What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas....?

I worked in the UAE at remote desert sites during 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985 but went to sharjah, dubai, abu dhabi on occasions. Our crew had alcohol which we bought with a permit each month. Never had a problem there as long as you abide by the rules which are spelled to you. I once came through customs with a penthouse magazine which was confiscated. The guy looked at my passport and knew I had been in country multiple times and told me I should know better. End of story that time.

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Vegas isn't the mecca of debauchery people think it is. There's an old saying about people who travel there: "arrive on vacation go home on probation" Contrary to popular belief prostitution is illegal in the county the city is located in, and they don't suffer the foolishness of drunken tourists gladly. Making people think that anything goes there is part of what attracts tourists, but it simply isn't so. Remember: Vegas convicted OJ Simpson. All things considered it's a place I would consider spending a long weekend in, as opposed to Dubai which i would never visit for all the reasons you mentioned. They can build all the towers and artificial islands they want but it still isn't worth the trouble.

As a US citizen, I prefer to vacation in my own country and Vegas where the gambling entertainment began in the uS

There is so much going on here. There's notions of personal freedom vs community rights. There's notions of appropriate behavior in public. There are issues of the favored treatment that celebrities and politicians get. There is also the issue of the use of pharmaceuticals for fun instead of medical pusposes. I bet there are even more issues that I haven't noticed. Finally, there is the actual question of where one stands in the midst of all these issues. Let me start with the easy ones first, and see where we end up. I do not think celebrities should get favored treatment because their money can purchase favorable justice. On the other hand, I don't think it should be illegal to use drugs for non-medical purposes. However, non-medical use often leads to inappropriate public or private behavior: that is, it reduces inhibitions and makes it more like a person will engage in activities that most people are uncomfortable seeing in public. You know the old saying: "Get a room!" Ah well, but who can get a room with an ocean in it? How many of us have not made love on a beach, or at least wanted to? Funny story. Me and my girlfriend decided to take it into the water (Carribean coast of Mexico). We had fun, but we paid for it. While we were busy in the water, someone else was busy relieving us of the burden of our wallets! But community stardards vary widely. I don't think people should make love in public where they have a decent chance of being seen. I was visiting a lighthouse on the southern coast of Barbados. I parked the car with my wife and three year old daughter in it, and went to investigate. I came around the corner of the building, and there, on the grass overlooking the cliffs and sea, was a couple going at it, bare bums mooning me. I turned around, annoyed as hell because we couldn't see the view. No way was I letting my daughter see this! If I were braver, I would have made a loud noise or something. I wonder if they would have looked guilty or ashamed at being caught? Bottom line: I'm the the Dubaians in not wanted people screwing in public. On private property -- fine. Otherwise, get a room. I don't care how beautiful it is on the beach. Working back again to drugs, my feeling is that all drugs should be treated the same. Heroin should be treated the same, in the law, as alcohol. I think that banning these substances is stupid. It creates crime where we really have mental health problems. Being mentally ill myself, I don't think behaviors engaged in due to psychic pain should be criminalized. It's just plain stupid. As to the balance between personal freedom and community rights, and the diversity of community standards in communities across the world, I believe in courtesy. For me, courtesy is about knowing and following the social norms of your hosts. Courtesy is about not doing things you know will offend others. That having been said, while I don't think the Brits should be screwing in public on the beach, I also don't think they should have been jailed for three years. A fine should be sufficient. You can't legislate courtesy, I don't think. You have to educate to courtesy. Yet, I do believe in personal freedom -- as bounded by how personal behavior affects the community. I do not believe people have the right to dump toxic waste on their own private property. Since that waste will leach into our water, we have a vested interest in you not doing something, even though it is your property, that will hurt us. That pain can include things as mild as disturbing people with inappropriate behavior. I don't think that kissing and hugging in public should be outlawed, even though it bothers me. But I do think Dubai has a perfect right to have a stronger standard than I have, personally. Where does this put me? Well, I consider myself fairly open-minded and laissez-faire, but I guess, in working though this, I've found I'm a bit more conservative than I thought. However, the common strain in all of this, I think, is that I believe in courtesy, and these stories are nothing, if not examples of extremely rude behavior.

I read about the British couple last week but the cocaine story I just heard about. I believe when traveling to a foreign country a person should abide by their laws and customs. In a very conservative place like Dubai why would they be having sex on the beach? It is almost like they were flaunting the act and daring to be arrested. I do not feel much sympathy for them. Our decency laws are much different and Las Vegas can not be compared to Dubai by a long shot. That is like comparing apples to oranges. I have never been to Vegas since I am the type of person that would not find the gambling and nightlife interesting to me. I don't begrudge people that like that stuff though! As long as your "passions" don't intrude on mine I do not really care. I believe displays of affection belong behind closed door and I do not like to see it in public. Sometimes it gets out of hand and I respect Dubai for upholding what their citizens want and expect. My bottom line would be when traveling to a foreign country (which I have) act like a guest and obey their laws and customs.

are offended by, IMO. I am not a conservative person and not prudish at all but I think the line of common decency has to be drawn at allowing people fornicate in public. Do we take our cue for what's allowable from dogs and birds? I think not. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I feel something is not quite right about allowing people to fornicating in public areas. Human beings write books on mathematics and splice genes etc... so that would seperate us from animals and what they do and the mental continuation of that idea is to not allow people to act like animals either. I'm sure there are at least 1 or 2 places outside of ones own home that people who cannot contain themselves to go and fornicate if they want to, like behind a large amount of foliage or in public bathroom cubicles or in ones car etc.... but it does not have to be in the open. Like everything else on the internet that is novel, I suppose now that this story broke, it will be on blogs and youtube and everyone will be doing it 'cos they think it;s the "in" thing to do, and then it will become normalised like porn. Brits have a bad reputation around the world as being loutish, drunk, violent, moronic inbreds (more then Aussies), so adding "public fornicators" to the list does nothing for their PR.