Notes from Stan

Noted that the DA has dismissed a murder charge against a Harlingen man without comment. I would have thought that it would be a matter of course to make some sort of press release on such an action; to clear the man’s name, for one thing, and to reassure the public that a dangerous individual is not being loosed upon them. Of course, cases do fall apart– new evidence appears or evidence disappears; minds and memories change and fade. Still, the public is entitled to the story, even in the unlikely event that the truth of it is embarrassing to someone.

Johns in Brownsville better watch out. Recent stings have resulted in several arrests of prostitutes, named and described to the color of their stockings in the Brownsville Herald, presumably to shame them out of the business or perhaps it was a case of reportorial enrapturement.

The current generation of reporters are trained to respond this way to sexuality. You should have seen the look of leering vindictiveness on the face of one of the news babies on Channel 4 a few years ago, a mid-twenties something channeling high levels of shock and outrage from somewhere that gay folks were meeting up in local parks. As if that isn’t a centuries old tradition and as if it’s likely to disappear next week if we insist.

Not that people should be having sex in public places (unless they really think they can get away with it, of course), and particularly not in places like parks visited by children. Get a room, as the saying goes.

But nevertheless here we have state agencies concerning themselves very much with people’s sexual lives and causing them to take it underground. This can hardly be healthy. Many if not most of the dangers of prostitution for both sides of the transaction lay in its undergroundedness. What we should be doing is taxing prostitution and using the funds to regulate it. Free market. Health checks. Protection from abuse. Plus, the economists tell us we may be in for something of a rough ride, economically speaking. Well, here’s a cash flow that’s going to be there no matter what we do. Might as well tame it.

Why, we can develop a whole new office with clerks to fill out and file papers bosses to see that they do. It’ll help unemployment and the prostitutes and their johns will pay for it with their fees.

It might also help lift those folks from some of the rougher elements. At least the heat is off in that part of the life, so maybe those with the problem can do something about the addictions and predilections that’s keeping them there.

Editor’s note: The locals of the title refers to local media, newspapers, web sites, etc.