Comments on: So. Carolina eyes 'criminal investigation' of Craigslist

The attorney general's office says Craigslist continues to display prostitution ads and graphic porn, so it must launch an investigation and "potential prosecution."

[myles taylor]

Will you guys (AGs) give it a rest! you think you're going to take a bite out of prostitution? It's always been there, always will be and no law you are going to pass is going to stop it. it's just going to drive it further underground and make it riskier, increasing the spread of STDs and violence.

[opiapr]

They probably prefer it on the streets. Like you said its always been and it will always be there so why not online were only the people looking for it finds it and not walking down main ave. AG are always trying to impose their "morality" views on others in some ridicules matters. Like the AG in PA charging those 13 year old girl for child pornography. They only had picture of themselves in shorts and bras.

[refriedfood]

I just see this as a blatant attempt to include himself (McMaster) to being opposed to craigslist in general for some sort of foreshadowing credit, or possible upcoming re-election.
They're an easy and relatively cheap target to attack, if that whole killing in relation to craigslist in Boston had been pulled out of the NY Times, McMaster probably never would of put down his coffee.

The entire 'criminal investigation' is going to turn up 3 things; servers, a posting process available to anyone willing to pay a small fee, and a filtering system. What people choose to do with the ads is entirely up to them and frankly I think it's against any small freedoms we have left to try and control human decision on such a minor scale.
Singling out craigslist is just silly and pathetic and I couldn't see this winning over anyone other than the elderly.

[unknown unknown]

Somebody needs to explain the CDA section 230 to this grandstanding idiot. Hopefully the judge, should actually try to prosecute, will explain it to him while giving him the verbal dressing down he deserves.

[faceless128]

I find it fascinating that these Attorney Generals want to keep prostitution going instead of actually enforcing the law. Why do these AG's support prostitution, do they not know that it is illegal?

[davideconnollyjr]

McMaster must be preparing a bid for the Governor's office. Probably another hypocrite politician like Eliot Spitzer, or Larry Craig. Al of these "holier than thou" politicians end up being sex freaks of one kind or another. I hate politicians.

[DatabaseDoctor]

I bet this SC AG is a frequent flyer with a local escort. Remember, the louder they complain, the more likely they are what they are yelling at. Let's hear it for Craigslist and the first amendment! Hey SC AG, why don't you fight against some REAL crime?

[OmegaCerebro]

As a native South Carolinian, born and raised, I'm not surprised at all. South Carolina always seems to be the first in the nation to do something stupid (seceding from the Union) and the last to do something smart (we only just recently made tattoos legal and we still have Blue Laws.) Remember that chief of police who tried to go after Michael Phelps? South Carolina is full of narrow minded, right-wing uber-Evangelists who love nothing more than to try and force everyone else to live the sorry, lacking lives they live (in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, mind you.) Imagine how I must feel living in the buckle of the Bible Belt. It's not fun, and everywhere I look I see so-called Christians running around trying to oppress everyone else and spewing hatred and intolerance.

[jcomputm]

WOW! Never did I have heard of such communicating website to have this kind of situation.

[smallvoice]

Craigslist helped me a lot finding good jobs. I think it would be to Craigslist's advantage to shut down all improper sections including homosexuals and lesbians. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. In other words, every thing will come back to you like a boomerang.

[everdown]

Uh... hmm. Boomerang, eh? Well, if god exists, I'm sure he will take care of it. He, or whatever is out there, doesn't need you or the SC AG to help. Keep your "morality" in your house and out of mine.

[globalist_agenda]

Newspaper owners' revenge? The targeting of Craig's List seems a little too convenient at a time when most major newspapers are losing money. Newspapers claim their losses are due to Craig's stealing their ad revenue. The fixation on Craig's prosecution seems a little too coincidental to me. Is anyone targeting escort/massage parlor ads in the city weeklies? Yellow Pages? Somebody should investigate the money trail from newspapers--->political action groups--->politicians.

Mr. McMaster hasn't heard of backpage.com? Adultfriendfinder.com? Was he born in a turnip patch?

Hundreds of ads in Greenville for "personal services" and body rubs.
http://greenville.backpage.com/FemaleEscorts/classifieds/Results?category=4443

[wahoospa]

I don't know if it has been stated yet but this man is running for Governor in the next election.

[ecotopian--2008]

This stupid, opportunistic, AG is wasting his time, but unfortunately he could waste a bunch of Craigslist's time & money, too.

[globalist_agenda]

You know what happened to the Durham dirtbag Mike Nifong. If Craig finds that he was intentionally singled out for political gain McMaster better quit and go run an Edsel dealership.

[pgp_protector]

Dear AG.
Learn the friggen law.
And try googling CDA section 230, it might help ya.

[vectorczar]

Ahh yes; South Carolina. Fast eclipsing Pennsylvania as the "Caretaker State". ("We know what's best for you."

As a former South Carolinian, I can testify to the accuracy of OmegaCerebro's comments (above). The population is rampant with hypocrites, who can say or do anything (in their eyes), as long as one of the following criteria or met:

1. It's in the name of God or the far-right agenda, or,

2. You say "Bless his/her heart" at the end of your observation, e.g., "That woman is such a ****** tramp, bless her heart."

These same judgmental people are the ones having affairs or using the same services they rally against. I truly don't know how I lived there for nine years.

[bluesluver]

There's alot wrong with this and that is because Craigslist is a private company and the Attorney General may be the top cop in that state but he has way overstepped his bounds, he is not a Roman General (and look what happened tho those guys) he does not own private industry and has no rights to tell a private company what it can and cannot do, he cannot order private individuals on what they can and can't post on a private post or what is private in thier minds and besides he's probably used the site himself and this is what incenses me about cops in general because they look at you like you're the criminal when they themselves are criminals because they wear guns by thier sides and then won't let you do the same in order to protect yourself from thier charges against you, they seem to think that they can tell you how to live your life by thier rules and this is just not so, The Las Vegas Police recently shot and killed a man just for jaywalking across the street.
ShalI I wake up in the morning and wipe my rear end the way that you want me to.

[professionaladventurer]

I think the issue that the law (here and there) takes is of CL's picking and choosing what they allow on the site. Prostitution is illegal in 49 states but allowed on CL, where as pet sales and person to person firearm sales (the so called "gun show loophole") are not allowed (as well as some other things legal but not allowed on CL like "sniper scopes" which isn't even a thing, sorry, it's not. As a Army DM we did not use that term, neither does the USMC S/S). The fact that they are a private entity doesn't play as valid for the LE community. http://www.anadventurer.com/2009/04/craigslist-trade.html Here is CL is used. I look forward to the bashing I generally get when I post anything but a 100% pro CL comment.

[Stormspace]

South Carolina has the biggest bunch of hicks running the government with everybody in everyone elses back pocket. Craigslist is just the latest target to get people to forget the governor refused the stimulus money offered by Obama. These hicks like to talk big and pose as holy rollers with blue laws and other restrictions on peoples freedoms, but in the areas where the legislators work and live they have no similar restrictions. Hippocrits!

[lordmorgul]

This is asinine. If the So. Carolina attorney general wants reelected he should be trying political stunts that do not fly directly in the face of the bill of rights. The website is doing nothing wrong in this situation; website users may be selling illegal services on the website, but that does not equate to criminal liability on the website's part for those acts.

[alegr]

I thought electorate (we, people) don't care about Bill of Rights much anymore. If SC is as others describe it, they would happily proclaim their brand of Christianity a state religion, given a chance to vote about that.

[askgees]

Here's an idea. If someone from S. Carolina posts an ad listing hand jobs for 25 dollars then the AG needs to investigate the poster not the media. This guy is a moron. Try's to lay the blame on craigslist when it's his own citizens posting the ad. To funny. Talk about the blind leading the blind. Hey McMaster, how about fixing the little school house that made S. Carolina look like the dump it is on NATIONAL TV. Then maybe you can produce a few smarter people and change the direction you're backward country bumpkin state is heading in.

[kaisdaddy]

As some here already guessed, McMaster is running for reelection. I'm a native and agree with OmegaCerebro to a point. There is a very vocal and active group of conservatives who feel the need to make society conform to their moral standards through the law. While I may agree with some or most of their standards, I don't want the majority of them made into laws, because:

A. You will not stop certain activity, especially the type that does not directly harm another person, no matter how many laws you pass.

B. Passing a bunch of laws makes a lot of otherwise peaceful, law abiding citizens into criminals and causes them to lose respect for ALL of the law.

C. Stupid laws tend to keep law enforcement busy with unproductive activities as well as overcrowd detention centers and prisons with otherwise harmless people.

D. As a Christian, I should live my life in such a way that other people are compelled by it and are curious to learn more about my faith. Trying to force people to live a good life (which the Bible says is impossible!) is counterproductive and will not win any converts.

The only thing that OmegaCerebro said that I really take issue with is that seceding from the Union was a stupid idea. I would submit that it was one of the best things they ever did and would not be opposed to them and many other states doing it again. This has nothing to do with slavery (which is evil) and everything to do with the fact that the larger and more centralized government becomes, the more totalitarian and oppressive it gets. We saw Federal power grow to unprecedented levels during the last administration and it shows no signs of slowing down during this one.

That's just my rapidly depreciating $0.02.