January 2003

Madam Suzette says that The BunnyRanch doesn't keep records on time.

The BunnyRanch needs your telephone number?

Did Dennis Hof do this?

Bobbi of The ShadyLadyRanch explains why they listen in on negotiations. Also, they give the girls a 60 / 40 split. Here is more.

Crystal gives the lowdown on Ely.

Airforce Amy's brother on the "Jenny Jones" show?

Dennis Hof paid actors to perform in "Cathouse". Here is a thread on the story. Here is another news story.

Who is "MY 2 CENTS"?

An Ely review.

Finally! The Sagebrush Ranch will start posting line-ups!

The Wild Kat Ranch's new owner's name is Jerry. Also stated here.

BunnyLover's last post.

George Flint speaks.

Bobbi of The Shady Lady Ranch starts a new thread about Dennis Hof.

Are Storey County deputies checking out license plates at The Old Bridge Ranch?

Interesting questions concerning cash and the brothels.

If you don't know what a "flame war" is, then this is a perfect example.

Geoff Arnold is owner of two legal Nevada brothels, and is President of the Nevada Brothel Owner's Association. The following is a list of links to the posts that Geoff made this last week, presented in the order that I found them. That list is somewhat stream-of-consciousness, but I highly recommend that you read all of them because I found them to be highly informative and well-written, by a leader of the legal Nevada brothel industry.

Geoff Arnold speaks.

Geoff Arnold gives the lowdown on gambling and prostitution.

Some more Geoff Arnold, on the future of LPIN. And yet more about the Nevada Brothel Owner's Association itself, and more here.

Okay, finally some really good info from Geoff Arnold. And here is more.

More Geoff Arnold on green cards.

Here is Geoff Arnold on Lyon County.

Geoff Arnold on listening in.

Geoff Arnold about the members of the Board of the Nevada Brothel Owner's Association.

EDITORIAL #002 :

My mother used to say "Pickers can't be choosers" when I complained that something wasn't exactly the way I wanted it. I'm still not sure exactly what she meant by the phrase, but I think I understand, and although Mom never knew any of the big players in LPIN I feel that that phrase is well-applied to them. Nobody seems to have the full set of qualifications I'd like to see, and so picking and choosing among the available list is an irksome task. This industry is in a state of transition, and I wonder just how ready it is.

What do Joe Conforte, George Flint, and Dennis Hof all have in common? They are all highly imperfect people, much more so than the rest of us general run-of-the-mill imperfect people. Joe is probably the most imperfect of them all, a bona-fide ex-con who served time in the Nevada state prison for some of his many crimes. On the other hand, Joe is the person more responsible than anyone else for that wonderful industry, legal prostitution. An interesting contrast, to put it mildly. As for George Flint, I've had my own personal run-in with him, and maybe someday I'll grow balls big enough to tell everyone about it. However, George is also the savior of Nevada's legal prostitution industry, who more than anyone else saved it from extinction when the AIDS/HIV epidemic threatened many people's lives (and still does). George got the Nevada State Legislature to pass the mandatory condom usage law within the legal brothels as an alternative to just shutting them down. Much as I may personally detest the man, sometimes you just have to give the devil his due, and this industry does indeed owe a lot to George Flint.

And then there is Dennis Hof. I like Dennis, and have enjoyed his hospitality and genuinely hope his business thrives, but without going into a long tirade right now about the things I don't like about him (several of you know about that), I'll just say that his publicity stunts are a great way to gain short-term attention but when it comes to long-term consequences, well, I wonder at times if Dennis even cares.

Here is the deal. This industry can't advertise, and although it isn't clear precisely what that allows and what that doesn't allow, certainly there is a much larger role for non-paid publicity than what the industry has felt appropriate. I see nothing wrong with welcoming a television crew into a legal bordello and showing them around and feeding them information for a good story - within reason. It seems that there are two extreme positions on this, one being that you can't allow the television crew in the brothel ever, or only under such strict circumstances that nothing unapproved can get aired. This is the George Flint position, and I know it is his since that is exactly what he told me, and no that this not the reason why I detest him so - that is for a different reason. The other position at the opposite end of the spectrum appears to be what Dennis Hof has done, and if you know what what that is then you haven't been keeping up with the news. I maintain that both extreme positions are wrong, and that the correct position is one in the middle where publicity is sought but is done so with tact and taste and consideration given to future consequences to the industry as a whole.

There is a new brothel owner who has started posting online in a public forum, and he is Geoff Arnold, owner of Donna's Ranch in Wells and Donna's in Battle Mountain. I've met Geoff once, last July, and although I only got to speak with him briefly I got a good impression of him and have heard only good things about him from friends of mine who know him, but I don't really know his stands on the issues although reading the links to his posts given above gives a good jump start on that. The thing to understand is that Geoff is in the process of inheriting the industry public relations / lobbyist position from George Flint, so Geoff is certainly someone to watch closely, as he has the impressive support of many of the other brothel owners. I hope to see Geoff answer many more questions about the organization he is now president of, the Nevada Brothel Owner's Association, although I'm not sure that the word "Owner's" still appears in its title as it did when George was its head. In fact, that is a darned good question for you, Geoff - are working girls themselves welcome in your organization, or only brothel owners?

Meanwhile, I'm sure we'll all be hearing much more from and about Dennis Hof, and perhaps I'll even write an editorial just about him ...

Be seeing you.

Bashful