PRC – “…I do have a problem with the way strip clubs are now and any promotion in areas where children could be influenced.” Great, but irrelevant, since the strippermobile is driven late at night in Tampa’s club/ party areas. If children are awake from 10 pm – 2 am in Ybor City, I suggest the strippermobile is the least of their problems.

Those were the days. When the future held the promise of new amorous adventures instead of further physical deterioration…

http://poleriders.blogspot.com/ – no nudity, but not entirely safe for work

#24 Roark

This is why so-called libertarians can never be taken seriously. No common sense. I love Radley’s blog, but this is nuts. A family with children who don’t want them exposed to this have no rights in Radley’s world. Seems like he would be delighted with traveling sex shows on a flat bed trailer.

I don’t know about Radley’s world, but I can certainly tell you that in Dave’s world there would be no right not to be offended. Families would not have the right to force the world into a straight jacket so as to make sure that their children are properly shielded from the terrible traumatizing scourge of nudity and sexuality.

On the other hand, I don’t think businesses generally go out of their way to anger residents, so I think the fears that generally lead to decency laws come more from moral crusaders than from any real danger or harm.

You guys really worship the state. I’d rather be a libertarian than a state sucker any day, thanks.

Uh, where did I write that I approve of this? Or that I’d be delighted with traveling sex shows on a flat bed trailer?

For the record, I think it’s tacky. I’d rather see businesses who feel their customers are offended by having the truck outside take up the dispute privately or in civil court than having the city criminalize it, but zoning laws that forbid roving stripper trucks from setting up shop in neighborhoods frequented by families would be pretty far down on my list of libertarian outrages.

As I understand it, though, this truck generally stays within the parameters of Tampa’s strip club district.

#23 David

I can see opposing this on safety grounds. We expect drivers to ignore distracting signs, roadside nonsense, etc, but this is another car on the road. You can’t ignore it without causing another safety hazard.

The reason it distracts people is because it’s so unusual. The real solution is to have more of them. In fact, if there were babes in bikinis (or even naked) everywhere, we would be used to it and would have no problem concentrating on our driving.

Decency laws are affecting our evolution. By being constantly protected from public nudity, our immune system becomes weakened and we become susceptible to even a mild infection. Decency laws are a public health menace and should be treated as such. If the nanny state had any real interest in the well being of the public, it would be encouraging nudity.

#20 Elroy

Does being a libertarian mean you automatically have to oppose any attempts by government to enforce public decency standards?

Being a libertarian is about not using the law to shoehorn the entire population into someone’s narrow idea of decency should be. It’s about not criminalizing something that doesn’t hurt anyone. And most of all, it’s about demanding that if people want to talk the talk, they need to walk the walk. In other words, if you want to call this the “land of the free”, stop chomping at the bit to lock people up for violating the public crusade for moral conformity.

Decency means different things to different people. To me it means not persecuting people who choose to smoke pot, sell sex, gamble, take pictures of cops, wear baggy pants, or be naked at the beach.

As a former stripper, *I* think that this is ridiculous. Now, I have no problem whatsoever with strippers, women walking around naked, sex, and so on, but I do have a problem with the way strip clubs are now and any promotion in areas where children could be influenced.

Most of the comments here seem to be from men, so you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t believe you’re thinking with your brains on this one. I’m sorry, I had to. I understand that some of you may believe this is okay through rational thinking. In those cases, please rethink =)

Sensuality and sexuality are two entirely different things. Anything, and I mean anything, that makes a woman believe that in order to get attention, she has to remove her clothes is harmful to the millions of young girls in this country.

Yeah, yeah, we shouldn’t be enforcing views on other people …

Thinking back on the lifestyle I lived because I believed that I was worth nothing more than this simply because these were the images I was exposed to every day, I literally struggle to breathe. None of you could imagine the pain involved in this line of work. These girls smile, laugh, dance, and you could probably even get them to tell you their whole life story. Acting is a part of stripping.

It wasn’t until a particularly violent incident that my survival instincts kicked into high gear and I began thinking about changing my life.

My story is NOT similar to the minority of strippers. If I was in the minority, I’d keep my mouth shut, but there are too many women who are mistreated in this industry for me to support ANY advertising of it whatsoever.

Even if the strip club was one of the best, known for treating their girls right, known for helping them with education, … most girls will not be able to work at a place like that. They will turn to the dives just to feel worth something.

This seems to be the one area that libertarians refuse to think about. You damn well know that if this was a bunch of men stripping in a vehicle around town, you’d want them all arrested. You might not say it since you know it would contradict what you believe in, but you’d be thinking it.

Anyone who thinks that pole dancing in a bikini and chilling at the beach is the same thing is not thinking straight.

I’m not well known for getting my thoughts across eloquently, but I hope I have at least managed to convey my point.

I think that’s my default setting. It’s probably not always right, but trying to keep the nannies away works for me…

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