The account of the Secret Service and members of the military using the services of prostitutes in Colombia reminded me of the work of the late Chalmers Johnson. In his book Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire, he describes the network of bars, strip clubs, whorehouses, and VD clinics that surround U.S. bases overseas. The former U.S. naval base at Subic Bay in the Philippines “had no industry nearby except for the ‘entertainment’ business, which supported approximately 55,000 prostitutes and a total of 2,182 registered establishments offering ‘rest and recreation’ to American servicemen.” At the annual Cobra Gold joint military exercise in Thailand: “Some three thousand prostitutes wait for sailors and marines at the South Pattaya waterfront, close to Utapao air base.”
And who can forget the “three-minute men” in Hawaii during WWII. Ah, the greatest generation.
