All Politics Is Local, Especially When It Comes To Sex
My last article on the lessons we must learn from others has created a storm of e-mail from former and current adult performers about the hypocritical treatment they have received at various times in their lives. Some is really heart wrenching. The treatment they have received, in many cases, was down right cruel. You can try to blame it on small minds, but it comes down to the adage that "all politics is local". Rarely will those with a national forum or national stage engage in an act of personal destruction, but bring the issue to a local level and you will begin to see the real nature of the beast.

Take the case of Koleen Brooks, a 37-year-old beauty shop owner from Georgetown, Colorado, a small mountain town of 1,100 citizens. Koleen ran for mayor and won with a clear 54% majority. At first glance this looks quite normal. On the surface Georgetown is a Mayberry RFD. Koleen is a very attractive woman; with flowing red hair (I am partial to women with red hair), a fit and trim body, and a nicely endowed bust line. She ran on a platform that included keeping taxes in line and services efficient. Seems like any small town. Koleen was performing her mayoral duties, but not to the liking of some of the town's old guard. She wanted to contract the police work to the local county sheriff's office, eliminating the costly Georgetown Police Department.

What she forgot, was that the police department was part of the old guards toy box. She was eliminating their power base. She was fighting against an effort by some to have taxpayers finance the maintenance of the historic nature of the town, fulfilling her campaign promise to keep taxes down. This went against the powerful landowners downtown who would be the beneficiaries of this public spending. Even this local in-fighting seems normal for a small town. Now let's add that Koleen worked as a stripper in Denver 15 years ago. What does that have to do with her job as mayor, you might ask? Nothing, protests her opponents a little too vigorously, but everything if you clearly look at the situation. In October the police investigated an alleged incident where Koleen exposed her breasts in a local bar. The same police she proposed eliminating prior to this reported incident. No charges were filed. Koleen vacationed at a nude beach, which now is immoral, but wasn't when she was just a hairdresser.

My point is simple. I wanted to choose an incident, other than hardcore porn, to support my theory that any act of a sexual nature can and will be used against you in the court of public opinion. You read about this issue and it is happening hundreds, maybe thousands of miles from you. Her actions seem reasonable, as mayor, until you get on the local level. To neutralize her, the opposition has used her former occupation as a stripper as innuendo that she is immoral and, therefore, unfit to be mayor. Koleen's past was no secret and one look at her gives you a good idea that this is one hot woman, but as long as she did what the local powerbrokers wanted she was fine. One step out of line and it's "this woman bears her breasts….let's remove her for morality reasons". Even thought her opponents deny that they are using sex as a lever against her, it is apparent that they are attempting to discredit her through highlighting her past.

I think she should continue to fight for the taxpayers of Georgetown and I wish her well, but her story is another lesson for all young women to learn. Know what you are about to do. Koleen WAS NOT accused of sleeping around and she WAS NOT accused of doing hardcore pornography. She was a stripper and her enemies will always use that fact against her. Can you imagine the roar if she had done hardcore porn? Now that her picture has appeared in the national press and her story run in hundreds of papers throughout the country I would not be surprised that she appears in Playboy or Penthouse. I hope so. Go get them Koleen!

As an added lesson to learn, be aware that the media may not be your friend. While this story was an Associated Press story that was made available to all newspapers, the placement in the Wednesday, December 5th issue of the Philadelphia Daily News was suspect. Page fourteen had two articles on the page. The top lead story was "She supplied hookers to undercover cops?". (notice the question mark at the end…if you miss that you would assume the line as a statement in fact, rather than a question) This took the top half of the page and included a color photo of an attractive blonde in handcuffs. A former county commissioner of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, Susanne Teslovich, was arrested for running an escort service accused of providing women who exchanged sex for money. The bottom half was covered by the story of Koleen Brooks with the story line "Ex-stripper's ouster as mayor sought" and a sub-story line "They allege she exposed her breasts at town bar".

What should jump out at you is that the two articles about sex appear on the same page and both use the most explosive language possible. The press may not be your ally. The articles go on to expose the hypocrisy and the local politics of both. (Teslovich was a two term Democratic commissioner who lost her last re-election bid in a close election but remains very popular and a political threat to the sitting commissioners: Brooks is a mayor fighting the local power base) Teslovich is facing criminal charges and Brooks a potential recall election. They are different, yet the way in which the headline writer casts them are is sexist, exploitational, sensationalized and demeaning. Why couldn't the headlines be, "Former Commissioner's business practices challenged" or "Mayor's ouster sought by opponents" ? If you don't read the stories you would just assume the guilt of both. My point…. know what you are doing in the world of sex and understand the consequences. Learn the lessons, because you never know what is next and always understand that the press many not be your friend. Their job is to sell newspapers and improve viewership, even at your expense.

I also received a ton of e-mail about the comic adult parody of Gilligan's Island I did a few years back. The comments were outstanding. People want porn movies with a story line and acting. Most lamented that the four hours of cum shots crammed onto videotape is mind numbing dribble that is turning them off to porn. I can only say to those who wrote; choose carefully; spend your money wisely; avoid impulse buying and stop being influenced by boxcovers.

Find a manufacturer who meets your requirements and reward them with your business. There is good product out there, its just getting harder to find with all the junk. Remember, the American form of capitalism works. If you don't buy the junk, eventually those companies will cease to exist. Good producers should be rewarded with your business and they will flourish because they are providing a good product.

Be well and keep the e-mails coming. You can get me at latour@gateway.net or latour@AINEWS.com. Look for my revamped website at www.charlielatour.net in the near future.