Monday, April 11, 2005

SWEDEN RETURNS TO INTOLERANCE: BANNING PROSTITUTION

What happened to the Leftist "principle" that the State should not intrude into people's bedrooms? Like all Leftist "principles" it was just a posture with no actual committtment underlying it. So we see another case of feminism trumping liberty. Leftists may champion some liberties on some occasions for strategic purposes but this case illustrates that there is NO form of liberty that Leftists are actually committed to

In a centuries deep sea of clich‚s despairing that "prostitution will always be with us", one country's success stands out as a solitary beacon lighting the way. In just five years Sweden has dramatically reduced the number of its women in prostitution. In the capital city of Stockholm the number of women in street prostitution has been reduced by two thirds, and the number of johns has been reduced by 80 percent. There are other major Swedish cities where street prostitution has all but disappeared. Gone too, for the most part, are the renowned Swedish brothels and massage parlors which proliferated during the last three decades of the twentieth century, when prostitution in Sweden was legal.

In addition, the number of foreign women now being trafficked into Sweden for sex is nil. The Swedish government estimates that in the last few years only 200 to 400 women and girls have been annually sex trafficked into Sweden, a figure that's negligible compared to the 15,000 to 17,000 females yearly sex trafficked into neighboring Finland. No other country, nor any other social experiment, has come anywhere near Sweden's promising results.

By what complex formula has Sweden managed this feat? Amazingly, Sweden's strategy isn't complex at all. It's tenets, in fact, seem so simple and so firmly anchored in common sense as to immediately spark the question, "Why hasn't anyone tried this before?"

In 1999, after years of research and study, Sweden passed legislation that a) criminalizes the buying of sex, and b) decriminalizes the selling of sex. The novel rationale behind this legislation is clearly stated in the government's literature on the law: "In Sweden prostitution is regarded as an aspect of male violence against women and children. It is officially acknowledged as a form of exploitation of women and children and constitutes a significant social problem... gender equality will remain unattainable so long as men buy, sell and exploit women and children by prostituting them."

In addition to the two pronged legal strategy, a third and essential element of Sweden's prostitution legislation provides for ample and comprehensive social service funds aimed at helping any prostitute who wants to get out, and additional funds to educate the public. As such, Sweden's unique strategy treats prostitution as a form of violence against women in which the men who exploit by buying sex are criminalized, the mostly female prostitutes are treated as victims who need help, and the public is educated in order to counteract the historical male bias that has long stultified thinking on prostitution. To securely anchor their view in firm legal ground, Sweden's prostitution legislation was passed as part and parcel of the country's 1999 omnibus violence against women legislation.

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CIVIL RIGHTS FOR HISPANICS BUT NOT FOR PATRIOTS

A group known for fighting against illegal immigrants was asked to leave a Washington Township diner while a Hispanic civil rights conference took place in the borough on Sunday, Washington police said.

The New Jersey Division of Civil Rights and the Mercer County Hispanic Association sponsored a civil rights conference for Hispanics on Sunday at St. Anthony of Padua Church. The meeting came in the wake of a series of raids for illegal immigrants in the area by the federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Hightstown Mayor Robert Patten said he found out about the meeting of the United Patriots of America through a friend in Freehold on Sunday. He then notified the Hightstown Police Department because he saw it as his duty to inform them about any potential problems, he said. "I didn't really know anything at all (about the Patriots), other than they were doing some protest about immigration," the mayor said.

Chief James Eufemia said he had received information from the Freehold Police Department that the group was planning to meet at a neighboring diner. He then notified the Washington police. "We had no other information," he said. Chief Eufemia was unavailable for further comment. Ron Bass, president of the United Patriots of America, said his group initially wanted to meet in Freehold to discuss projects related to guarding the border between the United States and Mexico as well as the formation of a New Jersey immigration group. But the owner of the hall in Freehold asked them not to meet there when picketers threatened to protest the event. The group then rescheduled for the USA Country Diner on Route 130 in Washington Township, but Mr. Bass speculated that the protesters found out about the event through the Internet. "When we arranged the space with the gentleman, I had told them there could be some problems," Mr. Bass said. "I didn't want the man to be surprised." He said he does not remember if he told the man the purpose of his group - the organization's Web site describes its purpose as fighting to preserve American values and the Constitution through fighting illegal immigration.

At 3:07 p.m. four Washington police officers arrived at the scene to find picketers holding signs such as "Immigrants are allowed here," said Detective Vince Estelle of the Washington police. The police asked both the picketers and the United Patriots, who were described by Detective Estelle as a group that does not want to allow immigrants into the country, to leave, he said.

Although Mr. Bass said he sympathized with diner's decision to ask the group to leave, he said there was no reason to do so. "I guess it would matter if we said we were the American Communist Party," he said. "They may not be comfortable with communists, but I don't know why anyone would be uncomfortable with patriots."

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