with George W. Bush, that he picks and chooses what laws he wants to obey? Cuz, I am not seeing a difference here.

[uppityperson]

44. This IS my thread and is about consensual adult sex, NOT about Spitzer, which is why I asked again.

"this case" has lots of other threads about that. I realize that this subthread tackles Spitzer, but MY QUESTION HERE is:

Do you give a crap who screws who (consensual, legal age)?

So long as it is consensual and between people of legal age, do you care? OK, I can see having issues with a partner with whom you thought you had a monogamous relationship or some such, but then the issue is not the sex but the deceit, or lies, or whatever it is called (brain fart).

And leaving legalities of the sex aside (remembering that some places it is still illegal to have anal sex and others it is illegal to pay for sex).


Perhaps you meant to reply to someone else?

[frazzled]

6. Prostitution rings (esp. if they involve money laundering) are illegal

So, it's not about the sex. It's not about consenting adults. It's about large payments, on which no taxes are paid, and possible ties to organized crime.

It's bad when it's a Republican doing it, exposing moral hypocrisy.
It's bad when a Democrat whose entire career has been built on prosecuting crime, willingly and knowingly breaks the law. Especially a prosecutor--because he has to know the risks when he sends a text message securing an appointment with "Cherie."

[uppityperson]

10. Did you miss this part "leaving legalities of the sex aside"? Off to make it bold

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

26. And do you really believe that when he had the urge to seek a prostitute, that he considered what

her employers were doing with money? You might counter and say, well he should have considered it. As Alan Dershowitz said earlier on MSNBC, Spitzer is a smart man with a great brain, but obviously Spitzer was thinking with a different part of the anatomy, which made him stupid.

[napi21]

7. I want to hear more from Elliott. I know there are MANY guys who

engage in prostitution and always have. I don't really GAS what they do as long as neither party was objecting. HOWEVER, Elliott has always portrayed himself to be Mr. Clean, and when I slam the Pubs for hammering gays and then get caught in having gay sex, I can't give Elliott a pass on this. Hypocrisy is despicable no matter who it is!

[Rex]

8. Honestly, no. I think this is all a tremendous waste of time and money.

If you want to fuck over your wife/husband, be prepared to pay the piper when he comes calling. What goes around comes around, however I really don't want to know what people do 'behind closed doors'. I don't. Not even if they are fucking running around in their wives clothes underneath the suit or robe. Not even if they lounge around town looking for a hooker, good luck with the STDs. Hope nothing falls off.

EOM

[trof]

9. No, but I am in the minority in this country.

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. This is a push poll.

I care when it is against the law and the louse...er...perp...er person involved has railed against that which he is caught doing.

Do I care who my neighbor is screwing? No. But she's not holding office, nor is she preaching against prostitution.

[uppityperson]

14. As I said, it has biased questions, and leaving legalities of the sex aside

That was my question here. Thanks MrsGrumpy.

[ScreamingMeemie]

15. And my answer remains the same.

He should have resigned already.

[Slagathor]

13. Do I have to explain this to you?

Sex is a tightly and justifiably controlled act. Countless laws concern it. You cannot have sex with animals. You cannot have sex with minors. You cannot marry your close kin. You cannot marry multiple partners at the same time. You cannot have sex with someone without informing them of your HIV status, and, I suppose, your STD status in general. And so on...

Matter of fact, sex must be a consensual activity between two parties--the participants and greater society as expressed through government and the laws enacted on their behalf. Currently, the will of the people suggest that prostitution should remain at least nominally illegal in most jurisdictions. What is tolerated outside of Vegas is not tolerated on the Atlantic seaboard. Currently, the government--at a variety of levels--is convinced that prostitution however innocuous seeming is a social evil. I would concur. Prostitution is inherently misogynistic in that its misogynistic symbiote cannot be severed from its potentially legal and regulated twin.

If you don't like it, I'd suggest you move to some country where there were no legal constraints on sexual behavior. I doubt such a place exists. Matter of fact, I'm sure it doesn't.

We demand that our elected officials uphold consistently higher social and moral values (at least publicly) than a typical citizen. Roger Sherman would not have held the moral authority to sign the big 4 if he was out all night whoring it up in New Haven. The same is true today. And good thing. It is not unreasonable to expect extra vigilance from our public officials.

[uppityperson]

17. I see a lot of words but not an answer to my question. And "sex must be consensual" What about rape?

Poll question: Do you give a crap who screws who (consensual, legal age)? So long as it is consensual and between people of legal age, do you care? And leaving legalities of the sex aside.

Are you saying there is no non-consensual sex, or there is no legal non-consensual sex?

[Slagathor]

46. Rape, as I'm sure you know, is not consensual and has been rightfully criminalized

Yes. I do give a crap. Yes. I do care.

I don't want my neighbors holding mad phat bukkake parties and I don't want my elected officials whoring it up in midtown.

[uppityperson]

48. I find it best to double check what a poster means rather than assume.

Hence my quoting your words "sex must be a consensual activity between two parties".

[Slagathor]

51. Yes, but quoting them for what ambition?

Not entirely clear there. And by two parties, you realize that I mean greater society and the participants, right? EG even if someone consented to BDSM resulting in permanent injury, I'd still want to see someone get locked up.

[lonestarnot]

20. Then why is Larry Widestance still running in place?

[Slagathor]

47. They're trying everything they can

his term will be up soon. He will live on in hearts and minds of countless comedians though.

[LaurenG]

16. I feel sorry for the casualties

I wouldn't want to be the spouse or SO but no, it's not for me to judge.

[WildEyedLiberal]

21. I'm not voting in your poll

Adultery IS wrong. So yeah, I guess that means I "care," if by care you mean "think ___ is immoral." Do I "care" as in I think people should be thrown in jail for it? No, but then again, if you are a famous moralizing crusader who gets caught doing the very thing you moralize against, I don't care who you are - Larry Craig the closeted homophobe or Eilot Spitzer - you should be held accountable for your rank hypocrisy.

[uppityperson]

23. So is that you personally care about your relationship, partner, etc or

do you care about if anyone anywhere commits adultery?

[WildEyedLiberal]

50. Yes - why would I only care about bad things when they harm me?

I don't really understand what you mean by "care." Are you saying that it's not our business that Spitzer committed adultery? I would agree with that. Or are you saying it's not a big deal, that it's morally acceptable, and that no one should be concerned that he hurt his wife and betrayed her trust? You can't think something is bad when it happens to you but okay when it happens to other people. With Spitzer, it's worse because he was known publicly for fighting the very behavior he was engaging in.

[leveymg]

28. Why did America never hear about the Pedophile ring run out of Poppy Bush's White House?

[Vincardog]

30. As long as the screwe is not me

[MercutioATC]

31. I don't care who my President is fucking...as long as it isn't me.

I've been saying that since the (Bill) Clinton days.

[Horse with no Name]

32. No. n/t

[walldude]

33. Nope, could give less than a shit...

On the other hand, I can also say that a guy who has tried to prosecute Prostitution Rings in the past and then gets caught using one, is kind of a fucking hypocrite..

[uppityperson]

34. Yes, but that is another question, another poll.

I am sure there is one somewhere here. If not, lots of posts about it, including shoving Du to defcon 2.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

35. I believe the majority of posters here couldn't care less about others sex lives

As long as it's consensual and safe.

Personally, I think prostitution should be legalized and regulated.

That doesn't make Spitzer any less of a hypocrite, though.

[uppityperson]

40. I agree with your message part, have questions about the subject line.

Since many people do care about other people's sex lives. Hence the poll. I'll try posting it next wk when there is no current hypocrisy thing going on.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

52. I suppose that was a poor subject line. Most do care about others rights here

Which includes their sexual rights. Perhaps in a voyeuristic sense people care, too. Sometimes it's interesting to know what others are doing simply for the 'wow' factor it gives you. In this case the prostitutes earning $5,500 an hour was a big 'wow' for me. That's some serious money.

I don't think most here are into being judgmental about others sex lives though. We do have a few who would climb on their moral high-horse, but not most.

Do try and post this again in a week or so. Right now some peoples feelings are convoluted since he's married and may have hurt his wife, he was a stanch anti-prostitution prosecutor and he's a politician. It's going to taint posters answers.

[theboss]

37. I believe that those guarding the hen house should not acquire a taste for chicken

The libertarian side of me thinks that prostitution should be legal. But the fact is, it is illegal. And it's very lack of legality makes it a problem in these cases.

1. The fact that he was a prosecutor. You should not be prosecuting people for crimes that you yourself are commiting.

2. Where is the money coming from to pay for the hooker? If it is his private bank account, that is one thing. But my guess is, his wife would find out about that. So, where was the money coming from?

3. The lack of judgment regarding hus susceptibility to blackmail. What happens when the executives from Exxon-Mobil find out about this and start discussing taxes or environmental regs with him?

[uppityperson]

38. That is true, but about my OP question....

[theboss]

43. I care a little, I guess

I mean, people cheat. A lot of people cheat. But I think it's wrong on a moral level. So, I care when I find out.

I don't want the person tarred and feathered though.

[Xenotime]

39. We have an agreeent that if either one of us ever want to have sex..

with another person, we have to at least tell the other before the act happens.

[Warren DeMontague]

42. No. We need to get government out of the bedrooms and bloodstreams of consenting adults.

That goes for consenting adults who want to pay other consenting adults for sex, that goes for the drug war, that goes for a lot of things.

[uppityperson]

45. I agree, and here we are, Democrats, party of wanting more govenment

that last bit was sarcasm.

[ZombieHorde]

49. Technically, both of the poll questions could apply, they are not opposites.

A person could believe that it is their right to care, but not care.

[noamnety]

53. I didn't answer your poll

because I think it would misrepresent my view (yes, it's biased).

I have an issue with the concept that men feel entitled to buy women's bodies as if we are commodities to be purchased. I think it's a male supremacist ritual, and I don't think it's particularly helpful when the people who are supposed to be particularly charged with protecting our rights - as full humans - treat us as something less than human.

If he were just having an adulterous affair as two equals with equal rights, I wouldn't have an issue with it. So it's not "the sex" - which is how your poll is phrased. It's the feeling of entitlement to buy/sell/purchase access to women's bodies, which is not a relationship based on mutual respect and equality.

[uppityperson]

54. I will post this again next week.

I am curious about consensual sex between people of age. I'll post it again next week when there is not so much going on with an elected official's hypocrisy.

[Orsino]

55. Push poll much?

I care about the politicians who'd bust us in a heartbeat for "crimes" in which they permit themselves full indulgence. What sort of fair treatment should I expect at their hands?

[blues90]

56. I could care less >

Why is it only those in some form of being a public figure are looked at when the fact is this goes on everyday in the publics life ?

It's because it makes news and people just love a sex scandle .

Shit happen's , I've had an ex wife cheat on me and yes it was difficult and ruined our relationship .

It's really a personal thing but people in this country have this enormous problem with sex .

I have worked around people who I knew were cheating but it was not my place to spread the rumor , I did lose respect for the person but I didn't have that much respect to begin with and it had no affect on my life so who the hell really cares .

The people who make the biggest issue out this sort of thing usually have their own issue to deal with , no matter what it is .