Adult Bookstores

Why has Adult World in Larksville placed privacy gates around their parking lot? Who goes there and what are they doing while they are there? Do the products they sell violate obscenity standards? What takes place in their back rooms and private booths? These are questions that should be asked about every local adult business.....that is.....unless we are comfortable with this activity occurring in our communities.

You may find this article relevant to the discussion. Click here.

Spread the word

Not long ago, I enabled commenting on this site. Some people try to use the comment area to discourage this effort. They like to say things like:

1. "I had no idea that Gentlemen's Club 10 even existed. Now I go there all the time because Mr. Family mentioned it."

2. "Hey Mr. Family...thanks for getting us a $5 discount off admission."

3. "Business is booming because of all the free advertising Mr. Family is giving the club."

Really.

I think it's safe to assume that most readers of this blog can see through comments like that. If we truly were helping their business, they certainly wouldn't tell us. They would want us to continue our efforts so that their business would in turn benefit. But that is not the case.

It is a fact that this effort to take pictures and educate our area on the negative impact of sexually oriented businesses, is working. Fewer men are visiting Wilkes-Barre Township's newest sexually oriented business. How do I know this?

1. Volunteers (including some from the local business community) are keeping track of cars going in and out of Club 10's parking lot.

2. Employees of Club 10 are now vocally upset that business is slumping.

In my opinion, this is a very good thing. If this momentum continues, we have the potential to stop future "sexually oriented businesses" from becoming established in our area. Sex businesses only profit under a cloud of secrecy. When their practices and patrons are revealed, their businesses fail.

Please do this effort a favor and use the new toolbar on the side of this page to send this site to many of your friends and family. Are there at least five people you could share this site with? The more people we can educate and inform, the less likely we are to live in ignorance of this glaring problem.

Thank you so much for your help.

Your friend,
Mr. Family

Concern for the women at the well

Since I started this website 6 weeks ago, a woman who strips at Gentlemen's Club 10 has regularly e-mailed me. She politely and articulately states her view and I reply with mine. Our conversations have been very cordial and non-argumentative. My wife and I, as well as a few other concerned citizens, pray for her regularly. She seems to be a very nice person who loves her family, but I believe she feels financially trapped by the world of sexual entertainment. I'm hoping that if she reads this post she will also read this article. (click here)

In the comment area, someone asked me why I'm not using this site to attack strippers who dance at these clubs. Well, the owners of the club are doing that enough. I believe that these women are being exploited and taken advantage of. Many of them are victims of childhood sexual abuse. Many of them have been lured into this line of work by crafty club owners who make it hard to leave. Some of them become drug addicts in an attempt to quiet their consciences.

According to someone I was recently contacted by, many of the local women who have become involved in stripping are women who now have police records and are on probation. Some seem to believe that stripping is one of their few remaining employment options because of their past (and history of drug use). I would be interested to learn if Jules Greenburg, the owner of the Carousel in Plymouth Township, agrees or disagrees with that statement. (By the way, when he was interviewed by the Citizen's Voice, he offered me a chance to tour his club. I think I would rather look at background checks on his employees. That would be something to see.)

Though I'm sure that many of these women aren't interested in our help, I also believe that just as many are. Is there something that we as a community can do to help them start over with better options than life has handed them up to this point? The comment area and my e-mail are both open to your suggestions.

Follow the lead of Kansas

Gentlemen's Club 10 advertises a pornographic website on their building and on Interstate 81, (in addition to their advertising genius in the Weekender..... the bag on the head was priceless. The staged search for Mr. Family was a thing of beauty. Clearly we're dealing with sober people.)

I would appreciate your help in letting me know what, if any, local laws regulate this kind of offensive advertising. My understanding is that the general rule of thumb regarding the legality of billboard content, is based on the premise that billboards are visible to everyone, both young and old. They can't be turned off like the TV. They can't be folded and discarded like a newspaper. Therefore, content that is inappropriate for minors should not be included on a billboard. Issues such as these are the reason that tobacco advertising has been removed from billboards.

The state of Kansas just recently addressed this issue in their Legislature, placing strict limits on billboards that advertise sexual content, pornographic websites, strip clubs, etc. I think it's time we do the same in Pennsylvania. You can read about it here.

Lamar Advertising is the company that Gentlemen's Club 10 has contracted with to post their porn-site on 81 South. I have contacted them about this and would strongly encourage you to voice your displeasure as well. You can do so here. The link gives your their e-mail and phone information.

Well done

A big "thank you" to everyone who got out the vote yesterday. Wilkes-Barre Twp. residents let their voice be heard and by an overwhelming margin (80% to 20%) stated that they do not want BYOB clubs operating in our area.

This is a step in the right direction.

Remember to VOTE YES!!!

Just a reminder...

Today is election day. Wilkes-Barre Township residents will see this question on the ballot:

"Do you favor the prohibition of the operation of establishments, commonly referred to as bottle clubs in Wilkes-Barre township?"

Please remember to VOTE YES!

VOTE YES!!!!!

Because many who frequent this website live in Wilkes-Barre Township, let me take just a moment to express my appreciation for what the Wilkes-Barre Township supervisors are trying to accomplish this Tuesday.

They are giving us the opportunity to let our voice be heard.

When you vote in Tuesday's primary you will need to respond to this question, "Do you favor the prohibition of the operation of establishments, commonly referred to as bottle clubs in Wilkes-Barre township?"

If we vote "YES," strip clubs that operate as BYOB or "bottle clubs" will no longer be permitted in Wilkes-Barre Township. This includes Gentlemen's Club 10.

So pleeeease.... if you are a resident of WB Twp., be sure to vote "YES" in Tuesday's primary. You can help end this club once and for all, and hopefully prevent other clubs of this nature from setting up shop here in our back yard. Explain this issue to your neighbors and friends. Give them a ride to the polls. Let your voice be heard.

Of course our "good neighbor," Attorney Elaine Cook who represents Gentlemen's Club 10, is now threatening to sue Wilkes-Barre Township over this issue. How lovely. I think that's her answer to everything.

Ms. Cook... your threats aren't going to prevent us from voting on Tuesday. You can threaten all you want. Your comments prove time and time again that you could care less about what the residents of Wilkes-Barre Twp. think about this issue. After we cast our "yes" votes on Tuesday, would you like to drag us all into court?

To the "values voters" in WB Twp., this is our moment. Please don't let it go to waste. Vote "YES" in Tuesday's primary!

Here's a link to WNEP's coverage of this issue. Click here. You can also click the envelope next to the comment link directly below to e-mail this post to a friend. This is important. Please do what you can to help.

How to save your marriage

Note: We took some good pictures this week. A few are a little blurry, but others are clear. We will begin posting them again shortly.

I am frequently asked, "What is your motivation for trying to stop sexually oriented businesses from prospering?" Well, in addition to the negative effect they have on crime, communities, and property values..... my greatest concern is their negative effect on the family. As a child, I experienced first hand what it was like to live in a divided household. It's not pretty and I don't wish that experience on anyone.

A very insightful article was sent to me today by a reader of this website. I contacted the author this afternoon and requested permission to reprint it here for your enjoyment. For those who criticize me for including religion in this debate (as if I don't have the option to express my convictions on my own website), please be forewarned that this article is chock full of faith. I know it's hard to stomach, but I'm confident you'll survive.

Strip clubs and adult bookstores feed extra-marital affairs that begin in the mind and are eventually lived out in day to day experience. Please heed these words of encouragement.

-------------------------------------

Guest Column
Dr. Robert R. Kopp
Pastor, First Presbyterian Church
Belvidere, Illinois 61008

How to Save Your Marriage

Everybody wants to live happily ever after.

Certainly, that's the expectation at weddings.

Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen.

Even for marriages made in heaven, every day isn't a hot fudge sundae; prompting a buddy to say, "Marriage is like flies on a screen. 50% want in. 50% want out."

Apart from the bliss, mist, dog-eyed stares, and couch-cuddling to the tune of Elton John's "Your Song," there are days when wives think husbands come from Mars and husbands think wives come from Venus.

Socioeconomics, gender obsessions, sexual dysfunctions, and family trees along with other tests and temptations threaten marriages.

After over 30 years of pastoral ministry and presiding over hundreds of weddings coupled with personal failure and redemption, I've deduced three commitments necessary to save marriages:

1. Take Jesus Seriously - Our Lord was clear, concise,
and conclusive about personal and marital survival:
"Everyone who hears these words of mine and does
them will be like a wise man who built his house on
the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came,
and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it
did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock"
(Matthew 7:24-25).

2. Have Fun - Some favorite verses come to mind: "I
meant to do my work today; but a brown bird sang
in the apple tree and all the leaves were calling me.
So what could I do but laugh and go?" Even those
dusty old Westminster Divines understood the need:
"Our chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him
forever" (Question 1 of The Shorter Catechism of
1626).

3. Don't Take Yourself So Seriously - You may have
heard the 12 words that keep marriages together:
"I was wrong. I am sorry. Please forgive me. I
love you." A review of Matthew 7:1-5 also helps
every now and then.

One more word.

It's very salty; as in stinging to heal ("Salt stings on an open wound, but saves you from gangrene!").

If you're not working on your marriage, someone else will be doing it for you sooner or later.

Willard F. Harley, Jr.'s His Needs, Her Needs: Building An Affair-Proof Marriage (1986) should be required reading before walking down the aisle.

Parenthetically, though perpetually befuddled by couples who spend thousands on photographers, videographers, florists, attire, stationary, receptions, and honeymoons while pinching pennies when it comes to donations for use of the church, honoraria for musicians, and other sanctuarial appointments (aka clergy), I'm especially chagrined by the lack of integrity in premarital counseling after the dates for the ceremony and all the rest have been reserved and superglued to the calendar. Rhetorically, how can we deny nuptials when the money's already been laid down? Credible premarital counseling includes an educated evaluation of the prospects prior to the wedding processional.

Getting back to Dr. Harley, he concluded women and men have needs that must be met with the corollary being unmet needs destroy marriages.

Specifically, he noted a man's basic needs in marriage are sexual fulfillment, recreational companionship, a spouse concerned about her appearance, domestic support, and admiration (respect). A woman's basic needs in marriage are affection, conversation, honesty and openness, financial support, and family commitment.

He explained, "In marriages that fail to meet those needs, I have seen...how consistently married people choose...the extramarital affair. People wander into affairs with astonishing regularity, in spite of...strong moral or religious convictions...Why? Once a spouse lacks fulfillment of any of the five needs, it creates a thirst that must be quenched. If changes do not take place within the marriage to care for that need, the individual will face the powerful temptation to fill it outside of marriage."

Summarily, everybody has emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and sexual needs. Meeting those needs encourages an enduring marriage.

If your marriage is in trouble and starting to sound like an old Gordon Lightfoot song - "I don't know where we went wrong but the feeling's gone and I just can't get it back!" - there's still a way to save it.

While Revelation 2:1-7 focuses on renewing one's relationship with God and how Christians and churches who have lost their way can get it back, it also provides the secret to saving marriages: "Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first."

Remember everything that made you so passionately in love with each other.

Repent and do them all over again.

Simply, take Jesus seriously, have fun, and don't take yourself so seriously.

Gary R. Collins wrote, "The most obvious way to prevent divorce is to build stronger marriages - marriages based on scriptural principles and characterized by love, commitment and open communication" (Christian Counseling, 1980).

Or to borrow a line, "The grass is greener where it's watered."

That's how to save your marriage.

Cars

Drove by Gentlemen's Club 10 during their "prime" business hours this evening. Literally, no more than 12-15 cars in the lot. I believe that it's safe to assume that at least half of those are from employees.

Definitely an answer to prayer.

The law

"If they pass tough enough laws, they could put me out of business."

These are the words of a strip club owner in Las Vegas, a city known for its vice. Read all about it here.

If that's the case in "Sin City," why isn't it the case here in Wilkes-Barre? One of the big arguments Gentlemen's Club 10 likes to use is that they are exempt from laws or ordinances that are put in place after they received their license.

Really.

That makes as much sense as me deciding that I don't have to obey new tax codes because they were put in place AFTER I became a tax payer.

Wilkes-Barre Twp. has clearly determined that Gentlemen's Club 10 will be a detriment to the community. They are therefore trying to protect the community as best as they can. As elected local officials, they have the authority to enact and enforce ordinances that serve the common good.

I'm interested in hearing a statement as to why WB Twp. is not enforcing their ordinances. Are they sick of fighting with Gentlemen's Club 10? Have they grown weary of Club 10's threats of litigation? Is there more to this story that we don't know?

If they enforced their ordinances, they could put Gentlemen's Club 10 out of business, and therefore chase away others who share Club 10's bad attitude and low community standards.

I applaud the Township's efforts up to this point, but friends, it's time to step back up to the plate and hit this thing out of the park.

How does pornography affect you?

Is pornography harmless? How does it contribute to cases of rape and molestation?

Consider this report. It is somewhat lengthy, but very direct and informative. Click here.

Dear Abby

Even "Dear Abby" has weighed in on this debate. Very good article with comments from those who have dealt with sexual addictions (or have family members with sexual addictions) that were fueled or birthed by strip clubs.

Click here to read.

Pittston

As residents of Pittston are well aware, pressure is being placed on their local officials to allow for strip clubs and adult bookstores to open in their developing community. You can read a little more about that here.

To our friends in Pittston: If your local officials are unable to stop this from happening, we will gladly help you take action on the citizen level, just as we are seeking to expose the negative aspects of Gentlemen's Club 10 and other sexually oriented businesses here in our neck of the woods.

Hopefully the club in Pittston will never get off the ground. But if it does, send us pictures of any activity occurring outside the building and we will post it right here.

On a related note, several readers of this website mentioned to me that the parking lot at Gentlemen's Club 10 looks rather desolate on most evenings and that some cars are parking with their backs up against the building to obstruct their view. This is very interesting, especially because patrons of Club 10 are telling me that they aren't ashamed of going there. If you aren't ashamed of what you're doing, then I guess some of our upcoming posts shouldn't bother you either. I guess we'll see.

Speaking the obvious

For over a month now, I have been stating some things that to me seem quite obvious. I have made comments like, "strip clubs hurt property values, invite crime and are havens for prostitution."

Many of the comments I receive regarding this issue are unfortunately negative. Why is that? I think this is good indication that as a community, we are losing our moral compass. Our hearts need a transformation and until that occurs, we will argue this issue into the ground.

It's somewhat comical to me when I read the comments of those who think they have my motives all figured out. At first, people thought I was a strip club owner who was afraid of competition from Gentlemen's Club 10. Now I am accused of being "anti-sex" and biased against men who like to pay for it.

Here's the deal. I believe that sex is a gift from God and should be enjoyed to its fullest within the context of marriage. I have a problem with anything that deviates from that standard. God's design for sexual relations is such that it shouldn't be selfish, harmful or promiscuous. Sexual activity outside of marriage commonly results in disease, depression and sometimes death (from infection or abuse). The more an individual indulges in forms of sexual activity that deviate from that standard, the more he or she becomes susceptible to one of those three problems.

God has blessed us with a great country. I'm sure that we all enjoy living here. I enjoy the freedom to express my opinion on this matter, and believe it or not, I also appreciate hearing from others.... even if we disagree.

Historically, great countries fall from within. If we want to destroy our country, all we have to do is destroy its basic building block.... the family. We can effectively ruin most aspects of what holds our country together if we spend just one or two more generations tearing the family down. I'm learning that most people aren't looking very far down this road. To some, sex and sexual entertainment are more important that the common good. That's unfortunate.

If possible, please give this perspective a little thought.

Click here for information regarding 6 prostitution arrests that were made at Superdad's strip club in Carbondale. FYI: It was also recently discovered that Superdad's allowed a 14 year-old girl to strip in their club.

Resources to help you recover

1. Click here if you are a man who is struggling with a sexual addiction.

2. Click here if you are a woman who has a husband that is struggling with a sexual addiction.

What do the women say?

Hello everyone,

Sorry that I didn't post over the weekend. Everyone needs a break now and then.

Two friends that I am close to have recently spoken to women who work (strip) at Gentlemen's Club 10 and Planet Pocono. They did not enter the buildings to do so, as they met these women in normal everyday contexts.

This information is second hand, so take it for what it's worth.

According to the woman who works at Gentlemen's Club 10, some of the strippers are local and others are brought in from Atlantic City on the weekend. Inside the club there are private rooms where a patron and a stripper can spend some time alone. While in these rooms, at the individual discretion of the stripper, sexual activity is conducted between the stripper and the patron. According to this woman, "Some girls do this, but I don't." I'm learning that this is what they all say.

Seems to be a far cry from the argument of some that "there's nothing wrong with men going and looking at pretty women." Too many people love to trivialize this problem and over-simplify it.

According to the woman who works at Planet Pocono, many of the girls (but not her, of course) are earning money on the side through prostitution with the club patrons. Again, this doesn't surprise me. I just thought it was interesting to know that the women who strip at these clubs are willing to admit this.

It has been exactly one month since this site was started. I'll be honest with you....the longer this goes on, the more disturbed I become that our local officials are turning the other cheek to this issue. At what point are they going to investigate these clubs and do something to stop this problem in our county? I know there are other local problems that they are addressing and that their lives are busy just like everyone else's. But this problem is becoming too large to ignore.... and if it is ignored, historically results in worse problems.