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Fringes In = Selling Out

Concerned writes:

I was impressed with our moral leader's performance on 60 Minutes. He was the voice of reason amidst all the filth peddlers, however, I was saddened that he chose to shun his yarmulke and tuck in his fringes.

Luke, why do you feel the need to masquerade as a gentile? Do the garments of your faith embarass you? I say keep the black suit and do not grant any more interviews without a black hat and clip-on side-locks.

My Women Shake And Bake

Jackie writes: "Aren't you pleased to see so many of your ladyfriends being all domestic and womanly over at my new food blog? Cathy, Nancy and I all delight in baking. Does this warm your heart, even though we're not doing it to serve the men in our lives?"

Luke says: "If there's anything I can do to help, like put a log in the fire, or snack on a muffin, let me know."

Jackie writes: "Thanks for the link, but you messed it up (it needs the http://) when you coded it. See, where would you men be without women to sort you out? I shudder to think."

My New Business Plan

Chaim Amalek writes: I want you to distribute thousands of pushkas (small cans with slots in the top to receive coins) marked "Money for Amalek." I want every jew to have at least two. One at work, one at home.

Frum Eye For The Frei Guy

My friend is pitching this new TV show. Four Orthodox guys take a secular Jew and make him Orthodox over the course of the show. Frum equals observant of Jewish Law. Frei equals "free" in yiddish.

The Power Of Marriage

I couldn't have said it any better myself than David Brooks: "Anybody who has several sexual partners in a year is committing spiritual suicide. He or she is ripping the veil from all that is private and delicate in oneself, and pulverizing it in an assembly line of selfish sensations."

For a fleeting few hours, I hoped the 60 Minutes special would get me my very own groupies to play with. And then I read David Brooks in the NYT, and I realized that I could no longer commit spiritual suicide. Sex outside of marriage would be "ripping the veil from all that is private and delicate in" myself.

Bringing Up Girls: Practical Advice and Encouragement for Those Shaping the Next Generation of Women

From Library Journal:

As he has in past books, Luke Ford advises parents from his overtly Orthodox, Jewish stance. A notable Jewish activist, powerfully connected right-winger, and founder and president of Your Moral Leader dot com, he has written a work with seemingly good intentions: "If you are honest, trustworthy, caring, loving, self-disciplined, and God-fearing, your girls will be influenced by those traits as they age.... So much depends on what they observe in you." True enough. His underlying arguments, however, are peculiarly mean-spirited. Any outsider who threatens traditional family values comes under fierce attack. Most early feminists, for example, "were never married, didn't like children, and deeply resented men, yet they advised millions of women about how to raise their children and, especially, how to produce healthy boys." Ford also avows that gays suffer from a "disorder." While this book is appropriate for certain religious collections, public librarians should exercise caution.

Times Bashing Fatigue

Mickey Kaus writes on Slate.com:

A prominent reporter for the New York Times plagiarizes, and it's not enough to make Howie Kurtz's "Media Notes" column. Oh, no! But let some poor music critic for the Denver Post take a few similar shortcuts, and Kurtz makes sure we learn about it in his "Plagiarism Watch." ... Kurtz has an excuse--the Conspiracy of the Conflicted. He and the NYT's Bernard Weinraub have something in common, namely a glaring and seemingly crippling conflict of interest. (Kurtz writes about one of his employers, CNN; Weinraub writes about an industry in which his wife runs a major competitor.) ... But it's not just Kurtz who isn't picking up on Jack Shafer's Weinraub scoop. I don't quite understand why it's not getting more play--or any print play, outside of Cathy Seipp's UPI story. This is the New York Times, for chrissake, the nation's most important paper. ... Apparently the widespread attitude, as described to me by one Hollywood journalist, is something like, 'So Bernie got careless once, under a lot of deadline pressure.' But isn't that a little like saying you only robbed a bodega once, under economic pressure? Isn't there always 'deadline pressure'? Does every Times reporter get One Free Lift? Plagiarism's supposed to be theft, right? If it is theft, how can it be merely "careless" to cut and paste somebody else's graf into your story? (I would think that's something they teach you never to do, unless you're going to put it in quotes.)  If it isn't theft, I know several people who would like their careers back.  ... My working theory: Times-bashing Fatigue. Nobody can stomach another high-profile NYT scandal. ... The most troubling alternative theory: Plagiarism Fatigue--i.e. there have now been so many cases of this sort of theft that it's almost become accepted. Doris Kearns Goodwin survived, after all. Tell us something new! ... 11:22 P.M.

Luke Ford Watching Himself on "60 Minutes"

Cathy Seipp writes on her blog (including an amusing picture of me):

Actually this picture shows him in my living room last week watching the Dallas Cowboys lose to the New England Patriots -- thus the appalled expression, despite the elderly pussycat companion -- but since that's how he looks watching TV it's a close enough illustration.

Meanwhile, in a reversal of our usual situation, I played Boswell to Luke's Dr. Johnson in this just-published UPI piece in the wake of the New York Times plagiarizing him last week. An excerpt:

Seipp: So, Sir, are you satisfied with how the Times admitted its error?

Ford: Ma'am, the New York Times humbling itself to bloggers is like a dog's walking on his hinder legs. It is not well; but you are surprised to see it done at all.

Actually, the Times apologized quickly and well, and the above is not really an excerpt, but what the hell. Luke looked and sounded good on "60 Minutes." As did the hovel for some reason. Amazing what they can do with lighting these days! Cecile was upset they didn't show more of him and less of the other interviewees -- "He's much better looking than those other guys!" -- but all in all, a pretty good show.

Marcus Wolf writes Cathy: "How can you discuss Luke Ford without also extolling the primary moral guides in his life?"

Nancy writes: "Luke looks like someone's uncle Giuseppe in this photo."

Skippy McButter writes Cathy:

If that really is Luke, all I can say is, what happened? The Luke I last met was so much svelter and more youthful looking. He almost looked like someone Michael Jackson might have wanted to know better a few decades back. Father time comes for us all, I suppose. (He certainly did for Skippy McButter, Republican.) Here in the West Village on Christopher Street (where we all nervously await the end of Ramadan - which this year happens to fall on Thanksgiving), people put a premium on youthful good looks, and sorry to say this, but Luke seems to have let himself slip. Also, what is he doing watching a football game wearing THOSE clothes, being topped by a male cat? Most certainly not the photograph he will want to use in the future for JDate.

Cathy replies: "That's a lady cat! The lovely and elegant Felice, who I met 16 years ago when she was giving birth to a litter of kittens on a pederast's lawn."

Cecile du Bois writes on her blog:

I happily watched Luke Ford our moral leader on Sixty Minutes. He was the high point of the down-sliding mudslide. Luke had his charming devoted Australian accent along with his religiously worn tuxedo. Although he claimed to have a cold, he looked fine in Mom and my opinion. One thing I don't get though is that he always has watery eyes. Is it because he always has those Emo-Air Supply songs running through his head causing him to get emotional even when he's not? Or is it because he has naturally intense eyes?

Jimmy writes:

Ford looked like a minimum-wage-earning loser who tried hard to clean up his act and appearance for his national moment, but didn’t quite succeed at doing so. Luke threw out his biased opinions as if they were fact. When Luke claimed that most girls come into this business and end up only performing in one scene because they are so horrified and feel so degraded after the experience, I expected 60 Minutes to provide some kind of proof that this allegation had some truth to it. But they did not.

Moose writes: "Thing that struck me the most was what a snob & creep Luke Ford is...To paraphrase him: "It's not like the people trying out for adult films would go to medical or law school anyway"....He basically insinuated that porn stars are losers blah, blah, blah..."

Justin writes: "Could Luke Ford get into law or medical school?"

Luke says: "No. I do not have my BA."

Rick writes: "I thought Luke Ford was trying too hard to look legit and business like dressed in a suit and acting like he's above it all like you say. The guy makes his living off industry gossip. Who does he think he is all of a sudden."

Sandy writes: "Saw Luke on 60 Minutes. He looked strong and fit, handsome. Very articulate. I missed intro of him, something about he has a talk show. Does he still? He seemed to be panning the porn industry even as he knows all about it. Said most women only participate once and then no more, it's so demeaning, degrading, humiliting, etc. What is Luke doing these days?"

Cathy's Seipp's UPI Column On Moi

Cathy Seipp writes on UPI.com (an excerpt below):

I am that "friend of Ford's." And as such -- as well as a longtime media watcher -- I'd say that Luke does need to be more careful with his block-quote indentations, among other things.

But as I told Shafer -- who called to make sure he was not being "pranked" (very sensible in this post-Stephen Glass/Jayson Blair era) -- Luke is usually quite accurate, all things considered, except for the spelling bloopers.

In a way, he's more accurate than many stuffy proper journos, as at least he admits mistakes and corrects them immediately.

Also, he doesn't worry about offending people, which I think is an underacknowledged impediment to journalistic honesty.

The New York Times plagiarizing Luke Ford created a definite media buzz. "Unbelievable," former Los Angeles Times staffer Kevin Roderick, who runs the L.A. media site LAObserved.com, told me. "Your pal is Zelig."

As it happens, I served as an unpaid fact-checker for the Slate story. Shafer called me again to look up the Connelly citation in the "Dish" bibliography and check that the hardcover publication date was indeed 2000.

Lucky for all concerned, I have a well-organized office with alphabetized books. But you know, anything to help out a scrappy, seat-of-the-pants operation like Microsoft.

Anyway, as Shafer asked rhetorically about Luke Ford in his piece: "Who is he?"

[H]he's a Seventh Day Adventist minister's son, originally from Australia, who was raised to be a Christian missionary but converted to Orthodox Judaism a dozen years ago.

He worked as a sports and news writer for a few Northern California papers and radio stations, then moved to Los Angeles in 1994...

Once an angry subject drove Luke to East L.A., kicked him out of the car, bashed his head against a lamp post a few times, and drove off. That didn't deter his porn muckraking.

But being ejected from four Orthodox synagogues did, so he sold Lukeford.com two years ago. (A fifth has since accepted him.)

Luke always looks handsome and neatly dressed, often in a stylish black suit. But he sleeps on the floor of a 200-square-foot garage apartment and drives an old van so battered most serial killers and dogcatchers would turn up their noses at it.

Although, as he boasted loudly enough for several people to turn their heads as we walked down the street the other day, "Yeah, baby, I got windshield wipers and turn signals now!"

His current site, Lukeford.net, revolves not around porn but his many other obsessions: seedy Hollywood characters like Anthony Pellicano; Judaism; his own romantic misadventures (at 37, he has not yet found an Orthodox Jewish bride to bear the 12 children he wants); the Dallas Cowboys; radio talk show host Dennis Prager; media circuses of the moment like the Kobe Bryant rape trial; Hollywood producers; people who write about Hollywood producers; female journalists; and media junkies of all stripes.

It's the convergence of these last two categories that created a special place for me on Lukeford.net's "Hall of Fame for Female Journos" page -- as well as the beginning of a beautiful friendship that is also regularly exasperating.

And he doesn't let any of this prevent him from assuming a constant Elmer Gantryish tone of moral superiority.

He dresses me down regularly on his blog for transgressions like wearing sleeveless dresses or temporary tattoos, which he once said made me look like a Hittite priestess on her way to an orgy.

When I once pointed out he really can't have it both ways, he snapped: "I can have it as many ways as I like. ... I'm Luke Ford, your moral leader, and live in a drug-induced fantasy world of unparalleled hypocrisy."

What Was That?

From the LukeFordFanBlog:

We were expecting one hour of spiritual enlightenment; instead, we got 30 minutes of appalling, albeit strangely compelling, filth.

Luke Ford Fan Blog headquarters is still trying to make sense of what we saw and heard last night.

Ultimately though we blame ourselves. The Internet has ruined us. Our attention span is shot. In truth, we really only glanced at the content on LukeFord.net. We can no longer concentrate our minds for more than a few moments at a time, before being compelled to click our mice and go on to another website. We frantically go from ESPN to check (non-football) sports scores, to the Drudge Report, to Yahoo! weather, to eBay (to buy other people's crap) to various political blogs and websites, and back to ESPN again. Really, it's just click, click, click, click, click, click, click. We can no longer absorb any information. Our obsession with Mr Ford came after ten years of following Rush Limbaugh, until we found out that he was a hillbilly heroin junky six weeks ago. This whole affair reminds us of our terrible disappointment back in 1988 when we found out that Jimmy Swaggart was banging hookers. There's probably a lesson somewhere in all of this for us, but we're far too stupid to figure it out.

Jeff writes:

Who would you put in his place? Luke is attractive, Australian, and cynical... and he rolls it all into sound bites. Who does the industry have that can do that?

I read an article the other day about some bankruptcy lawyer who has a decent sideline by being *the* bankruptcy lawyer reporters come to for quotes, interviews, on-camera panels, etc... basically, the upshot is he's no great lawyer, but he knows his stuff and can boil it down to a factoid or soundbite length; and he works hard at making media contacts.

So, if you want some more pro-industry talking heads, go create them! Have Fayner drop the bong for a few minutes, take a nap, comb his hair and let him be your guy (Just kidding, Scott!). Or Wankus. Or whomever. Have someone else be the "go-to guy" for Steve Krofts and the rest of the mainstream media... as it is, there *is* no one else, it seems, other than Luke to turn to for history, perspective, etc.

But it seems to me that Luke is the one hustling to be seen and heard; these journalists just don't call him out of the blue; he's made himself available to them. There's nothing wrong with being a media whore, as long as at the end of the day, the whore is sleeping with you.

Amalek Speaks To 60 Minutes

The more I think about that piece 60 Minutes ran last night, the more mediocre I think it was, especially for the time they spent on it. The first half was promising enough, and seemed meant to set up the proposition that porn is just an ordinary part of commerce, the same as provisioning hotels with bars of soap or selling fashion magazines to women. I expected the second half of the report to be a tightly argued rebuttal of that proposition, but it was not. Instead what we got was some pecksniff type (A Mr. Lane), and a few others arguing that the stuff was immoral and spreading like toxic mold. Yeah, brief mention was made of some especially nasty violent porn, but not enough for viewers to conclude that it was fundamentally any different than say, a slasher film with some more flesh thrown in.

Then there was your bit. I'm sure you must have had lots more to say than what they used, but all we got to hear you saying was that porners are nasty people ("you'd want to burn the sheets") without any facts to back that up, and that the experience of making porn was often unpleasant (again without the sort of factual detail that wins arguments). I wish Kroft had spent more air time with you developing these themes instead of using sound bites from lawyers and lobbyists. Someone should have been permitted to make the argument, with hard facts, that the production of porn subjects the workers on whose backs it is made to substantial physical and psychological risks for crummy money. Someone should have been permitted to make the argument, with hard facts, that the infiltration of the porn ethos into the musical acts that young girls listen to is not good for their moral development or for America. But these sorts of arguments were not developed by 60 Minutes. Instead we were left with the images of prosperous operators in Las Vegas and huge corporations, all giving porn their blessing.

Still, you did come off good in that piece. A bit heavier than I remember you being, but still well turned out. Successful looking, even. Nothing your ..... (who so coldly cast you out from his shul) could object to, not that he would ever tolerate someone like you.

Khunrum writes: "It is already too late for a second act (unless you change your name to Morry Lipshitz and become a mail carrier). My suggestion is to go into the landscaping business. You're already halfway there with the van. All you need now is a couple of lawnmowers, some rakes and a few Mexicans. I'd call it, "Let Us Blow Your Leaves." Maybe hire some chicks to rake leaves. I think it will fly."

Janey writes:

I'm very proud of you. It's strange, but I am. Every triumph for you gives me a disturbingly warm feeling. It's almost as if I think you're a lovely guy who deserves all the happiness in the world or something. Yuck!

I just wish I could have seen it for myself, but thanks for posting the screen grabs and transcript. Someday I'll tell my grandchildren that I used to correspond with Luke Ford.

"THE Luke Ford, Grandmama? The ---- reporter?"

"Yes, child."

"Grandmama rules!"

Partial transcript of 60 Minutes Show

Pic1 Pic2 Pic3 Luke walking with Steve Kroft Luke, Steve Luke, Steve Luke Luke, Steve Luke

Praise God, I don't believe I did anything on 60 Minutes that should get me thrown out of any more synagogues. I was happy with it. You never know which soundbites they are going to use. When I was walking around that backyard, I had nothing to say and just improvised some pop culture silliness. I would've bet 60 Minutes (and VH1 last month) would've used some of my more fire-breathing lines.

It would be cool to appear cool about all this, but I feel like I tasted eternity. I have transcended death. If I die tomorrow, I will always be there on tape. I've gotten to have my say. I've lived. There's proof, right on your TV. Now I get to hear from people who haven't been around for years. It's a shout-out to the thousands of people who've passed through my life.

I thought the 60 Minutes piece were dull but fair. I didn't learn anything. I thought they were way too gullible about the numbers the industry claimed for itself.

From the book, The Writer's Journey (and forgive me for trying to use some of the patterns in the book for my memoir):

This ability to overcome the forces of death is the real Elixir most heroes seek.

Heroes emerge from their Ordeals to be recognized as special and different, part of a select few who have outwitted death.

Heroes may find that surviving death grants new powers or better perceptions.

A hero may be granted a new insight or understanding of a mystery as her Reward. She may see through a deception. If she has been dealing with a shapeshifting partner, she may see through his disguises and perceive the reality for the first time. Seizing the Sword can be a moment of clarity.

The phone calls started coming in at 5:14PM California time, as soon as the pieces finish airing on the East Coast.

A movie producer I interviewed almost two years ago calls me: "A two-parter. That's rare. You looked good. You were on a lot. They didn't cut you out. You were wearing a [black] suit. This should help you sell your books. You're featured as an expert. You made a little history tonight. I'm proud of you."

Mike phones from Atlanta: "I just saw you on TV a little while ago. You didn't look too bad but I was in Hooters and I couldn't hear a word you said. You looked like those old pictures of you. You were wearing a coat and tie and you had that dishevelled reporter look going on. So people who don't really know you, you look respectable. If it was me, I'd be recording it and [engaging in an act of self-debasement]. I know how it is when you have an ego."

Luke: "I'm just sorry that I don't have someone special to celebrate it with. I will watch it alone."

Mike: "If you weren't so picky, you'd have a house full of them. You're a nice looking guy. You need to learn some manners but you'll be all right. You've got this Jewish girl fetish going on. You don't want anything to do with ---- girls. They're not good enough. You want a girl over there. A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush [or shul]. You should keep a few ---- friends for when you want companionship while you search for that long lost soulmate. And soon you'll find out, there's no such thing. So you'll start appreciating your friends more. That's how it works with me.

"I just like you because you're offbeat like me. I like anyone who speaks his mind, no matter how bizarre he is."

Chaim Amalek writes:

Mike is right, but he is also wrong. He is right in that of course you should avail yourself of whatever social opportunities you may have at hand which, in your case, are considerable. I mean, most of your (male) readers would gladly sin for the chance to indulge in what you could be doing if you wanted to. On the other hand he is wrong, because in doing so, you would find yourself becoming less satisfied with Jewish women of the sort you say you want to marry, and thus be less likely to marry one of them. Of course, at the moment you have neither of either (Jewish women of suitable breeding stock, nor other women of questionable morals), so perhaps you should just declare a personal holiday from Torah and have some fun. It would be the Christian thing to do.

Amy Alkon writes: "Articulate and handsome on 60 Minutes. I raced home just to watch you -- and was very happy that they put your seg on first. Very nice choice of wardrobe. I was surprised to see your work environment, since the way you'd characterized it, I thought your apartment/"hovel" was something just this side of a cardboard refrigerator box!"

JMT writes: "Is Brylcreem coming back?"

Yitzhok says: "Fred Lane comes off much cleaner than you."

Heather MacDonald writes: "Darling, you were gorgeous. The only classy guy in the whole joint!"

Bruce writes: "Was that you making your national TV debut? You looked so ruggedly handsome, you almost fooled me."

WWW says: "Compared the the usual schnooks they filmed at the AVN trade show, I think you looked ok."

Rob writes: "Sadly most 60 Minutes viewers will accidentally go to lukeford.COM and be repulsed. Few will stumble upon lukeford.NET, the home of Our Moral Leader."

Fred writes: "I thought you came off better than Rob Black."

My mom writes: "I read the tributes. You have loads of friends. You must be pleased."

Sandy writes: "I thought you looked great, sounded professional, and made your case. Good for you!

"Now for a joke: How do you know when you've arrived at Neverland? When the big hand is on the small hand."

Peter writes:

You claimed that you were merely reporting on that world. Which is like saying that you are writing about filth--yet remaining untouched while neck deep in a sewer. You ramble on about how much respect Sanchez and the FBI had for your site. I understand that it's a human impulse--to justify one's actions. But it's clear...that your immersion in that world was not that of a simple journalist, but of a man deeply attracted to the degradation. It was a bit too Christian. By which I mean the Christian impulse to "save sinners." The Victorian Minister wandering the streets of London, seeking fallen women to save, yet in truth, overwhelmed with desire for these creatures.

I think you have matured greatly. There is still the bad-boy impulse at work, but it's channeled in much healthier directions. To write about the world of journalists is a worthy subject. My only fear is that because you are so needy, so desperate for acceptance, that you will not write truthfully. I mean they have, to some extent, let you into the club. And now that you're in the club, are you going to risk excommunication by revealing what they don't want revealed? I empathize.

Timmy writes:

1) First think I noticed: you have an odd but charming Australian accent. Are you conscious of it? Do you try and retain it? Usually, when youths from English speaking countries come to America they assume our American accent. Not so in your case?

Cecile du Bois writes:

Question: Are you going to watch yourself on 60 minutes for fun? Why are you depriving yourelf of fun on your blog? Blog=Vain fun, your room, your space where you're lucky to get readers who care. Six weeks without attempting attention seems as, in my opinion, as hard as bungee jumping or worse. The Ten Commandments does not include: "Luke Ford shall not attract attention in his blog", now does it? Unless you're rewriting your version of the Torah enlabeled, "The True Fordian Bible by Your Moral Leader," I don't see why you should starve yourself. Unless it is in some hidden religion of yours... "In the summer you're a nudist, in the winter you're a [peaceful] Buddhist."

JackieD writes Cecile: "I believe in my moral leader, and will put my money where my mouth is. Cecile, I bet you one silver dollar that Luke will not use his blog to get attention for himself until the New Year."

Hebcal writes Cecile: "Considering it's not even Kislev yet, Luke has 10+ months to go. He's lucky that's it's not a leap year, otherwise it's be 11."

A friend from shul tells Luke AKA Levi: "You looked terrific. We were all watching. Shuvua Tov and I'll see you on Shabbos."

Author David Rensin writes: "You clean up well. Congrats."

Jack says: "You give a great soundbyte. It was very authoritative and definitive. It wasn't like you were mincing any words. I'm shocked that Steve Hirsch and Christian Mann didn't get any face time. You had a lot. It's funny that Bill Lyon got so much time and he's no longer with the Free Speech Coalition. I've never seen them do a two-parter. I know how slanted you can get. I know where you took these guys. And they didn't slant it."

Jack turns to his girl friend: "Yeah, I'm talking to the guy with the sexy accent. It's my friend Lyra."

Luke: "How do you spell her name?"

Jack: "Why? Are you going to put it in your column?"

Luke: "No."

Jack: "Then why are you asking me how to spell her name?"

Luke: "I'm just curious."

Jack: "You're such a knucklehead. L-y-r-a. You'd go crazy over her."

Jack turns to Lyra: "He don't like Italians. He's Jewish."

Luke: "Is she an Orthodox Jew?"

Lyra: "I'll be Orthodox for him."

60 Minutes

Tony Pierce writes:

LA blogger Luke Ford was on 60 minutes a few days ago, and as you know i'm a big fan of mr. ford. But when i saw what he was saying on 60 minutes it was hard for me to think that he wasnt completely full of ----. The most glaring load he hurled at me as I sat in my den this past Sunday was when he ripped this one: "It's become popular, cool, acceptable in this 18-to-25 age group. My age group, I'm 37, my age group and up, we think porn is something that's shameful. But for kids half my age, they think it's cool."

Adult film is a billion dollar business. Billion with a B as in boo-yah. And it's been popular since the first caveman chiseled the first titty on a wall. Of all people Luke Ford, formerly of lukeford.com, knows this. He also knows that once you turn 26 you dont suddenly consider it "shameful." 60 Minutes showed many people standing in line at an Adult Film convention looking middle class, happy, and well beyond the prized 18-25 demo. I saw a couple who looked 50+. And then the narrator told us that there's even porn for "the '60 Minutes' set."

and not to get into someones religious business, but why is it in the handful of events that i saw my buddy Luke at he was always wearing his yarmulke, and yet as soon as 60 minutes shows up hes just a good-looking aussie, as opposed to a good-looking aussie jew? tell you this my friends, if you ever see my ass on 60 minutes, i wont spread generalizations about 110 year olds, and i will be sporting my cubs hat.

Hey Tony, I was referring to the people who make ----. The new generation, the 18-25 year old, have far less shame and far fewer compunctions about the type of acts they will perform than those who are older. ---- stars who are 30 tend to look down on the 18 year olds as gross and decadent. ---- company owners who are over 40 generally keep their occupation to themselves when they mix socially.

Relevant writes Tony: "There is no "old Luke" to bring back, Tony. You're simply seeing him for who he is for the first time. (The hypnotizing power of physical beauty is simply amazing.) Why it's taking the blogosphere so long to see him for the unstable train wreck that he is is beyond me."

Luke says: "I'm a terrible narcissist because I found that comment ("hypnotizing power of physical beauty") flattering."

Will writes:

There is no question that the 18-25 demographic feel differently about ---- than we do. There is also no question that these kids are more open and adventurous with their sexuality - in spite of being more monogamous than we were at that age (probably due to the threat of AIDS). The critic who charges your views might do well to silence himself. Indeed there are 50+ and 100+ year-old people who enjoy ----, but that does not make your statements false.

Your assertion of guilt associated with ---- for our age group is also basically correct. My experience in the ---- shop was that the men came to get it while the women stayed home. Today you will see young women in selecting almost as often as the men.

My 60 Minutes Interview

Robin writes:

Dear Luke Ford, I never knew you until tonight while watching the show. And what you said about the porn industry and the upcoming generation thinking porn is cool is true. Every-thing you said resonates with me, so much so I had to search your web site and write (a lengthily e-mail).

I've been trying to bring this issue to the main stream since I wrote my memoirs over 3 years ago. You see I was a teenage prostitute for 7 years from the ages of 14 - 21. I worked the streets of Boston, NY, DC and Florida for a black pimp 20 years my senior. Six of those years being abused by him--physically and psychologically.

I am 43 now and am still struggling with the emotional and psychological rape on my Soul during those years. I have tried to send essays to the national woman's maga-zines and colleges, even Oprah about the recent fascina-tion with the sex trade, lap dancing and pimp daddy's. But it goes ignored. Even the language from "The Life" has infiltrated sub-urbia, (hoe and bitch) and looked upon as cool. I am horrif-ied that "Girls Gone Wild" and the reality dating shows pro-mote the exploitation of young girls. No matter if it's promiscuity or prostitution the end result is the same. It chips away at your self-esteem. You will eventually find yourself shrouded in a shame so toxic it embeds itself deep down into every corner of your being. Affecting each relationship forevermore. There is nothing cool about that.

The exploitation of young women and girls needs to be brought to the unknowledgeable masses by those with awareness of the consequences. In order to prevent the seduction of vulnerable girls by those seeking impressionable prey, self empowerment needs to start at home. But no one seems to understand that---they think they are untouchable. As long as the girl has a golden pussy between her legs---she will always be considered a money maker. And if she can be manipulated and brain-washed into believing she wants it too---the cycle will con-tinue until our wombs are bleeding raw. So I think your community casting a frown upon your work is misguided and ignorant to the bigger picture.

Lastly, from what I read on your web site though your families rendition on who you are and how you've changed since the accident. I'd like to say one thing. I understand you hit your head in between the eye brows. In the etheric body it is the 3rd chakra - the third eye area (were psychic information and dream stuff are perceived). I believe you have activated that chakra by the blow to your head. Also I must add that in the spirit world there is something known as a "walk-in." It can happen when one is in a vulnerable unconscious state. It is believed that an entity can step into your body to do unfinished work on the earth plane without going through the rebirthing process. Using your body to do so. Usually it is against the humans will, be-cause the Laws of the Universe only permit such a spiritual violation with those humans in agreement with the entity. To do work of GOODNESS not of Dark intent. But the dark forces do as they will, and enter without your permission. Reeking havoc on your body, mind and spirit, by indulging in every physical/earthly desire they were addicted to be-fore death. They are unable to accept they have died, therefore exploiting the unaware human to any of the 7 deadly sins.

When your mother mentioned your sudden obsession with working out, and lack of food. The more run down you are---the more they can do. Causing a definite personality change. The only professionals in the medi-cal community I've found who can assist someone with this is a Psychotherapist / White Witch. One in Boston I found years ago helped me with certain techniques and put me on a path to a spiritual awakening. I too began hugging trees. I still do sometimes. I used to go to Central Park in NYC and just close my eyes and soak in the peace-fulness. There is a strength and comfort in natures grandest beauties---it can bring me to tears. It is unmatched by anything a human being can produce.

Also the serpent dreams and hallucinations are repre-sentative of: in ancient times visions if the head of the ser-pent is up, ready to strike, it denoted EVIL. If the head is down it denotes protection. There is also serpent power in esoteric thinking. Relating to the Kundalini: the fire / life's electricity lays dormant at the base of our spine, travels up the spine towards the top of the head as one grows in Higher Intelligence / God head. I experienced it once years ago spontaneously while in a meditative group chant at an ashram. It felt like fire traveling up my spine--cover-ing my entire back. I kept looking behind me because I was convinced someone was holding a heater against me. I sat cross legged on the floor sweating with this peculiar sensation over my entire back. In meditation a lot of it comes back---but these days trying to pursue a writing career---it is difficult to be still. I am temporarily living in my sister's house, moving here to care for my mother who recently died---so I am searching for a new identity---a new life without her.

Well, Luke I hope I didn't overwhelm you. But instead, given you some insight into your own spiritual rebirthing. I haven't looked at your old web site---but from your new one I see you've caused quite a stir. I don't know if you're moving to Israel---but if you do, SHALOM.