Social Networks: Thinking Of The Children

After chasing children back into their homes to live in protected isolation from all possible contact with unauthorized adults, society/government now insists that they be completely shielded from social media (which may include possible contact with unauthorized adults) even though they probably do so while safely ensconced within their own living rooms or bedrooms.

This is a perfect example of "mission creep" in which we continue to move the goalposts of acceptable risk closer together to define an ever-smaller field of existence which kids must then content themselves to occupy.

This tendency is also described as "The Precautionary Principle" which posits that all risk, no matter now minuscule, is unacceptable.

Except that, of course, its not "all" risks. Only those risks corresponding to the most lurid possibilities with which society has become obsessed, namely, stranger abduction and the ostensibly explosive combination of kids and sex, are addressed by the social fortresses in which children are now held in protective isolation.

These stated concerns for children leave unaddressed the actual dangers they face as a result of these policies: social isolation, frustration, obesity, inexperience and ill-preparation for adulthood, loneliness, depression, a distorted view of the world, etc.

But none of those concerns are all that interesting or sensational, are they?

Where's the excitement and, well, the catharsis in those?

The problem is, real problems are just so damned boring!

It's like the difference between watching, say, Nightmare on Elm Street on the one hand, and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, on the other. Which would you rather watch?

http://www.kqed.org/news/story/2011/07/11/60667/social_networks_thinking_of_the_children?category=technology

Kirkland 6-year-old patted down by TSA agents

When Paranoias Collide:

Reconciling the paranoia of "bad touches" with the paranoia of "security theater"

Oh, what to do???

ttp://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Kirkland-family-says--125274814.html

Sometimes They Say What They Really Think

"Former U.S. Atty. Don Heller, who wrote the California death penalty law 33 years ago, said he has turned against capital punishment, believing it is too costly and is administered unfairly and too slowly..

Anyway, he says, "some of these guys should be left out in the general prison population. Then someone can take capital punishment into their own hands, particularly with a baby rapist." "

Obviously, Heller, despite no longer believing in the death penalty, has not lost his wonderfully endearing savagery, since he advocates here the murder of sex offender prisoners by other inmates.

His statement has broader relevance since it is unlikely that he would have said this while still employed by the U.S. government. I believe that he speaks for many of our public servants who leave unvoiced their true regard for human rights.

Certainly he speaks for the majority of those posting online comments to newspapers.

Indeed, savagery is the norm today, not the exception.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap-death-penalty-20110714,0,5030234.column

The Trauma Myth

Susan A. Clancy is a psychology researcher at Harvard University in the field of memory.

In January 2010, Perseus Books published her book The Trauma Myth,^[1] in which she suggests that child sexual abuse is rarely a traumatic experience for the victims at the time it occurs, and is instead described by victims as confusing.^[2] She argues that later in life, after the memories are processed, examined, and more fully understood, the experience becomes traumatic. Clancy writes in “The Trauma Myth” that when she arrived at Harvard in 1996, the trauma theory held that “a child will only participate in abuse if forced, threatened, or explicitly coerced” (p. 41). Then she interviewed victims and learned, “They did not fight it. It was not done against their will. They went along . . . only 5% tried to stop it” (p. 41). Clancy concludes that since sexual abuse of children is not violent per se, the millions of victims who did not experience their sex abuse as traumatic grapple with crippling thoughts of shame, embarrassment, and self-blame, thus compounding their suffering. She advocates for a refined understanding of the immediate effects of child sex abuse in order to better help those who are currently excluded from a clinical and popular culture that embraces the trauma model.

http://www.amazon.com/Trauma-Myth-Sexual-Children---Aftermath/dp/0465022111/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310637400&sr=8-1

Flash Mobs of Sex Offenders to Descend Upon Orange County California Beaches and Parks?

Using Twitter, organizers hope to stage seemingly spontaneous events with hundreds of R.S.O.'s and their supporters at parks and beaches where local ordinances declare them to be unwelcome visitors. Stay tuned; we hope to find out more!

Call to ban art with nude children in Australia

As with sex offenses, child pornography is being defined ever-more widely.

Every expansion of criminal statutes is accompanied by greater government intrusion into the lives of its citizens.

Beware: this cannot end well.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/arts/call-to-ban-art-with-nude-children/story-fn7euh6j-1226083791539

Tenant Kills Landlord Because "He's A Pedophile!"

Of course! Notice how allegations of sexual abuse have become the #1 reason for justifying a crime?

http://www.kmtr.com/news/local/story/Possible-motive-released-in-Albany-landlord/Gu_ZNM7gc0KFoW3MFiEsiQ.cspx

the incredible disparity in American societal attitudes toward sex and violence

Developmental psychologist James W. Prescott, formally of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, argues that there is a "preference for sexual violence over sexual pleasure in the United States." He says, "This is reflected in our acceptance of sexually explicit films that involve violence and rape, and our rejection of sexually explicit films for pleasure only (pornography)," he says. "Apparently, sex with pleasure is immoral and unacceptable, but sex with violence and pain is moral and acceptable."

http://www.salon.com/life/sex/index.html?story=/mwt/feature/2011/06/30/violence_sex

Child Sexuality

The major problem in dealing with sexuality in children has always been the adult’s own hang-ups, discomfort, and embarrassment with sex. There is that tendency to ignore children’s sexual questions and behaviors, a tendency to believe that we don’t have to answer children’s sexual questions because they couldn’t possibly know what they are asking. This serves to deny the child’s sexuality because of the adult’s own uneasiness. The consequence, of course is that the child gets the message that she is asking an improper question that her mother disapproves of, therefore the child will stop risking her mother’s rejection or anger, keep quiet, and wonder silently to herself.

http://subversify.com/2011/06/24/raising-children-as-sexual-beings/

What Else Could We Possibly Do To Sex Offenders?

http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20060417/NEWS08/604170312/Sex-offenders-spread-across-state-nation?odyssey=nav%7Chead

What We Can Learn From Casey Anthony

Recent statistics show that children under the age of 5 in the United States are more likely to be killed by their mother than anyone else. Contrary to popular mythology, they are rarely killed by a sex-crazed stranger.

FBI crime statistics show that parents were responsible for 57 percent of child murders, with family friends and acquaintances accounting for another 30 percent and other family members accounting for eight percent

Crime statistics further reveal that of the children under 5 killed, most were murdered by their mothers. More FBI studies have been used to prove that murderous mothers are "sick" and can be used to support the theory that mothers consider children to be their property.

.http://www.christianpost.com/news/destination-orlando-the-fascination-of-the-casey-anthony-case-51625/

Everything is Now “Potential” Child Porn By Dr. Marty Klein

This is the decade of destroying children to protect them. It’s the decade of arresting teens for emailing sexy photos of themselves, turning them into Registered Sex Offenders. It’s the decade of arresting teens for having sex with each other, turning them into Registered Sex Offenders. It’s the decade of arresting and expelling 6-year-olds for “inappropriately hugging” classmates, turning them into “at-risk juveniles.”

It’s a disgusting Moral Panic. The Fear of Child Porn has gotten completely out of hand.

We know it’s a Panic, because laws that were designed to protect kids are now being used to destroy them, along with some of the basics of our adult system of government. And most people don’t even feel bad about it.

The bizarre behaviors of Sheriff’s Departments, state legislatures, school districts, and “morality” groups are not about protecting kids. They’re about responding to Panic. This is about adults, not about kids. It’s about frightened people reassuring themselves that they’re safe; that they’re doing everything they can to make a changing world less confusing; that they’re “erring on the side of caution” (as if there are no negative aspects to that); and that we specifically aren’t letting the niceties of the Constitution or common sense stop us.

http://sexualintelligence.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/everything-is-now-%E2%80%9Cpotential%E2%80%9D-child-porn/

Accusers as "Victims": A Case Study

A reminder of how little is required to convict "sex offenders".

http://freedominourtime.blogspot.com/2009/05/accusers-as-victims-case-study.html

Proposed law would bar sex offenders from veterans cemeteries

Apparently, this Missouri Legislator is referring to DEAD sex offenders, although I'm surprised that she doesn't also wish to exclude living sex offenders from visiting the cemeteries.

Sure, and while we're at it, lets bar any veterans who were guilty of war crimes during their stint in the armed services from being buried in "hallowed ground", too. If they massacred children in Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan, let's keep them out of the Veteran's Cemeteries, too.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri lawmaker has introduced new legislation in Congress that would prevent sex offenders from being buried in national cemeteries.

The "Hallowed Grounds Act," introduced by Republican Rep. Vicky Hartzler, would prohibit an individual who is classified as a Tier III sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration Act from being buried at a veterans or national cemetery. A Tier III sex offender is one whose offenses against a child might include the crimes of aggravated sexual abuse or abusive sexual contact.

"While veterans guilty of capital crimes have justly been denied burial in our national cemeteries, veterans guilty of sexual abuse of children are still entitled to these honors," Hartzler said. "Allowing these offenders to rest in fields of honor is an insult to America's military heroes. Furthermore, it is an outrage to the victims and their families."

http://www.semissourian.com/story/1739345.html?response=no

Just Who Are the "Sex Offenders"?

These National Center for Juvenile Justice findings clearly show that the vast majority of "sex offenses" against children are committed by kids themselves.

How inconvenient for the Crusaders!

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2011/06/zachary_s_nelson_pedophile_con.php

"So far, no evidence suggests that children were harmed in the making of the murals".

What a great line!

What is needed, clearly, is a modern-day, sex offender equivalent of the "Malleus Maleficarum", a 15th Century guidebook used to help witch hunters confirm the presence and identity of witches so that they could then be burned at the stake.

Instead, these poor pedo-hunters are left to flail about in their attempt to divine the meaning and significance of individual tiles used in outdoor school mosaics created by a well-known muralist recently arrested for downloading child porn to his computer.

In their vigorous efforts to root out and destroy all bewitched tiles contained within school murals scattered throughout the Bay area, individual tiles are being removed lest they cast their evil spell upon individuals who gaze upon them.

Presumably, possession of some of these tiles will constitute a class 1 felony, much as possession of bibles translated into English were at one time offenses punished by burning at the stake.

" 'Offensive' images found in S.F. school murals

Anthony Josef Norris, a muralist who runs an arts nonprofit for children, in front of a mural he created at Ida B. Wells High School in San Francisco in 2009. Norris has been charged with possession of child pornography.

The head of a children's art organization, arrested three weeks ago for possession of child pornography, placed "offensive" tiles in murals he created at four city schools, San Francisco police said Friday.

Some 100 "inappropriate" tiles have been found in murals at Sunset Elementary School and three other unnamed schools in the city, said Police Chief Greg Suhr.

Anthony Josef Norris, founder and director of Kid Serve Youth Murals,designed and worked on all the projects. The San Francisco man surrendered June 2 to the FBI after agents investigating a website known for child pornography traced the log-on name of "Spanky" to his home computer and discovered 600 pornographic images of children, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in federal court in San Francisco.

Also under investigation were murals Norris worked on at Old Mill Elementary School in Mill Valley, Global Family School in Oakland and Bahia Vista Elementary School in San Rafael.

Police have not found inappropriate tiles at the Global Family School, said Troy Flint, a spokesman for Oakland Unified School District, who said the mural was checked on Friday. Offensive images were also not discovered during inspections at the other two schools.

The confiscated mosaic tiles measure as small as 1-inch-by-1-inch, Suhr said. Many contain photographic negatives, inlaid behind glass. Others are drawings. Some were installed high above normal viewing levels.

"I think as an adult you look at these tiles and see possibly some sort of sexual connotation to them," said Commander Mike Biel,who declined to describe the offensive images in detail.

Authorities began inspecting close to 40 murals, which comprise tens of thousands of individual tiles, when the San Francisco Unified School District notified authorities after Norris' arrest, Suhr said.

So far, no evidence suggests that children were harmed in the making of the murals.

Norris founded Kid Serve Youth Murals about 12 years ago. He said in a 2009 interview with The Chronicle that his goal was to help youths from preschool to high school develop their design talent and create mosaic murals. "

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/24/BA2U1K2CHO.DTL#ixzz1QEmMYZ4u

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signs Bill restricting Sex Offenders from Public Libraries

This is a bizarre, must-read more-than-once bill that does more than just bar sex offenders from libraries.

Inexplicably, it also bars sex offenders from "obtaining sexual offender treatment or attending a sexual offender treatment program."

I'm not sure what their line of reasoning is with that restriction but I'm sure that, in their twisted little minds, it somehow makes sense.

Here's the whole thing:

"This bill makes it a Class E felony offense for a registered sexual offender to do any of the following:

If the offender’s victim was a minor, establish a primary or secondary residence or any other living accommodation, knowingly obtain sexual offender treatment or attend a sexual offender treatment program or knowingly accept employment within 1,000 feet of the property line of any public library;

Be upon or remain on the premises of any building or grounds of any public library when the offender has reason to believe children under 18 years of age are present, unless the offender is attending a conference with public library officials as a parent or legal guardian of a child who is a participant at the public library and has received written permission or a request from the facility’s administrator; or

Stand, sit idly, whether or not the offender is in a vehicle, or remain within 1,000 feet of the property line of any building owned or operated by any public library when children under 18 years of age are present, while not having a reason or relationship involving custody of or responsibility for a child or any other specific or legitimate reason for being there."

It is tempting to dismiss this latest injustice as unremarkable given that it is coming from a state that once gave us the Scopes Monkey Trial and prevented blacks and whites from intermarrying. But, in all honesty, they are probably just keeping up with the other 49 States.

It used to be that the backwardness of the South, with its Angry-God fundamentalism and contempt for separation of church and state, created a distinct cultural dividing line within the country. But now the entire nation has fallen under a cloud of ignorance and superstition where sex offenders are the new "niggers".

All of America has now become a small-minded provincial who spys on her neighbors and makes a great public show about who she will not eat with at the lunch counter. In this environment, organizing a lynch mob must seem like a reasonable approach to solving life's problems.

Why is the government doing so little to end sexual assault in prisons?

The short answer, of course, is that they don't care. They really, really don't.

http://reason.com/archives/2011/06/20/rape-factories

When the Government Keeps a 2nd Set of Books

The story of a man who felt the only thing left for him to do was to go out in a ball of flames.

Literally.

"Ball and his family were casualties in what he called a federal "war on men." He wasn't exaggerating – and he has a lot of company."

http://lewrockwell.com/grigg/grigg-w219.html

Los Angeles Attorney Declares Rampant Fraud, Many Abuse Claims Against Catholic Priests are 'Entirely False'

Acknowledging the role of greed in the making of accusations.

http://www.themediareport.com/jan2011/special-steier-declaration.htm