Originally Posted by Ron Bennett

CNN, and mass media in general, will do what it takes to get ratings, as well as keeping their corporate masters happy. So it's no surprise CNN would be against Backpage.

As for politicians, issues such as prostitution and the drug war make great sound-bites; diversions from dealing with more serious issues.

If the media attention keeps up, it's likely Backpage will buckle under government pressure. Not that it will stop anything, since people seeking out such services will just go to another site(s).

If the issue was really about protecting children / public at-large, prostitution would be legal and regulated across the entire U.S. ... as of now, only a few places in the U.S. allow it (is illegal in Las Vegas and its surrounding municipalities, including the strip).

As it stands now, the underground nature of prostitution makes it more likely for children to be exploited; more dangerous for everyone ... much like how the drug war makes things more dangerous - Mexico is a prime example of a full-fledged drug war in action...

Prohibition of acts / substances (prostitution / cannabis) that are relatively benign (as opposed to nuclear materials / high explosives, which are rightly highly regulated) only makes matters worse, such as what happened in the 1920s with alcohol prohibition.

Ron