Secret Service Scandel

[Zarathustra]

While the security issues of our elite Presidential security officers engaging in illegal activities are disturbing enough in themselves, it's even more disturbing that these "prostitutes" may have been sex slaves, which often means under-aged sex slaves. Children.

link

Colombia's sex tourism

According to the U.S. State Department, in Colombia, "The forced prostitution of women and children from rural areas in urban areas remains a … problem." The State Department notes, "Colombia also is a destination for foreign child sex tourists, particularly coastal cities such as Cartagena." Indeed, for this reason Colombia is known as the "Thailand of Latin America."

Representatives of the U.S. government should be setting the standard for the world, not feeding the problem of sex trafficking. The chances that the women or girls the Secret Service agents procured for their pleasure were there by free will is very low. Most likely, they were sex slaves.

The club where the agents went to buy the women has been described as a dingy, windowless brick building. Sex trafficking survivors would tell you that what goes on in such dingy windowless buildings is nothing less than torture.

We have a global epidemic of sex trafficking, and President Obama and members of Congress should take this opportunity to express the outrage that should be the natural reaction to slavery.

[Cail]

Just like Fast and Furious and the burgeoning GSA scandals, this will be largely ignored. Low-level people will lose their jobs, no systemic changes will happen.

Our tax dollars at work.

[Zarathustra]

I have a feeling you're right, Cail, unless it turns out to be true that under age sex slaves were involved. Sadly, that extra bit of human tragedy might be enough to turn this into a ratings sensation. If people get interested, outraged, something might actually come of it.

I noted that at least one supervisor had been fired, another allowed to retire. So it's not all low-level people being affected. Also, at least two of the men involved in the scandal were at the very top of the military/SS pay scale. These were experienced, supposedly "mature" professionals. Our elite.

I haven't watched cable news in months ... is this a big deal with the nightly pundits?

[I'm Murrin]

It seems they picked up a mix of about 20 prostitutes both from the brothel and from clubs nearby. NYT got an interview with the one who triggered the whole thing because of an argument over pay -

www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/world/americ ... ml?_r=1&hp


Fact is, since it's legal in Colombia, as long as they were adults then this'll be pinned asa problem of individual behaviour of the people involved. They'll be fired but there won't be pressure to change anything systemic.

[Orlion]

If the Republicans weren't so busy fighting among themselves, they could have jumped on this to put pressure on Obama. As far as I can tell, this is not the case, but we'll know for sure in about a couple more weeks (it took a while before the News Gods decided the Trayvon Martin shooting was important enough to interrupt the flow of Kim Kardashian news).

[Zarathustra]

Orlion, I'm not sure it's a political issue, nor that it should be. Obama is mostly the victim here, since these men are supposed to be protecting him and his family, not treating an advance team preparations operation like a sleazy spring break. While I think that leadership comes from the top, and he has made many questionable appointments, it's not at all clear that any of this can be blamed on Obama. This just makes America look weak, that our SS makes it this easy to infiltrate their inner circles while they're on the job. They have seriously compromised our security, by putting themselves into positions where blackmail pressure could be exerted, or where their own drunken recklessness could have been used by foreign enemies to learn secrets, gain access, etc. It would be kind of slimy for Republicans to take advantage of this politically ... unless it can be shown that this is indeed a leadership failure on Obama's part.

[Orlion]

Orlion, I'm not sure it's a political issue, nor that it should be. Obama is mostly the victim here, since these men are supposed to be protecting him and his family, not treating an advance team preparations operation like a sleazy spring break. While I think that leadership comes from the top, and he has made many questionable appointments, it's not at all clear that any of this can be blamed on Obama. This just makes America look weak, that our SS makes it this easy to infiltrate their inner circles while they're on the job. They have seriously compromised our security, by putting themselves into positions where blackmail pressure could be exerted, or where their own drunken recklessness could have been used by foreign enemies to learn secrets, gain access, etc. It would be kind of slimy for Republicans to take advantage of this politically ... unless it can be shown that this is indeed a leadership failure on Obama's part.

I agree with you. I also believe politicians are slimy creatures and it just surprises me that there is a lack of 'Bama Bashing over this fiasco. The first I heard of it, some guy was ranting on how this would make Romney president and the markets were going to crash over this, just you wait and see!

Of course, the Market is doing what the Market has been doing for a while (steadily sliding on a slight incline), not to mention that if Romney were to bring it up, we'd have a nice SNL skit like moment:

Spoiler

Romney: Your SS agents partied with Colombian hookers!
Obama: Oh yeah? Well, you wear magic underwear!
Audience: *chuckle, whoops, follow Applause sign with the occasional dyslexic being disappointed at the lack of Apple sause*
Romney: Th-That's insensitive! What gives you the right to bring up my religion?!
Obama: B!+ch, please, I can do what I want. Being black is much higher up on the PC totem than being Mormon!

*outro music plays, an announcer announces that Sienfield will be back after a brief intermission of commercial advertising.*

After typing that, I feel a little dirty.

[sgt.null]

it would be nice if Obama used his bully pulpit and called for a real investigation. if he is outraged, he should express that.

[Orlion]

it would be nice if Obama used his bully pulpit and called for a real investigation. if he is outraged, he should express that.

He's too busy trying to warn the Supreme Court about touching his precious Health Care

[sgt.null]

it would be nice if Obama used his bully pulpit and called for a real investigation. if he is outraged, he should express that.

He's too busy trying to warn the Supreme Court about touching his precious Health Care

point to you.

[Cail]

Fair point. Obama's got no problem weighing in on local law enforcement issues, he should certainly weigh in on this.

[Vraith]

Fair point. Obama's got no problem weighing in on local law enforcement issues, he should certainly weigh in on this.

I actually expect something from him [guessing from previous issue process/time passages] between tonight and the end of the weekend...most likely tomorrow, if I had to make a bet.

As far as gov't goes, it seems so far like something approaching efficient investigation...3 peeps gone already, probably more to come.

[sgt.null]

allowing someone to retire is not the same as convicting them of a crime. firing someone is not the same as convicting them of a crime.

eric holder should be looking into the crimes that were committed here.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

I actually have to thank Amy Goodman over at DemocracyNow.org for reminding me of what I should already have known: this whole Secret Service scandal is rare because we almost never hear of their antics...but they were there in advance of Mr. Obama attending the Conference of the Americas. <-- clue

What did the politicians say at the Conference? What did they discuss? Do you know? I don't know right now and, in fact, I am having a little difficulty finding out.

Why am I having trouble finding out? Because of this whole Secret Service scandal.

In short, she reminded me that we are being distracted with this circus so that the real news gets underreported. No one is talking about the Conference, only the scandal.

[Vraith]

allowing someone to retire is not the same as convicting them of a crime. firing someone is not the same as convicting them of a crime.

eric holder should be looking into the crimes that were committed here.

Ahhh...i missed that you were aiming that way...but I don't see why you assume there isn't/won't be.
[which doesn't mean you're wrong]
What an international/jurisdictional clusterfuck that will make if there is something like child or slave sex workers in the mix as was mentioned up-thread.

Funny, though, Hashi...the only thing I heard MIGHT come up is that most of the attendees except the U.S. are thinking about decriminalizing pot...and for some reason Obama is really dead set against anything like that. [which is a very strange thing, considering that one of the most right-wing peeps in the country says we should legalize it].

See how I did that? Made a post hullaballoo misdirection to cover up the point you made about us not knowing what really happened with a conference by switching to pot.

[sgt.null]

our experience with bad behaviour by politicians / corporations in America? those with service time / power are let to retire. then some peon is prosecuted so everyone can feel better. happens all the times in the prison system. wardens are let to retire - anyone underneath are fired with loss of benefits.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

See how I did that? Made a post hullaballoo misdirection to cover up the point you made about us not knowing what really happened with a conference by switching to pot.

Hey, man...pass the Doritos, will you?

Yes, we really should decriminalize it. We would see a dramatic increase in small businesses like smoke shops and garden supply stores.

[sgt.null]

we make to much money with our war on drugs to decriminalize pot.

[Zarathustra]

Fair point. Obama's got no problem weighing in on local law enforcement issues, he should certainly weigh in on this.

Ah, good point. We heard not a peep about whether or not the prostitutes looked like his daughters. (Which, if truly under age, isn't really that funny, and now I feel just as dirty as Orlion for typing that.) The point is, he picks and chooses which (alleged) victims he's going to sympathize with, apparently based on skin color alone. If these girls were actually girls, and they were victimized by his own Secret Service who were there only because of him, well, one would expect him to show a little sympathy for them. They would certainly deserve more of a sympathetic "shout out" from the President than someone who was victimized by an (alleged) aggressor who didn't report to the President, and in fact had no connection with our government whatsoever.

Damnit, I guess this might be political after all. But only because Obama is selective in his public displays of sympathy and whom his Justice Department contemplates investigating.

[wayfriend]

Took you guys long enough. But I had faith.