Male prostitute moonlights as cop.

Police in Pennsylvania were out protecting the public from the rampaging prostitutes that pillage and plunder the public. You might assume that I mean the police set up a roadblock to prevent any presidential candidate from visiting the state. But in this case I mean real prostitutes -- the honest kind. The ones who don’t actually violate anyone’s rights and who exchange a little sex for a little money. The one’s with willing customers.

What I clearly mean is that the bloody police were out wasting taxpayers resources to arrest people for exchanging a legal act for some cash. Sex is legal. Money is legal. How combining the two makes it illegal is beyond me. But the blue nose types get out of joint if someone suggests the practice ought to be legal. I guess it removes all the “danger thrill” these types get when they sneak off to visit a hooker after their Tuesday revival service.

Since Pennsylvania is blessed, in that there are no outstanding, unsolved crimes and no criminal acts being conducted anywhere, the police had a lot of free time on their hands. So they decided to go after anyone giving another person one kind of pleasure in exchange for receiving a different kind of pleasure.

And they set up headquarters (pardon the pun) at the Wilkes-Barre Lodge. They then contacted escort agencies and lied to them about being in need of some relief. And one undercover officer was waiting in the room while others hid nearby to make a TV-like dramatic entrance -- cops can be such drama queens.

The “escort” arrived on time, punctuality is important for the entrepreneurs of the world. The escort was one Levi Gibbons. And he charged $200 for his services. Now, you have to give Levi some credit (though he prefers cash). Levi is 40 and still able to sell his service for $200.

The male undercover officer handed over the money to Levi who then discusses what sort of activities they would engage in during their male bonding session. Levi then tried to dress, I should say undress, for the job. That is when the waiting drama queens made their big entrance and arrested Levi for violating the rights of absolutely no one.

This is where life gets messy. Levi Gibbon was a willing participant to a financial exchange where he got something he valued highly for something he didn’t value as highly. He admits he was selling the stimulation of nerve endings for cash. Levi doesn’t do this sort of work exclusively. And, as he moves into his 40s, that may be a wise decision as demand for his services will probably drop off. When Levi isn't helping people one way he is trying to help them another way. Levi was a member of the Newport Township Police.

Levi’s prostitution work wasn’t undercover though, no doubt, it was often under the covers. It was supplemental income. And now the police are all in shock, wondering what to do.

The police chief says he was “extremely shocked”. He says they never had complaints about Gibbon that he did his work as expected. A member of the fire department said that everyone liked Gibbons and that “he did a good job.” He too was shocked.

What shocks me is not that Gibbons was willing to exchange some pleasure for cash. What shocks me is that there are still laws on the books wasting everyone’s time to arrest people for this.

Sure Gibbons didn’t make the most moral choice in earning a living, but most of us are willing to overlook his police work. And at 40 years of age he couldn’t continue to earn $200 for some slap and tickle much longer. He needed to think about his future so one can understand the moral trade off he made when going into police work.

There is nothing that says people have to like prostitution but the reality is that it is an offense that doesn’t violate the rights of others. And it really ought not be the laws business.

The reality is that Levi Gibbons has had his life turned upside-down. And it is not because he was willing to exchange some sex for cash. It is because the law doesn’t stay within its proper boundaries. Police have a duty to protect us from those who would violate our rights. When the police arrest people for making these sorts of exchanges it is they who are they criminals. They are the ones violating the rights of peaceful individuals. And they ought to be ashamed of themselves.

In the morality wars it is those who use force against peaceful individuals who are the immoral criminals. A crime is that which violates another’s life, liberty or property. Mr. Gibbon’s evening job didn’t do that. His daytime job, unfortunately did. Perhaps he ought to apologize for his career decisions but it’s the day time job that is more morally questionably these days.

Oh, Levi, Ted Haggard called. He said give him a call sometime.