April 30, 2007
D.C. Madam: Feminist, Security Expert, Freedom Fighter
Just when we were looing hope in the alleged D.C. Madam's ability to deliver a home-grown sex scandal, two glorious things happened. First, Deputy Secretary of State Randall Tobias, director of U.S. Foreign Assistance and administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, resigned after admitting he was a client. Then, we tore the ribbon off this gift from the front page of Sunday's Post.
Deborah Jeane Palfrey, known to clients as Pamela Martin, and to employees as Miz Julia, of course, is the woman facing civil and criminal charges linked to her escort business, which serviced Washington-area men for almost 13 years. Earlier this month, Madame Palfrey gave an exclusive interview with ABC News, which has been held for broadcast until this Friday -- a perfect start to May sweeps. She also turned over her 15,000-strong client list, promising plenty of famous-for-D.C. names.
After announcing foreign policy analyst Harlan Ullman enjoyed the services of her "legal sexual and erotic services", a judge ordered her not to disclose more names. Fortunately for us, unfortunately for johns, ABC already had Mme Palfrey's phone records. On Friday, Deputy Secretary Randall, who previously ran Bush's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (and clearly would never engage in high-risk sexual behavior), submitted his resignation, but not before diplomatically telling ABC's Brian Ross about his worldly tastes.
Ross said Tobias told him Tobias's number was on Palfrey's phone records because he had called "to have gals come over to the condo to give me a massage." There had been "no sex," Ross quoted Tobias as saying, and that recently he has used another service, "with Central American gals," for massages.
Photo by Flickr user billadler.
The Post also learned more about Mme Palfrey's history as an entrepreneur. After serving 18 months in a California jail for heading a prostitution ring, she told a judge we planned to sell Western jewelry in England, but instead began Pamela Martin and Associates, serving the greater Washington area. She would regularly e-mail employees to warn them about cops, women-haters and the government. Simply put, pimpin' ain't easy.
"One never quite knows where evil, i.e., the vice squad is lurking in this business," read one arch entry from 1995. "The misogynists get a real kick out of surprising (shocking) you girls, when you give them the opportunity!!! . . . Therefore, you are to lock, double lock, triple lock all doors!!! . . . Figure it out, before they 'get cha'!!!"
Mme Palfrey appears in court today, though she's filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the criminal preceding. If her court documents and fervent desire to depict herself as unfairly hounded by Uncle Sam to anyone who will listen are indication, Palfrey might be just want D.C. needs to get through the summer doldrums. At least, that is, the part of the city interested in either law, media, power or sex, which frankly, should cover just about everyone.
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Hehehehe, I'm still chuckling about Tobias' resignation...3 days after the fact.
I can only hope some bushies names are going to show up. Maybe even the Dick himself.
The judge ordered her not to disclose names? Odd, since the prosecution has been so eager to push this case and it's salacious details. Her disclosure of names is part of her defense strategy. I'd think in the interest of at least appearing impartial the judge would let her do what she wants. After all, she's the one facing prison time. The johns aren't.
But, then, I think prostitution should be legal,and everybody and their dog knows that prostitution cases are highly selectively prosecuted. Apparently this woman pissed off the wrong person. Hence the prosecution.
And I guess the war on terror is over, since we can dedicate federal judicial resources on stupid prostitution cases instead of using those resources to pursue terrorism cases.
Prostitution is terrorism against women. A man can call and order you up like chinese food, he tells you what to do, what to put in your mouth, what to say. There is a very good chance he says humiliating and abusive things while using you for his pleasure. And you are supposed to smile the whole time. Unless he likes it when you cry.
Don't let the gloss of the upscale clients fool you. Most of the women were college students drowning in debt meaning that they did not come from the fine upscale backgrounds of the clients, otherwise their parents could have paid for their education and they wouldn't be in debt.
Those women are now scared to death that their family will find out. They are terrified that they will have to keep this secret from future boyfriends and husbands and children. They are mortified. This is why many women who "get into it to pay for college" never get out. Once you fall into that pit it is VERY hard to get out. You always live with the fear of a pimp or john blackmailing you.
How many of you want your children to grow up to be prostitutes? It is an ugly and horrid thing to live with.
When someone tells you prostitution is a victimless crime they are leaving someone out of the picture.
Where the hell are mainstream feminists on this one? Oh yeah, they're married to the Johns in this scandal. Seriously, Ms. Palfrey should be a cause celeb, a potential route to end laws against prostitution, but it just seems rich women like seeing poor women who service their husbands suffer. Imagine. It was rich women who spearheaded these laws.