Janet Fitzpatrick

I am surprised you felt it was appropriate to publish Roberto Loiederman’s April 28 column　“Curse of the unpaid prostitute.” His suggestion that it is normal and expected for merchant seamen and Secret Service agents to hire prostitutes is outdated. I am not suggesting that it doesn’t happen, but attitudes and laws are different than they were when he served more than 40 years ago. Because the U.S. military combats human trafficking, the establishment of a zero-tolerance policy with respect to solicitation of prostitution by U.S. military personnel was taken on Oct. 14, 2005. President George W. Bush signed Executive Order 13387, which amends the Manual for Courts-Martial to specify “patronizing a prostitute” as a violation of Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Please note, this was seven years ago. Even if military personnel are stationed somewhere that prostitution is legal, it is not legal for them! The military is held to a higher standard than it was 40 years ago. It is no longer a culture of heavy drinking and a woman in every port. The Secret Service has an even higher standard and U.S. and world security are at stake.