Hurry, buying interest taking off for CL-listed Florida airport:
In addition to 7 hangers and a 2,700-foot grass landing strip, purchaser will gain a mobile home, barn and a zoning permit for the construction of an additional 13 hangers.
From Internet News, “Who’s Really Winning the Search Race“:
Yet, as it turns out, the big players aren’t the ones seeing the most growth in search. Instead, it’s Craigslist that leads in percent growth according to comScore. The online classifieds site posting a 12 percent jump in queries from 583 million to 651 million from April to May.
Here’s the data, with search queries denominated in millions:
| Entities | Apr-09 | May-09 | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Sites | 13,041 | 13,035 | 0% |
| Yahoo Sites | 3,161 | 3,021 | -4% |
| Microsoft Sites | 1,250 | 1,194 | -4% |
| AOL LLC | 795 | 721 | -9% |
| Ask Network | 705 | 691 | -2% |
| craigslist | 583 | 651 | 12% |
| MySpace Sites | 658 | 636 | -3% |
| eBay | 654 | 634 | -3% |
| Amazon Sites | 188 | 185 | -2% |
| 176 | 184 | 5% |
Pair of twin-screw car/passenger ferries for sale in Vancouver, BC:
These babies are drawing considerable interest, so get ‘em before they’re gone!
AP reporter Meg Kinnard has revealed that Defendant McMaster has not prosecuted so much as a single prostitution case in his 7 years as SC Attorney General, and has not objected to local newspapers running adult service ads, choosing instead to attack SF-based craigslist:
Ann Bartow, a professor of Internet law at the University of South Carolina School of Law, said McMaster’s decision to take on Craigslist and not local newspapers that advertise escort services suggests political motivations.
“Why Craigslist? Newspapers run the same ads, but they have people locally who would stand up for them, and he didn’t want to alienate the newspapers that would be reporting on his campaign,” Bartow said.
One of the more interesting stories in this “news cycle” has been the absolute disinterest on the part of reporters and politicians alike in adult service ads featured in journalistic media, no matter how numerous or graphic they may be when compared to craigslist.
Consider the following ads, a small sampling of the tens of thousands of “escort ads” currently featured in classifieds operated by Village Voice Media, publisher of dozens of newspapers throughout the US (WARNING – GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF HUMAN SEXUALITY):
UPDATE – Oddly, each of these ads have been pulled! Highlights included multiple close-up photos of a woman performing fellatio, and price lists for services including “GFE, BBBJ, CIM, “swallow,” DATY, “digits”, 69, “facials,” “anal,” and a “cum showering rainbow.” Not too hard to find similar examples among the thousands of remaining ads.
BTW, each of these were among the “featured” ads for their respective cities, for which Village Voice charges extra, such that they presumably fell well within their standards for this category.
It’s worth noting that ANY ONE OF THESE AD TITLES ALONE contains more explicit content than you will likely find in all craigslist adult service ads combined.
Why are such ads featured by a well-established company that operates a chain of newspapers nationwide of no interest to the same politicians that have engaged in a witch hunt against craigslist? Could it have anything to do with their need for positive stories and campaign endorsements from those very same newspapers?
And why are such ads of no interest to newspaper reporters? Is it possible that writing stories critical of craigslist’s (relatively tame) “adult service” section is more career-friendly than attacking their own employer (or journalistic media brethren) for operating a (far more graphic) “adult service” section of their own?
The office of Defendant McMaster proclaimed victory today:
More importantly, overnight they have removed the erotic services section from their website, as we asked them to do. And they are now taking responsibility for the content of their future advertisements. If they keep their word, this is a victory for law enforcement and for the people of South Carolina.
Nicely spun, perhaps by trash-talking McMaster operative Trey Walker (@treywalker), who reportedly was investigated by the SC State Law Enforcement Division for election fraud in connection with Defendant McMaster’s 2002 campaign:
“I’m embarrassed about it,” Walker said. “I’ve embarassed my family, my friends, my employer, my clients. It was stupid and silly.”
Speaking of elections, here is Defendant McMaster celebrating another important victory in The Post and Courier, the publishers of which he recently condemned as criminals.
The COMPLAINT FOR IMMEDIATE INJUNCTIVE AND OTHER RELIEF filed last night in South Carolina federal court is available for review, here is an excerpt:
Given Defendant McMaster‘s persistent and continuing public threats, craigslist is presently faced with the untenable choice of either completely shutting down all portions of its website that are directed at South Carolina or else putting itself and its management at risk of imminent criminal prosecution by Defendant McMaster.
The MOTION FOR TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER AND PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION is available for perusal as well.
craigslist has filed suit against SC AG Henry McMaster in federal court in South Carolina, seeking declaratory relief and a restraining order with respect to criminal charges he has repeatedly threatened against craigslist and its executives.
Two weeks ago Mr McMaster presented craigslist with an ultimatum, “to remove the portions of the Internet site dedicated to South Carolina and its municipal regions which contain categories for and functions allowing for the solicitation of prostitution and the dissemination and posting of graphic pornographic material” within ten (10) days.”
“If those South Carolina portions of the site are not removed,” McMaster said, “the management of craigslist may be subject to criminal investigation and prosecution.”
In addition to being unwarranted by the facts, legal experts agree that the charges threatened represent an unconstitutional prior restraint on free speech, and are clearly barred by federal law (sec 230 CDA).
Interestingly, if you read Mr McMaster’s ultimatum carefully, you’ll note that the only way to definitively comply with it is to take down the craigslist sites for South Carolina in their entirety. The open architecture of craigslist, quintessential to the value it provides for users, simply does not allow for the absolute prevention of solicitation or pornography, with respect to any of its categories and functions.
Usage of craigslist in South Carolina has exploded over the last two years, with some cities experiencing 2000% growth. South Carolinians clearly value craigslist services, and appreciate finding jobs, housing, automobiles, for sale items, friends, romance, community information, local services, event listings, and just about everything else they need in their everyday lives, all in one place, and all for free.
Mr McMaster has persisted with his threats despite the fact that craigslist:
In case there had been any ambiguity as to his intentions, Mr McMaster made the following remarks on Sunday:
“We opened an investigation at 5:01 on Friday, as promised. . . . We are preparing for a prosecution. We are investigating. We are moving forward. . . . . The #1 defendant is Mr. Jim Buckmaster, who is the man in charge of craigslist.. . . . craigslist is a big promoter and facilitator of prostitution.”
Mr McMaster’s repeated threats of criminal prosecution should we refuse to shut down craigslist for South Carolina have left us little choice but to seek declaratory relief before the court.
Roundup of local South Carolina coverage of the apology we’ve requested from SC AG Henry McMaster.
Kneejerk Henry Gets McMastered (Fitsnews.com of Charleston, SC)
“We reviewed the Greenville “back page ” as well, and it’s not even close. Craigslist is like reading a children’s book by comparison.”
“McMaster is targeting Craigslist for one reason – they’ve been in the news and he can generate easy headlines by going after them. Oh, and since it’s part of his “official duties,” that means taxpayers have to pay for his media barrage / frivilous prosecution.”
Exclusive: ‘Singled out,’ Craigslist chief hits back (The State, Columbia, SC)
“I’m anticipating an apology for these wrongful accusations and an affirmative statement that no such proceedings will be brought against me or other CEOs,” Buckmaster told The State.
Asked if he believed McMaster was targeting his company for political gain, Buckmaster replied, “You’ll have to ask him that.”
“I can imagine my mother is not pleased to have me wrongly accused of being a criminal,” he said.
Bad Publicity Might Backfire (Independent Mail, Anderson, SC)
McMaster set a deadline for all the ads to be removed and when the deadline went unmet, he issued a statement that he “had no alternative but to move forward with criminal investigation and potential prosecution.”
But wait — he does have one alternative: Knock off the publicity ploys and put his efforts toward other concerns, things like scams on the elderly, fake warranty robo-calls and people who prey on others in financial difficulties with “get-out-of-debt” schemes.
Craigslist CEO wants apology from attorney general McMaster (Charleston Regional Business Journal)
“Many prominent companies, including AT&T, Microsoft and Village Voice Media — not to mention major newspapers and other upstanding South Carolina businesses — feature more ‘adult services’ ads than does Craigslist, some of a very graphic nature,” Buckmaster wrote in his blog.
McMaster spokesman Mark Plowden did not return calls this morning for comment.
Craigslist Is Kicking South Carolina’s Ass (Fitsnews.com, Charleston, SC)
S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster’s ongoing campaign to make the Palmetto State look as backward as possible has taken a major step forward this week as a popular technology website (Techcrunch) openly mocked South Carolina for its ongoing “battle” with Craigslist.
Remember – the firms that read sites like Tech Crunch are precisely the sort of companies we want to come to South Carolina, especially now that House Speaker Bobby Harrell’s whole “hydrogen economy” has come crashing down on top of his head.
Now, thanks to McMaster, they’re all laughing at us.