Ms. Palfrey's little black book

This story has been around for at least a couple of months now, but it may be about to heat up. Independent businesswoman Deborah Palfrey, who apparently has been running a DC-area "escort service" for thirteen years, is currently facing charges for her activities -- and plans to take the Samson-in-the-temple route, making public the full customer records of her business, which are said to include some of the most prominent names in Washington.

Of course, every profession has its ethics, and such a revelation would be a most egregious violation of Ms. Palfrey's. Nevertheless, I can hardly wait for this to hit the fan.

Because you know how this kind of thing always plays out. You know whose names are going to be in those records. The arrogant, smug, morally-superior, family-values-spouting, Bible-thumping, school-prayer-supporting, abortion-opposing, abstinence-only-education-pushing, sex-is-for-marriage-only crowd is going to be very well represented. Which Congressman requested one of Ms. Palfrey's associates to help him to unwind the evening after his thunderous House speech lamenting the decline of American moral values? Which ultra-conservative fundamentalist federal judge had a standing order for the "three girls, whipped cream, and a dachshund" special every Thursday? How many of these rancid virtuecrats are even now sweating in their ill-fitting suits, mentally rehearsing a string of pathetic excuses to offer to their wives, staffs, and/or constituents? This is going to be fun!

For the record, I have no objection at all to prostitution involving consenting adults; I believe it should be legal and regulated to avoid exploitation, just like any other service industry. What I object to is hypocrisy, and hypocrisy seems to fester most rankly wherever ostentatious virtue and powerful human instincts intersect.