12 Responses to “Another Sexting Prosecution”

1. #1 |  Mattocracy |  October 8th, 2009 at 4:06 pm

   The only way to portect children is criminalize their normal and consensual behavior and put them prison for it. If we don’t create victimless crimes to punish them with, they might lead normal, productive and happy lives. And then child molesters…ya know, they are just like two consenting horny teenagers…and…nudity leads to terrorism! Yeah, that’s it. 9/11 changed everything. C’mon people, we all know that our kids are all guilty of sexual assault. They’re all the same. They hate America and they hate us because we’re free. We have to defeat them now before it’s too late!

2. #2 |  John Jenkins |  October 8th, 2009 at 4:37 pm

   I’m not sure that’s actually obscenity in the First Amendment sense. I guess my question would be whether, had he been in the same room with her, would it have been a crime (some kind of statutory rape) to whip it out and show her? I don’t know, but this seems silly.

   Aside from that, though, how could someone possibly entertain the thought that it would be a GOOD idea to send out a picture of his dick by text message?

3. #3 |  Mister DNA |  October 8th, 2009 at 4:50 pm

   Americans – and more importantly, our legal system – needs to come to a harsh realization. People under the age of 18 are perfectly capable of consenting to sex and sexual-related activity.

   In Texas, the age of consent is 17. Theoretically*, I could drive across the border to Oklahoma and have sex with a 16 year-old, or to Mexico, and have sex with a 15 year-old. However, if I take a photographic record of the act (and what 45 year-old male wouldn’t want a record of such an event?), I’m in violation of federal law.

   If our courts can recognize that a 14 year-old is mature enough to be tried as an adult for a felony crime, why can’t they recognize that a 14 year-old is mature enough to consent to sex, or consent to viewing a photograph of genitalia?

   *I have to put in the obligatory disclaimer that I have no interest in having sex with teenagers, although when I go to the mall and see high school girls dressed like they’re going to a casting call for a porn movie, the thought does occur to me…

4. #4 |  Zargon |  October 8th, 2009 at 5:05 pm

   #2
   Aside from that, though, how could someone possibly entertain the thought that it would be a GOOD idea to send out a picture of his dick by text message?

   When compared to the idea that such people should have their lives permanently ruined, texting pictures of one’s own dick seems positively genius.

   #3
   when I go to the mall and see high school girls dressed like they’re going to a casting call for a porn movie, the thought does occur to me.

   In the near future, statements such as these will be criminal. Unless they are already. I’m sure a motivated prosecutor could have you thrown in jail whether it’s officially a crime yet or not. Then again, a motivated prosecutor could probably get anybody thrown in jail these days.

5. #5 |  Andrew S. |  October 8th, 2009 at 5:22 pm

   #4
   In the near future, statements such as these will be criminal. Unless they are already. I’m sure a motivated prosecutor could have you thrown in jail whether it’s officially a crime yet or not. Then again, a motivated prosecutor could probably get anybody thrown in jail these days.

   I figure that far enough into the future, it’ll be enough just to think it …

   Whether he wrote DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, or whether he refrained from writing it, made no difference. Whether he went on with the diary, or whether he did not go on with it, made no difference. The Thought Police would get him just the same. He had committed–would still have committed, even if he had never set pen to paper–the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed for ever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you.

6. #6 |  BamBam |  October 8th, 2009 at 7:25 pm

   The same logic applies to “can’t drink until you’re 21″, “you’re an adult at 18″, “we’ll send you to die in a foreign country to protect EMPIRE and kill innocent people yet we won’t let you drink”. It’s all horse shit.

7. #7 |  JS |  October 8th, 2009 at 8:08 pm

   “The only way to portect children is criminalize their normal and consensual behavior and put them prison for it. If we don’t create victimless crimes to punish them with, they might lead normal, productive and happy lives. And then child molesters…ya know, they are just like two consenting horny teenagers…and…nudity leads to terrorism! Yeah, that’s it. 9/11 changed everything. C’mon people, we all know that our kids are all guilty of sexual assault. They’re all the same. They hate America and they hate us because we’re free. We have to defeat them now before it’s too late!”

   lol absolutely brilliant!

8. #8 |  KBCraig |  October 9th, 2009 at 1:49 am

   Mister DNA wrote:

   If our courts can recognize that a 14 year-old is mature enough to be tried as an adult for a felony crime, why can’t they recognize that a 14 year-old is mature enough to consent to sex, or consent to viewing a photograph of genitalia?

   I recall reading of a case (in California, I believe), where two young teenage girls were prosecuted as adults for producing and disseminating child porn.

   Of themselves.

   Wrap your head around that: they sexted each other self-made pics of themselves partially nude. Because the subjects of the pics were minors, it was child porn. Because child porn is such a serious charge, they were tried as adults.

9. #9 |  Nando |  October 9th, 2009 at 9:36 am

   My confidence in this country, and it’s legal system, has gone so low that I think I’ll have to excavate for months if I ever want to find it again.

   Every time I read a story like this it makes me wonder how the jury was selected. Did they drive around to the conservative churches and pick out those that appeared to be horrified when they heard the word “penis?” It makes me want to volunteer for jury duty just to nullify this type of shit.

   Stuff like this makes me want to move to the EU, where people aren’t as prudish.

10. #10 |  John Jenkins |  October 9th, 2009 at 3:11 pm

    Yes, this would be perfectly permissible in the EU, unless you didn’t have the right license or papers for it, in which case you’re totally fucked.

11. #11 |  Christ on a Cracker |  October 9th, 2009 at 6:49 pm

    My comment is posted over at Hit&Run

12. #12 |  Dave Krueger |  October 10th, 2009 at 6:16 pm

    Warning to Teens: “‘Sexting’ Will Ruin Your Life”…

    …not because of the dirty pictures themselves, but because of what the hysterical adults will do to you if they find them.

    Basically, that defines most arguments related to consensual sex by young people. If you do such and such, you will be considered a low life. But, the unspoken words they leave off that sentence is really what clearly identifies who the low lifes are.

    The complete statement is: If you do such and such, you will be considered a low life by us who will persecute you for it.

    The shame and persecution associated with nudity and sex is imposed by the very people who claim to be morally superior. It’s they who should be ashamed.

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