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Soldiers Looking For Hookups On Craigslist Are Being Warned of a Military Sting
Daniel_Stuckey writes with this excerpt from Motherboard: "Word has it there's a military sting operation to bust soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who are using Craigslist to find casual hookups, and now troopers are being warned to keep their sexual exploits on the down-low. It all started when news article published last week in the Army Times suggested undercover military cops were trolling the Craigslist Baghdad personals to catch officers posting lewd photos looking for casual sex. (The Baghdad site is presumably a product of the war in Iraq, though most of the posters now are deployed in Afghanistan.) The story was picked up by the Daily Mail and a subsequent wave of media outlets, exposing the X-rated subculture."
There's a Craigslist Baghdad?
Solving Unix problems since 1989...
News to me.
Hookers supposedly got their name from General Hooker in the Civil War, who maintained a brothel for his troops. This is the right way to do it. Men have needs, and they need to be taken care of when deployed. We should be paying women(and men) to deploy with our troops and take care of those needs. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Make them official government employees, pay them well, give them excellent benefits, screen them constantly for STDs, and our troops will have better morale with fewer sexual assaults, fewer STDs, and fewer war babies. This is a win for everyone.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
ok... so when you take young men, put them in a testosterone fueled environment and take away their access to sexual partners, is this really a surprising outcome?
perhaps you should at the very least, keep them for shorter periods of time.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
Would have been nice if TFS pointed out it's targeting men seeking men, almost exclusively.
Must have 300 on pt test
Shoot expert
Combat infantryman's badge preferred
Fighting for their country. Let them hook up with whomever they want.
I'm more surprised by the fact that having sex is illegal? And the military police has jurisdiction over this crime? wtf
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Stay tuned for some shock and awe coming right up after this messages!
I mean really, these people didn't sign up to join the priesthood. They're soldiers.
Why is having sex a problem?
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
You mean US military Sting or Al-Qaeda sting?
Wait wait... are you telling me Americans are still in Baghdad?
I guess it's cheaper (and less likely to give you a dangerous disease) than visiting a prostitute. Gender equal also. Um, why do we care this is happening?
And the military police has jurisdiction over this crime? wtf
For military personnel of course the military police have jurisdiction.
Your penis is a weapon. The military needs to what ever it takes to ensure its fighting readiness.
conduct unbecoming an officer.
Ten years ago, I knew an MP in counterintel who was basically a trained as a professional hooker/seductress.
Her sole job was to seduce married officers and slap them in handcuffs, supposedly directions often came down from above for people that were already undesirable...
Real feisty woman... very fun. But I would not have wanted to be on her bad side.
I'm more surprised by the fact that having sex is illegal? And the military police has jurisdiction over this crime? wtf
I hear it's considered "Unauthorized Use of US Government Property".
I'm more surprised by the fact that having sex is illegal? And the military police has jurisdiction over this crime? wtf
The US military has never liked incidents that cause trouble with its foreign hosts.
Conditions were harsh in Britain in the early 1940s and there was also an undercurrent of unease that was conveyed by the phrase, especially amongst British men, who resented the attraction of GIs, with their ready supply of nylons and cigarettes, amongst British women. The artist Beryl Cook, who was a young woman at the time confirmed this in an interview to the BBC in the late 1970s. I can't find the transcript of the interview, but from memory it was words to the effect of, ''food was scarce, but we supplemented our income by a little impromptu whoring with the GIs - we all did it''. Many of these liaisons were love matches rather than merely commercial transactions though, as the thousands of marriages between US servicemen and British women (the GI brides) is evidence of.
Oversexed, overpaid and over here
Fueling the fires while stationed in as volatile and deeply conservative a country as Afghanistan is of no help to anyone.
SO as a married officer, you can go to jail for sleeping around? What if you have an open marriage?
Good-bye
Dude, you missed out on a sword fighting pun!
There are MP's telling soldiers where they can put their winkies? Are we going to have a new division of the army ... the Willie Police WP's?
WP: "Soldier! Lay down your weapon. I'll bend over this vehicle, you're to perform a thorough cavity search, UNDERSTOOD!"
Soldier: "Sir yes Sir!"
WP: "Get in position"
Soldier: [prepares for battle]
WP: "All right soldier, MOVE IT OR LOSE IT!"
I'm sure it was on the tip of his tongue.
rewriting history since 2109
I want to believe it was a way to get rid of officers who had committed no crime but would be dangerous to have in charge of men.
adultry under any circumstance is punishable under UCMJ. that, and many other regs are absolutely fucking ridiculous, but remember that all of these stupid rules are public record (www.apd.army.mil). no one is drafted, people sign up for it. if youre going to sign your life away to live in that insane asylum for 3+ years (or whatever the minimum is), you had better do a bit of research first. if you dont like the game, dont play.
further OT: also mind that many soldiers "deployed" arent seeing any combat. a soldier i worked with a few years back is deployed to afghanistan right now -spends all day on the internet and dealing with idiot NCOs (fixing their printer, patching windows vulnerabilities, etc). his whole unit doesnt see action. some people do "fight for their country", but most dont. they simply do work tasks and battle buearucracy for a paycheck like the rest of us. then they retire after 20 years and collect a pension, perhaps also VA benefits regardless of whether of not they received a real combat injury. i know two people battling the VA for benefits they earned from heavy physical trauma, and dozens bragging about collecting for bullshit.
AC you replied to...
What if you have an open marriage?
I'm going to be a bit of a jerk (just for a few lines) here, but bear with me, since I want this to sink in. What are you, an idiot? You aren't asking about open marriages, you're asking about fucking adultery. It's illegal, get it through your head. Your ideals do not apply to the law any more than they apply to the law in Utah.
They don't care if /you/ have an open marriage, this is moral code and law you waived other rights in.
Ten years ago they could kick you out for being openly gay. How do you think they felt about adultery ? "Open marriage my ass" -- that's another word for 'sinner', now get back in line with the standards from 1950 before we discharge you instead of just cutting your pay for a month.
Here, let me clear it up some...
"In the United States, laws vary from state to state. In 2012, adultery was a criminal offense in 23 states."
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Source: wikipedia (adultery)
Article 133 is titled... "Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman"
conduct violative of this article is action or behavior in an official capacity which, in dishonoring or disgracing the person as an officer, seriously compromises the officerâ(TM)s character as a gentleman, or action or behavior in an unofficial or private capacity which, in dishonoring or disgracing the officer personally, seriously compromises the personâ(TM)s standing as an officer
This specifically includes for example, association with known prostitutes, and anything nebulously "dishonorable" -- particularly if it can reflect on those around you.
Don't make the mistake of believing your modern ideals about sexuality apply to the military.
Here's article 134 (Adultery)
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/punitivearticles/a/mcm1342.htm
Allowed punishment includes imprisonment for up to a year.
So in answer to your question -- they can dishonorably discharge you, and lock you up for a year without pay. Assuming they don't add more crimes onto it (which they will if you don't take the discharge and shut up).
That your SO is okay with it just further negatively reflects upon your character and the character of those you associate with.
Question:
did the army also pay a charismatic man to go around seducing married women and arresting the women when they fell for his charms?
The pun or the penis?
I understand we are talking UCMJ, but the laws you refer to are highly unconstitutional and would be tossed the first time they saw a modern judge.
"In the U.S. Military, adultery is a potential court-martial offense.[15] The enforceability of adultery laws in the United States is unclear following Supreme Court decisions since 1965 relating to privacy and sexual intimacy of consenting adults.[74] However, occasional prosecutions do occur"
I appreciate your comment and im not trying to refute it, just adding perspective.
Good-bye
...
Your penis is a weapon. The military needs to what ever it takes to ensure its fighting readiness.
The military is on the record about the actual purpose of one's penis. To insure new recruits properly call their firearm a weapon, they're required to memorize (and point to the appropriate place) while shouting in unison with the rest of the troops in the platoon or company the following:
This is brought to everyone's attention after the drill instructor entraps a "volunteer" into answering a question about what he's holding. After everyone is punished with push ups due to his mistake, anyone stupid enough to make the same mistake — calling it anything besides a weapon, usually a gun — will be in a world of hurt.
On a separate note, I vaguely recall reading somewhere how the military, during the first world war, openly campaigned the idea to potential recruits that winning France back from the Germans would make them a hero in the eyes of all the French women. Additionally, they were informed about all the prostitutes in France they would be able to meet.
Yesterday's Weirdness is Tomorrow's Reason Why
I understand we are talking UCMJ, but the laws you refer to are highly unconstitutional and would be tossed the first time they saw a modern judge.
Ah, the US Constitution, that old thing. ;-)
Killing people good. Casual Sex, baaaad.
We train young men to drop fire on people, but their commanders won't allow them to write "fuck" on their airplanes because it's obscene!
Why do you even bother to post? Oh I get it, you're anonymous. Because ya know, by the time this exchange of fish tails ends, the universe itself will be considered optional. Space time? Who needs it? I mean, really needs it.
I think this is a right the troops need to sign away during the recruitment process. Explicitly, not as part of an omnibus bill. Okay, just one last form: sign here to consent to being court marshalled for engaging in sexual activities with a consenting adult.
Prospective recruit: Whoa, run that one by me again. No shit? You know what, I'm going to sleep on this. See ya tomorrow ... or the next day ... or the second Tuesday after not in this lifetime ...
Whatever my morality about sex, I don't this should kept under the covers in the fine print on the application form. Shout it loud, shout it proud if you've got jarhead Puritan pride. Informed decisions before the first lock is shorn, that's the only democratic system there's any reason to protect.
Who cares how people find people to fuck. People are fucking and cheating all over the world every day and no one cares...as soon as it's a govt employee everyone loses their minds and plasters it all over the news...grow up America.
How about the military focus less on solicitations for consensual sex and more on actually taking rape seriously?
If you don't understand any of my sayings, come to me in private and I shall take you in my German mouth.
It's a breakdown in discipline, and runs contrary to the conservative christian foundation that our military is based on (unofficially, of course).
Sometimes, it isn't about YOU
Someone mod this useless piece of shit into oblivion!
Yeah, I saw "Full Metal Jacket," too.
where sleazy Internet hookups are tolerated, then join Congress.
The document that says people that like Dick Cheney in Wyoming get 300 times more vote than I do.
Yeah, I saw "Full Metal Jacket," too.
I didn't see the movie. Was it, like, the same as actually being there? Faces of the American Dead in Vietnam: One Week's Toll, June 1969 (Slide 1 of 227)
You don't make general overnight, or pimp.
In Afghanistan, part of the point seems to be to encourage some rough adeherence to local norms to reduce resentment of the US presence among locals. Hence, the ban on alcohol for US military in Afghanistan and, from TFA, in Afghanistan "commanders have forbidden any sexual encounters between unwed people." Questionable whether this is effective, but it originated as part of a bigger package of trying to discourage US forces from living in a complete bubble, separate from the political and social systems they're trying to change.
In the Iraq case described in the article, there seemed to be some concern (misguided in my view) that hooking up online, posting nudies on CL, etc., is prejudicial to the "good order and discipline in the armed forces." While agreed that the Secret Service exhibited very poor discipline in soliciting prostitutes in Colombia, I'm not sure I see how a "casual encounter" between two soldiers in Baghdad undermines good order or discipline.
I don't think that means what they think it means...
Loose lips sink ships.
All over again.
bickerdyke
u.s. military personnel, regardless of where they are stationed, are still under jurisdiction of u.s. laws (plus the laws of the foreign country they're in when off-post), in addition to military regulations. plus, many servicemen are married, and adultery is a no-no... and then you have the whole risk of fraternizing with the enemy or potential enemy spy besides... so its really a no-brainer that the military is cracking-down on this.
Anyone would think these soldiers are being treated like catholic priests!!! lol... seriously... whats wrong with a human being having a sex drive??? and maybe these muslim women might want a buff soldier for a fling/root! whats wrong with that? looks like the muslim imam's from Saudi Arabia have their hand in this news story!!! on no!! SEX!!! its the 1920's we cant talk about that!!!
This is a win for everyone
Except the government paid prostitutes.
If they don't like this job, it's up to them to quit it and seek another position. They are NOT sex slaves, they are just person doing one specific type of job. Don't like the job? Move to another job. Use that fact that by paying taxes and so one during this about-to-be-left job, you paid money to be granted access to services for unemployed/job-seeking (and be also happy that some money where also funnelled into your retirement plan).
Hint: It's already the case in several European countries. Only not in Afghanistan where TFA is taking place, nor in the USA.
The whole purpose of the parent's post (and the actual situation in Europe) is that if prostitution becomes "just another job", lots of the problems associated with prostitution go away.
It's not only about making prostitution legal, it's about making sure that prostitute are entitled every single advantage and benefit that any other job has.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Fewer suicides
We should be paying women(and men) to deploy with our troops and take care of those needs. {...} Make them official government employees, pay them well, give them excellent benefits, screen them constantly for STDs, and our troops will have better morale with fewer sexual assaults, fewer STDs, and fewer war babies.
Except that there's a minor problem:
- YOU ARE NOT in Switzerland, Germany, Holland, etc. (Where being a prostitue is just another type of job. Where that includes prostitutes being entitled every single advantage and benefit that any other job has. You pay your taxes like everyone else. You get access to health care, social insurrance, etc. and other state-paid advantage like any other tax payer. You get professionnal-health checks and counselling (prostitutes get STD check just like a factory workers must get screened for back problems or pollution contamination). You get pension once you retire. You get access to services for unemployed/job-seekers when you decide to quit this job and find a new one. You can form unions. Etc. - Where, in short, everything you suggest is the legal norm.)
- YOU ARE IN AFGHANISTAN, where until recently any form of intimacy between non married man and woman was forbiden and where the prostitute would probably get stoned to death by law just for exercising this job.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
The UCMJ is constitutional. The laws are passed by congress under Article 1 Section 8: "To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces" So you see where the problem is. And since there is no wealthy lobbying group for changing the UCMJ don't expect and sudden changes.
No good deed goes unpunished.
if youre going to sign your life away to live in that insane asylum for 3+ years (or whatever the minimum is), you had better do a bit of research first. if you dont like the game, dont play.
The game is bigger than just the military. They provide deliberately substandard education to the masses in order to reduce their options and drive them into poverty, then they pretend that joining the military will help them escape it. Educated by the system, the words seem plausible and next thing you know they're on the corner panhandling with a major disability.
Guess what? If you don't play the game, you die. It's a crime to be broke in America.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Soldiers are using Craigslist for sex? Yuck! People use that to find babysitters! Won't someone think of the children?!?
The problem is that prostitution is not legal in the USA, and thus not on any US soil, no matter where it's located.
Sorry, I'm really accustomed of how these thing work. (That has to do with living in a country which hadn't been at war for the past nearly 2 centuries).
I didn't knew that wherever the USA decides to establish a base could count as US soils.
(I would like to be enlightened about such details if you have time).
As a side note: have other nations present among the peace keeping forces negotiated similar embassy-like "soil abroad" legal status?
That's because the USA is not a free country — you don't even own your own body.
Well, I'm more or less under the impression that the body, the life and death, and absolutely everything else (creationist education, etc.) is owned by the bible, and the mix of crazy religious nuts/zealots and of politician with an agenda that dictate how the metaphoric jumble in said books should be interpreted. Or so it seems, from the outside.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
They are adults first. You want them to fighrt who? Leave them alone when they are off duty.
Well it's good that you at least understand that you're being a jerk. But let's make this clear: It's illegal like it was illegal to be black during the era of Jim Crow laws.
So, you know, the equivalent comeback would go along the lines of :
What are you, an idiot? That law you reference is itself illegal, get it through your head.
A hundred years ago they could lynch you for being black and no one would bat an eye. Do you think that would fly today? Time change. "Sinner" my ass -- that's a word used by fascists, now get back in line with modern moral standards before we sue you, your commander, and the whole army instead of just cutting your pay for a month.
All in all I think it's just another sign of how old and cumbersome our military is. Don't get me wrong, it's not something I want to be volatile and fickle. I just have little faith that they'll be able to adapt to a real modern threat. Case in point, nukes make the option of first-world full-scale combat kinda moot. So why are we pissing away our money on a navy? Does it cost that much to shoot some Somali pirates? Projecting force onto third world nations? Do we need the F-22 (or even the F-35) for that? Why are we doing it in the first place? Old and busted is the term. It applies to the whole military, not just their bullshit laws about adultery.
These dudes are living in a world you can't imagine. Nice to bring your tea-time-at-noon and shower before bed morals to them.
This is a myth.. many serviceman will argue because the meme is sexy. But service people are not government property even if they've gotten NJPs as such for self harm, it would never hold water if it escalated to court martial.
But it sounds good right "I'm government property".. it's figurative but the knuckling dragging shit talking lifer types who are too institutionalized to get the balls to leave like to parrot each other on that shit. Show me an authoritative government document, the UCMJ or anything, not a quote... that says servicemen are government property.
No this is new morality being applied to people who you're lucky maintain any morals at all. It's easy for the fat cat cigar smoking brass to sneer at the bro antics of the men that they're destroying for life from a distance.
These guys act like this because of the cards their being dealt by the same dudes who won't let them whore it up. Take away their whores and cigarettes... why allow them any pleasure when you can add a bullet point when arguing your next fitrep score. Bigger office, better travel accommodations.. who cares that lots of these guys are going to off themselves. You can't fix that shit, well adjusted healthy human being aren't supposed to be ok in a filthy 120 degree warzone.
we can't masturbate with just our hands remotely as easily as a guy
Erm. You're doing it wrong.
I'd offer to demonstrate, but I'm posting anonymously because frankly I can do without the hatemail.
There is no "right" or "wrong" here.
Since most of it is in the mind, it shouldn't be surprising that different people have different turn-ons and react differently to different kinds of stimulation.
when you understand that throughout most of human history, countries' militaries were the refuges of societys dregs and undesirables, of murders and rapists, that combat didnt mean strategically siezing a city with minimal loss of life but raping and pillaging everyone in sight til nothing was left....the rules begin to make more sense.
the UCMJ isnt simply a reflection of societal mores from the 1950s...thats shrot sighted, and ignores that people have liked sex for most of human history. no, the UCMJ is part of the entire concept of the "professional military", the trained attack dog that will hold perfectly still while being harassed, attack absoltelu viciously when ordered, yet also isntantly cease that attack when ordered....as opposed to the "military" as its been known throughout most of human history which can be likened to a rapid dog kept in a cage, and prone to attacking its own "master", that barely submits to any concept of orders or training.
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.