Fight the lap dance ban proposed in South Carolina 6 foot rule as well

I'm a bit confused, how does closing a strip club at midnight or requiring a 6' distance reduce "illicit drug trafficking and those types of problems"?

What a flimsy position for supporting this bullshit law. Just man up and say you disapprove of how other people express their sexuality and you want to force them to stop.

I typed up a letter and emailed everyone in the South Carolina senate, a number of whom I voted for. link so that you can email them too scstatehouse.net

I also emailed the judicial branch whom I think was going to get the bill next. I also emailed about a quarter of the house before I got tired of typing. link scstatehouse.net

The email for the judicial section or branch who I believe gets this bill next is I believe as follows: mailto:[email protected]

Here's my letter, feel free to copy, modify, and edit it to fit your tastes or just type one of your own. A personal letter would probably be better without going into any intimate details if you happen to have any relationships with any dancers. My letter: (beginning of letter)

I am a voter of South Carolina and would like you to oppose or kill this bill to require all adult businesses to close at midnight, it also possibly requires 6 feet limits to stay away from exotic dancers and which also bans lap dances. The article I read in the Charlotte Observer claims the lawyer says lap dances may promote drug use. I visited strip clubs for years and I have seen no drug use except regular cigarette smoke among people in the club. If you want to promote a healthy state, please enforce a smoking ban not a lap dance ban.

The proposed 6 foot rule I believe is ridiculous as well. Imagine if you went to church and there was a 6 foot rule against approaching someone and the state had to pay the police to come into the church and you could face jail time and a large 1000 fine if you got too close. This is how I feel about this proposed rule for adult night clubs. Please kill this bill and forward it to whomever will listen.

Sincerely (my name goes here)

I don't believe this bill will help the tourism business in South Carolina either. Many golfers and other visitors don't want to worry about the heavy hand of the law in their daily life when they just want to relax and enjoy the evening. I don't either. I work during the day and the weekend later at night is the only time I have a chance to get out. Please kill this bill.

(end of letter) This was just something I typed up without editing in any matter. South Carolina did try to pass a smoking ban recently but that has been delayed as well if someone in the house is that concerned about drug use, I think cigarettes should be the first target not lap dances. I do believe smoking causes harm to my health but I'm not worried about a scantily clad female brushing up against me. No one needs to pass any laws banning females from brushing up against me or requiring tax money be spent paying the police to enforce a 6 ft rule or all these other rules proposed. This bill should be killed now in my opinion. Send the lawyer packing.

If you believe that every email or message may represent 100,000 quiet people, please speak up and let our politicians know that people don't want this bill. Even if you don't think the number is that high, let them know that you care. Thanks.

South Carolina still has blue laws where some clubs can't see beer or liquor after Midnight on Saturday night. You can't buy beer or liquor in the grocery stores here on Sunday. I wouldn't be surprised if some of those elected had no clue about how I or others feel about this. I have spent enough time in strip clubs enjoying the view and I don't want it killed because of one group trying to impose their values on me. There are many couples and females who also frequent strip clubs in South Carolina.

I don't even know why this got past the house. They couldn't get the smoking ban they talked about to go through.

I almost didn't even hear about this. I heard something real briefly on the news and it was so quickly mentioned I didn't hear what they were talking about. Then as I was reading the paper, I saw a tiny little article about it. It's like someone is trying to sneak this into becoming a law without hardly anyone noticing until it's in effect.

I wonder how big a salary cut SC Teachers will have to take or other state budgets will have to be cut if the strip club business and tourism business in South Carolina is hurt badly? I thought many in South Carolina were opposed to more government regulation.

So funny to watch these religious Wackos!!! We had to have a civil war because of thier stupidity.They think saddam blow up the trade centers and thats why another whacko started war.DAM IT LEAVE OUR LAP DANCE RIGHTS ALONG AND GO KNOCK ON SOMEONES DOOR AND TELL GOD SENT YOU TO SAVE THEM AND MAYBE GO GET A LAPDANCE MAYBE YOULL BE A LIILE MOE RELAXED AND NOT BOTHER OTHER PEOPLE!!!!!

Prayze Jayzus

Here is the complete General Bill being considered. Here are the email addresses for the sponsers:mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] GRD@schouse,org mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] This whole thing pisses me off and I will email these people.

H 3679 General Bill, By Talley, Davenport, Brantley, Leach, Clemmons, Barfield, Pinson, J.R. Smith, W.D. Smith, Walker, Brady and Haskins A BILL TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING ARTICLE 5 TO CHAPTER 15, TITLE 16 SO AS TO CREATE A METHOD OF REGULATING CERTAIN ADULT BUSINESSESNext, TO DEFINE TERMS FOR PURPOSES OF THIS ARTICLE, AND TO CREATE CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS.

03/08/07 House Introduced and read first time HJ-12 03/08/07 House Referred to Committee on Judiciary HJ-12 03/13/07 House Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Brady 03/21/07 House Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Haskins

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

3/8/2007

H. 3679

A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING ARTICLE 5 TO CHAPTER 15, TITLE 16 SO AS TO CREATE A METHOD OF REGULATING CERTAIN PreviousADULT BUSINESSESNext, TO DEFINE TERMS FOR PURPOSES OF THIS ARTICLE, AND TO CREATE CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Chapter 15, Title 16 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Article 5

PreviousAdult BusinessesNext

Section 16-15-610. The General Assembly finds:

(1) It is the purpose of this article to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the people of the State by establishing reasonable regulations to prevent the deleterious secondary effects of Previousadult businessesNext and sexually-oriented businesses. The regulations in this article have neither the purpose nor effect of imposing a limitation or restriction on the content or reasonable access to communicative materials, including sexually oriented materials.

(2) PreviousAdult businessesNext and sexually-oriented businesses, as a category of commercial uses, are associated with a wide variety of adverse secondary effects including, but not limited to, lewdness, public indecency, prostitution, potential spread of disease, illicit drug use and drug trafficking, personal and property crimes, negative impacts on surrounding properties, blight, litter, and sexual assault and exploitation.

(3) Each of the foregoing negative secondary effects constitutes a harm which the State has a substantial governmental interest in preventing and abating. This substantial governmental interest in preventing secondary effects is independent of a comparative analysis between Previousadult businesses or sexually-oriented businesses and nonsexually-oriented businesses. The cases and documentation relied on in this article are reasonably believed to be relevant to these secondary effects.

Section 16-15-620. As used in this article:

(1) 'Adult business' means a nightclub, bar, restaurant, or another similar establishment in which a person appears in a state of sexually explicit nudity, as defined in Section 16-15-375, or semi-nudity, in the performance of their duties.

(2) 'Sexually-oriented business' means a business offering its patrons goods of which a substantial portion are sexually-oriented materials. A business in which more than ten percent of the display space is used for sexually-oriented materials is presumed to be a sexually-oriented business.

(3) 'Sexually explicit nudity' means the showing of:

(a) uncovered, or less than opaquely covered human genitals, pubic area, or buttocks, or the nipple or any portion of the areola of the human female breast; or

(b) covered human male genitals in a discernibly turgid state.

(4) 'Sexually-oriented materials' means textual, pictorial, or three-dimensional material that depicts nudity, sexual conduct, sexual enticement, or sadomasochistic abuse in a way that is patently offensive to the average person applying contemporary adult community standards with respect to what is suitable for minors. Sexually-oriented materials include obscene materials as defined in Section 16-15-305(B).

(5) 'Semi-nudity' means a state of dress in which opaque clothing fails to cover the genitals, anus, anal cleft or cleavage, pubic area, vulva, nipple and areola of the female breast below a horizontal line across the top of the areola at its highest point. Semi-nudity includes the entire lower portion of the female breast, but does not include any portion of the cleavage of the human female breast exhibited by wearing clothing provided the areola is not exposed in whole or in part.

(6) 'Employee' means a person who performs a service on the premises of an adult business or a sexually-oriented business, on a full-time, part-time, or contractual basis, whether or not the person is denominated an employee, independent contractor, agent, or otherwise. 'Employee' does not include a person exclusively on the premises for repair or maintenance of the premises or for the delivery of goods to the premises.

(7) 'Operate' means to cause to function or to put or keep in a state of doing business. 'Operator' means a person on the premises of an adult business or a sexually-oriented business who causes the business to function or who puts or keeps in operation the business or who is authorized to manage the business or exercise overall operational control of the business premises.

(8) 'Patron' means a person on the premises of a sexually-oriented business except:

(1) an operator or an employee of that adult business or sexually-oriented business; or

(2) a person who is on the premises exclusively for repair or maintenance of the premises or for the delivery of goods to the premises.

(9) 'Premises' means the real property upon which the adult business or sexually-oriented business is located, and all appurtenances and buildings on the property including, but not limited to, the adult business or sexually-oriented business, the grounds, private walkways, parking lots, and adjacent parking garages under the ownership, control, or supervision of the licensee.

(10) 'Sexually-oriented entertainment activity' means the sale, rental, or exhibition, for any form of consideration, of books, films, video cassettes, magazines, visual images, or live performances which are characterized by an emphasis on the exposure or display of any specified anatomical areas or specified sexual activity.

(11) 'Specified anatomical areas' means human genitals, pubic region, buttocks, and female breast below a point immediately above the top of the areola.

(12) 'Specified sexual activity' means intercourse, oral copulation, masturbation, sodomy, or excretory functions as a part of or in connection with any of these activities.

Section 16-15-630. (A) An adult business or sexually-oriented business may not be or remain open for business between 12:00 midnight and 6:00 a.m., except if the business that holds a liquor license pursuant to Chapter 6, Title 61 may remain open until the hour specified in that license, provided that it does not conduct, offer, or allow sexually-oriented entertainment activity between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 6:00 a.m.

(B) While on the premises of an adult business or a sexually-oriented business:

(1) an employee, while in a state of sexually explicit nudity or while semi-nude, may not knowingly do the following:

(a) appear in the view of a patron unless the employee is at least six feet from all patrons and on a stage at least two feet above the floor;

(b) touch a patron or the clothing of a patron; or

(c) while in the view of a patron, touch another person who is in a state of sexually explicit nudity or while semi-nude;

(2) no patron knowingly shall touch an employee while that employee is in a state of sexually explicit nudity or while semi-nude, or touch the clothing or costume of an employee while that employee is in a state of sexually explicit nudity or while semi-nude; and

(3) an employee of an adult business or a sexually-oriented business who regularly appears in a state of sexually explicit nudity or while semi-nude on the premises of that adult business or sexually-oriented business may not knowingly be or remain within six feet of a patron.

(C) A person who violates the provisions of subsection (A) is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than three years.

(D) A person who violates the provisions of subsection (B) is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year."

SECTION 2. The repeal or amendment by this act of any law, whether temporary or permanent or civil or criminal, does not affect pending actions, rights, duties, or liabilities founded thereon, or alter, discharge, release or extinguish any penalty, forfeiture, or liability incurred under the repealed or amended law, unless the repealed or amended provision shall so expressly provide. After the effective date of this act, all laws repealed or amended by this act must be taken and treated as remaining in full force and effect for the purpose of sustaining any pending or vested right, civil action, special proceeding, criminal prosecution, or appeal existing as of the effective date of this act, and for the enforcement of rights, duties, penalties, forfeitures, and liabilities as they stood under the repealed or amended laws.

SECTION 3. If any section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this act is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid, such holding shall not affect the constitutionality or validity of the remaining portions of this act, the General Assembly hereby declaring that it would have passed this act, and each and every section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, and word thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more other sections, subsections, paragraphs, subparagraphs, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words hereof may be declared to be unconstitutional, invalid, or otherwise ineffective.

SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

I'm confused, who actually passed it? Some kind of committee in the house, or the house it self?

Well, I'm not a lawyer, but this doesn't look like the end of the world to me. So, "sexually explicit nudity" in SC will mean uncovered "buttocks" & "covered human male genitals in a discernibly turgid state"...that sucks. So they can stay open past midnight if they have a liquor license that says they can, but the "sexual fun & games" (stage dances) ends at midnight regardless. Maybe you can all designate yourselves as people at the club for the purpose of "repair or maintenance of the premises or for the delivery of goods to the premises"...lol... No more girl-on-girl action on stage, unless one of them is clothed, and no more touching the girls while they are dancing in various states of undress onstage. It appears that you can still have LDs though at a bikini bar where the dancer is fully-clothed all the time, but I'm not clear on whether it's legal for the guy to get hard in his pants during that LD (it appears that it is still legal though). I'm also guessing that prostitution is already illegal everywhere in SC, is that right? You guys are in trouble...good luck though...

The worst part of the proposed law is the six-foot rule. Taken literally it totally destroys the lap dance, hugs, fondling, etc. Obviously it does not apply to people who are fully clothed but to interaction between the dancer exercising her "free speech right" to be nude, and the customer.

I think the six-foot rule is an artifice.

It is obviously intended to counteract the "Nude Dancing is an expression of Free Speech and Therefore Protected by the Constitution". The six-foot rule is trying to say, "OK she can dance naked on stage, but she can exercise her free-speech right to nudity from six feet away, just as well as on the guy's lap." After all, nobody objects to being six feet or more away from stage acts and public speakers. So it is just a way to change the subject of the conversation.

When I first started going to strip clubs, the girls danced on a stage, and us guys were all six feet or more away from them. It was considered very daring and risque to walk up to the stage and insert a dollar bill in their garter (forget about the g-string.) Things have changed a lot since then. In today's environment, I would not consider going into a strip club that ENFORCED a six-foot rule.

But the good news is, I have heard there are places where a six foot rule is the LAW, but LE refuses to ENFORCE it. So there is always hope.

Also we can hope that South Carolina defeats this bill. BUt look what happened recently in Ohio.

OK, I did my part. I hope nobody is upset about me quoting them. Dear ladies and gentlemen,

I just became aware of this bill 2 days ago. It seems like the legislature has been trying to keep it quiet. I urge you to KILL it. What ever happened to "Separation of Church and State?" Why is it that groups like Family Research Council and Palmetto Family Council want to impose their moral values on the whole population? It's like if you don't want to hear what I say then don't listen. If you do not like what goes on in a strip club, then don't go there.

Do you really think that this Bill will have any impact on drug use and prostitution? I won't lie to you and tell that it does not happen in strip clubs but I will tell you that the smart owners will not put up with it. They do not want to lose the liquor licenses. At my favorite club if any dancer is caught doing drugs inside the club, she will be told that she can no longer work there. At the same club I have seen a customer refused entrance because his dress attire resembled that of a drug dealer.

I am 66 years old and not a citizen of SC. I do not do drugs or seek out prostitutes. I have friends in Columbia that I go to see almost every month. And when I do, we go to strip clubs for some adult fun. Who are we hurting?

How many times are police called to a strip club due to trouble? Why waste their time and the tax payers money on victim less activities? Do you know what the out of state golfers do at night? Do you want to lose their business. Businesses and the State will lose money if this Bill is passed.

Here are some posts from a forum on this topic:

"I am a bit confused. How does closing a strip club at midnight or requiring a 6' distance reduce illict drug trafficking and those type of problems? What a flimsy position for supporting this bullshit law. Just man up and say you disapprove of how other people express their sexuality and you want to force them to stop."

"The article I read in the Charlotte Observer claims the lawyer says lap dances may promote drug use. I visited strip clubs for years and I have seen no drug use except regular cigarette smoke among people in the club. If you want to promote a healthy state, please enforce a smoking ban not a lap dance ban. The proposed 6 foot rule is ridiculous as well.Imagine if you went to church and there was a 6 foot rule against approaching someone and the state had to pay the police to come into the church and you could face jail time and a large $1000 fine if you got too close. This is how I feel about this proposed rule for adult night clubs. Please KILL this Bill."

"I don't believe this bill will help the tourism business in South Carolina either. Many golfers and other visiters don't want to worry about the heavy hand of the law in their daily life when they just want to relax and enjoy the evening. I don't either. I work during the day and the weekend later at night is the only I have a chance to get out. Please Kill this Bill."

"I think that cigarettes should be the first target not lap dances. I do believe smoking causes harm to my health but I'm not worried about a scantily clad female brushing up against me.No one needs to pass any law banning females from brushing up against me or requiring tax money be spent paying the police to enforce a 6 ft rule or all of these other rules proposed. This Bill should be Killed now. Send the lawyers packing."

"South Carolina still has blue laws where some clubs can't sell beer or liquor after Midnight on Saturday night. You can't buy beer or liquor in the grocery store on Sunday. I wouldn't be surprised if some of those elected had no clue about how I or others feel about this. I have spent enough time in strip clubs enjoying the view and I don't want it killed because of one group trying to impose their values on me. The are also couples and females who also frequent strip clubs in South Carolina."

" I wonder how big a salary cut SC teachers will have to take or other state budgets will have to be cut if the strip club business and tourism in SC is hurt badly? I thought many in SC were opposed to more government regulation."

"So funny to watch these religious Wackos! We had to have a civil war because of their stupidity. They think that Saddam blew up the World Trade Center and thats why another wacko started war. Damn it. Leave our lap dance rights alone and go knock on some ones else's door and tell them GOD sent you to save them and maybe go get a lap dance. You will be a little more relaxed and not bother other people."

" Man I hope not. This is going to hurt a lot of girls if it passes. I hope that the rest of the legislature has more sense than this prick, Talley. He must be a real pole sitter."

"Assholes like the one you describe are religious feminists. Being married, they don't understand why everyone else isn't happily married, and of course being married. Why would you want to see another woman naked. It just doesn't make sense to them. They think men who go to clubs are monsters who want to enslave, degrade and objectify women. Therefore they want the clubs closed."

From a strip club owner "banning lap dances would probably kill the business. If we're made to close at midnight I'll lose 70% of my of my revenues."

From a lawyer "introduced by legislator from Spartanburg...home of a Penthouse Club. Perhaps his constituents can point out to him the $$$ that strip clubs generate in his home base."

"The central group on this ongoing push to regulate adult business is the Family Research Council. They have affiliated groups in each state, such as the Palmetto Family Council in SC. They all line up under the same agenda. Which is essentially to impose Christian )i,e. Biblical)values on all of us.In summary they are against abortion, In favor of abstinence as birth control, opposed to homosexuals and same sex marriages, against stem cell research and human cloning and opposed to adult business. It seems to me the above topics are all worth a healthy debate. I have at times been a devout Christian but when there is a breakdown in the separation between Church and State and a rush by conservative Christians to enact laws and/or change the Constitution, alarm bells go off in my head. How is this different from fanatical Muslims using precepts from the Koran to craft "islamic law"? By the way, these family value organizations are all run by men. I guess women really are the "weaker vessels" Lord, help me."

"Maybe a large group should try to set up homo sexual shops next to this guys neighborhood or start promoting all of the things he is against. Obviously he is trying to impose his beliefs on everyone else. I have never seen drug use in strip clubs and I have been visiting for years. Maybe one or two dancers use them in private rooms but I have never been in there.I certainly don't want to see our SC tax money wasted by requiring the police to stay inside strip clubs to make sure we all stay 6 ft away from all strippers. I could get more action in a church brushing up against girls in the aisle. I certainly would dread the thought I could be arrested and jailed and find $1000 because a female was only 5 feet away from me or accidently came into contact with me. Heaven forebid that a dancer slipped and fell off a stage and I would have a choice between catching her and going to jail for violating the no touch rule or simply let her break her neck or leg and be crippled or killed."

"Some lawyers are just plain evil and it would be nice if the people in this case saw that this lawyer just wants the money and to inflict as much pain as possible on a legitimate business. The dancers, the customers, and the tourism business of SC just to line his pocketbook or his ego or sense of power."

"Does anyone have a constitional right to drive a car. Just because it is not in the constitution is not a good reason for to ban something. By the way, the constitution was drafted because our Found Fathers knew there would be people like this lawyer trying to restrict everything we do. There was no such thing as a car or lap dance back then."

"I hope this does not become law. The trend does not seem to be in our favor. I suspect the majority of Americans have no use for strip clubs but at the same time they really do not care what goes on inside one. However a small group of religious zealots can bring a petition like this and weak politicians are not going to object. Without more Libertarian legislators or other free thinkers we are at their mercy. For those of you old enough to remember the "Warren " court was bold enough to rule these types of laws as unconstitutional but current Supreme Court members seem intent on slowly our freedom. They will probably stick with "Roe vs Wade" but when it comes to consensual sexual behavior, I don't see any help coming from them. It is an absolute shame that in a "FREE" country we have to be subjected to laws against gambling, prostitution, stripping, etc. I work very hard for my money and should be able to spend it in any way I see fit as long as it does not infringe on someone else's rights."

"I'm surprised to read that "nude" dancing is a form of speech protected by the first Amendment. Canada went thru this same nonsense a while back and they ended up allowing lap dances. They also laxed the rules on prostitution and left the specifics up to the provinces and localities."

"The main point here is that the purpose of federal and state constitutions were to define the POWERS (Not rights) of government. They were not to define the rights of citizens."

"I've never understood what a 6 foot rule means. If she is sitting at my table, does she have to be six feet away? If you order a sandwich, does she have to toss it to you from 6 feet away? And what about a drink? How is my female barber going to cut my hair from 6 feet away. And how about my massage therapist? I don't understand how a rule like that could be enforced."

"Yeah, and how many dancers have 6 feet? Or 6 legs for that matter?'

Change the law!!! Make lap dances subject to sales tax. They'd probably let the club stay open all night.

Don't they already do that in TX or is that just strip club cover charges?

Thanks for the email addresses shadowcat. I wrote another letter and emailed it to each of them as well. I guess it would have been easier if I had done a group email but I sent an email to each one individually. By the way if anyone else is copying and pasting there is one error in the above email addresses shadowcat gave. GRD@schouse,org has a comma in it when it should be a period mailto:[email protected] Just an FYI to let everyone know.

I did get a couple of responses back already. One senator said there are a lot of crazy bills that get introduced. One is or was to let legislators carry guns to work.

Maybe that is not crazy. The senate could be fully armed and disagree with the house. Then when the house passes a bill, the senate can put their hands on their guns and say to the house members "so you think you're feeling lucky do you?" Then shoot that bill down.

I think to make South Carolina safer, every adult male that is of reasonable sanity without any criminal history should be required to carry a firearm at all times while traveling around the state. Then if some criminal tries to do a shootout and kill or impair the health of other people of South Carolina, he can kill or hold off the criminals. Obviously South Carolina legislators feel a need to pass more laws to protect us from ourselves. I'm just giving a good suggestion here. Of course this new law should override any preexisting law banning firearms within buildings in the state of South Carolina. A ban would only allow criminals to possess firearms and we can't have that now can we?

Part of what concerns me is that I believe many legislators couldn't care less about strip clubs or what goes on inside them. Therefore they wouldn't care if they passed a new law or not. However I think they would care if there was a big public outcry from the voters. I hope our legislators don't feel like more laws are necessary to protect us from ourselves. A quote from Ben Franklin that applies to this case and several instances with proposed rules of our Federal government.

Ben Franklin: "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."

My new email letter ended like this "Please kill this bill. If you really want to improve the health of people in South Carolina, fight cigarette smoke. Maybe you should ban hand shaking in church. That spreads more diseases and illness than I have ever gotten in a strip club from watching and talking to a dancer. Many dancers live and work here and go to church here in South Carolina as well. Please kill this bill."

Now if we see a new proposal to ban hand shaking in churches, I will believe someone there is listening. Actually this could be important to reduce the spread of disease and save lives especially in the event of a sudden disease epidemic. Everybody may need a 6 foot rule when in a public setting. Then the penalty may not be 1,000 bucks but a serious illness possibly death itself. People go to church sick all the time. I really think we need some new laws for churches to protect us. After all we need new laws to protect us don't we? (ok, sarcasm off)

New law for church and public settings "masks to be worn while attending church, 6 foot rule imposed, violators will face 1,000 fines for violation." Sick people could be detained in holding cells. hmmm, I'm getting ideas to impose on churches to help fight possible disease outbreaks. I know someone in the Federal government is probably thinking the same way as me. Obviously if touching someone is that dangerous, it should be restricted everywhere. It will need to be whenever the next disease epidemic strikes killing millions or billions of people. Of course we could just let things be and then see who dies off first, the church members shaking hands or the strip club visitors watching dancers and only occasionally touching someone as they talk to them or give the dancer a hug.

I got the message that mailto:[email protected] message was undeliverable.

email your local legislator now! Find him or her at: scstatehouse.net . Please be sure to cc: the idiots who co-sponsered this bill as well.

Lap dances subject to sales tax ... ah yes ...

Now THAT plan has some future to it! :)

Well one senator definitely sounds like he will be voting for the bill if or when it comes up for the full vote. His name is Bill Cotty in House District 79. From a quick search, apparently he is not running for re-election. I hope his replacement has a better opinion of lap dances and believes in leaving adults alone instead of enforcing his own moral beliefs on all of us.

He responded by saying he sees little if any value to the adult entertainment business including lap dancing and will vote how he feels is best.

We don't need to suggest taxing lap dances. Someone here in South Carolina might think that is a good idea. Just remember if they think doing away with strip clubs and lap dances is a good idea, imposing taxes wouldn't bother them one bit.

If I ever get in a position of power, I believe in tit for tat. In the future one day, you may hear about a proposed law to maintain health and safety applied to churches stating we believe they are a source of spreading diseases. Let's see 6 foot distance, fines, police enforcement. Some might say the US is headed down the wrong road but if the people in power believe and teach by example it's ok to enforce their beliefs on everyone else, guess what this country will be like 10 to 20 years from now? The American taliban is here already. Southern Baptists and friends.

A possible future headline:

Possible Future Newspaper Article Titled "Restrictions on church meetings" "There's documented evidence of communicable diseases and other nuisances in these types of establishments," attorney Strong told a House Judiciary subcommittee on behalf of the CDC, a group pushing the legislation with The Right to live free of disease party.

"There's no constitutional right for churches to meet on a Sunday and definitely not in large numbers, he said. New proposals to limit contact among patrons, eliminate all hand shaking and enforce a 6 foot limit between church employees and customers except in special circumstances will be strictly enforced. Fines up to $10,000 will be imposed on any violators."

Our constitution is being violated more and more I believe so don't count on your taken for granted freedoms staying around forever.

Well, so far none of the sponsors of the Bill, that I emailed, have bothered to answer. I f they do I will share it. Got an email from "minnow". He wanted email address to voice his opinion. All this is available at sc.gov. You might want to email Bill Clinton. He seems to have some knowledge of these things

Felt like ranting a little bit. I doubt hardly anyone except the posters often posting here are even going to look at my rant. If someone did, it wouldn't be hard to see how imposing laws to safeguard us can give us all less security and impose restrictions on all of us in more ways than you ever thought.

Maybe the constitution is already ignored and dead. If that's true, then any or all of our rights could immediately be taken over and disappear by presidential order or decree. Financial meltdown crisis first, then martial law and congress disbanded, then removal of the rights everyone takes for granted. Then a new currency you'll be required to use to buy and sell anything. ahhh, I think I'm ranting to myself now. Hardly anyone sees what path we are on. Strip clubs are the least of our worries except for the Southern Baptists and the one lawyer who seems to be on a mission.

I'll pretend our constitution and bill of rights is alive and well for now just like most Americans.

Just saw your post shadowcat. I emailed individually everyone in the Senate and on the list you had. I've had a few responses. I think I may have contacted a few of them in times past and a few may have contacted me. I happen to have the same last name as one of the senators but I'm not directly related as far as I know. Of course if Obama is related very distantly to Dick Cheney, then I might be related to a senator here.

South Carolina legislators need to get on the ball and make an agreement with the Federal Government so that individual South Carolians are not stuck with getting a passport to be able to board airplanes or enter government buildings. Our driver's licenses meet all requirements of the Real ID act except 2 I read today. I and many others will be upset if we have to pay a lot of extra money to get an extra ID because of our slack state legislators not working on important issues. Instead they passed a law making it illegal to comply with Federal law. I wonder who will win? At least they have other issues to discuss here that should be more important than what consenting adults are doing in a club somewhere.

On the other hand, smoking bans have been ok'd if cities pass them now in South Carolina.

Anyone know if PP in Columbia was a smoking club? It may not be now. I believe the Greenville PP club will get smokier since Greenville has a smoking ban except for private clubs. The PP club in Grrenville is outside city limits I heard so the smoking ban doesn't apply. I would like it if I didn't smell like a pack of cigarettes when I left though especially since I don't smoke.

FYI, the feds postponed those passport rules until mid-2009 now.

I was glad to hear we have more time as far as passport rules go to be able to fly anywhere in the US.

I don't know if you could tell it, but I wasn't too happy yesterday. I lost some money in the market but I guess for some people, you don't call it a loss or gain until you sell the stock. I didn't understand why bad news comes out and people buy on the bad news. Possibly later in the day there were so many people shorting the market, they were buying stock to cover their shorts. Things seem to be improving today though. I find it interesting that the other night Lowe's and tonight Walmart weren't very crowded at all. They seemed almost empty and it was only around 7:45 PM. I think our economy is going south. I guess this will be a big buying opportunity as soon as others find out about it too. Using some shadow stats I heard inflation using the old methods is running around 11 or 12 percent here in the US. We're losing money just trying to save in a money market account. I guess that will be even more reason to buy stock or just go spend it at a strip club. At least you get something out of it. I wonder how much economic input strip clubs add to the state of South Carolina? It might be several hundred million dollars if you factor in common multiplier effects when a dollar is spent. Trying to kill strip clubs with a lap dance ban and 6 foot rule makes about as much sense as making it illegal for the state to comply with the Federal Real ID act. However if they did one crazy thing, no telling what they will do next.

Another example, the state allowed video poker machines at one time. Then they were outlawed. Now we have state sponsored gambling via a state lottery. They should just bite the bullet and allow gambling casinos here. If some south carolina official is worried about problem gamblers, they could require proof of income like a bank does when you try to get a loan (or rather a bank should). Then they could issue yearly spending limits as a percentage of income excluding any winnings you had. Instead gambling casinos probably won't come here for a long time because a few people think it is immoral. I guess you have to learn to buy and sell houses and get zero interest loans or play the stock market to do real gambling nowadays. Just buying a stock is speculation nowadays. It would be nice if some of these people trying to impose their moral beliefs on others would just stop it.

All these people trying to enforce moral beliefs on little things like scantily clad females in strip clubs. Meanwhile the nation has been going down the tubes due to national gambling with flipping houses and mortgages many couldn't afford in the first place. Over 40 million unborn babies have been murdered since abortion was first introduced. I haven't been complaining about these things publicly. Hopefully we have enough smart politicians here in South Carolina to avoid killing an industry because of some religious zealots out on a mission.

Oh, I dunno about flying anywhere in the USA...the rules that were postphoned were the rules that said that everyone entering the U.S. from either Canada or Mexico (no matter where they are a citizen) must show a passport. Those rules have been postphoned...I dunno what the TSA rules are now-a-days...I haven't flown in years...

If I owned a strip club in a state that did this, I'd change my business to a men's spa and have the girls entertain much as they do now but except I'd have them give massages instead of lap dances in the privagte rooms.

The bill has stalled in a House committee.

The House Judiciary Committee, with a voice vote, agreed to hand the bill off to a different committee for more study.

Some lawmakers think the move means the bill is unlikely to be heard from again this year.

“I hope that’s not the case,” said Rep. Garry Smith, R-Greenville, who introduced two amendments to the bill, which requires exotic dancers to keep a six-foot distance between themselves and customers. The bill also would require all sexually oriented businesses to close at midnight.

Smith’s amendments, deemed “overkill” by some committee members, would have made each incidence of a patron coming closer than six feet to a dancer a separate violation, meaning patrons and dancers each could accumulate thousands of dollars in fines in one visit and be subject to years of prison.

Smith’s other amendment would have made it a misdemeanor violation against the club or establishment if the business operator “knowingly and willfully” allowed such violations to occur.

Rep. David Weeks, D-Sumter, said some members of the Criminal Laws Committee, which will handle the bill, were concerned about whether the bill is constitutional.

“I think it’s dead for the year,” Weeks said.

I'm glad their appears to be some sensible people. My comments for what I think about Rep Garry Smith aren't fit for print along with those who support this bill. I will say that maybe one day even if it's after he's dead, he and his friends or supporters will get to enjoy or rather suffer some of the things they tried to do to others. If the golden rule works in reverse. It sounds like they deserve it. There may not be justice in life but I think there is justice after death. May they and everyone else live a long life. The afterlife is for eternity. Of course they probably believe they have a space reserved in some place better as if they are guaranteed. That's actually funny.

Sorry if I'm ranting again. I just woke up after sleeping through tornadoes, hail, and thunder. It was just so peaceful I couldn't sleep anymore.

I almost wish the would pass this law, just to fuck things up for Shadowcat.