Comments on: Accused of Being a Child Pornographer

By: Laura Cloyes

Laura Cloyes — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 20:53:47 +0000

I can tell you all from personal experience that this is not unheard of and I am sure it is a true story. in may of 2005 I attended the wedding of 2 friends. I forgot my digital camera at the reception site and went to inquire about it the next morning. It was not to be found. I figured one of the cleaning crew probably snagged it and I would never see it again. Oh well... 2 days later a knock on my door. The police on my front steps holding my camera. Great! I thought someone found it and it was being returned to me. My business card was in the case. However, no they were actually there because my camera had been turned in to them because of some questionable pictures. I had been to visit my 2 god children 2 weeks before the wedding and there were some pics of them and their parents and me in the camera. They were 4 and 2 years old at the time and did allot of running around naked that weekend. There were 6 pictures out of about 17 that had some nudity. pretty regular toddler stuff. Most of the pics showed the same kids, clothed hugging my neck or sitting with me in a chair or on the floor. Long story short, I told the cops that this was a misunderstanding and these kids were my god children and here were pictures of them on my bookshelves and on the fridge. We could just pick up the phone and call my best Friend and her husband and they would verify that they were standing right there when I was snapping pics and the kids were just being kids. Lets call them right now I said. But no that wasn't what we did. The cops asked if they could have my computer and any other cameras I had at home. I said why? To see if there are any more child porn in your possession. I was shaking by now. No they could not have my computers. They would be back with a warrant. They never called my friends. They came the next day with warrant and took my only computer and would not give me a copy of my client data base with which I make my living. I hired and attorney. My computer was kept by the State for 3 months. Child Services investigated my friends and were pleased to report a safe happy environment for kids. Still no computer. I was never charged. It cost me almost $4,000 in lawyer fees and 3 months without a way to work and I am a Realtor. No database, no sales. 3 months. Read the article and I know they were truthful. I happens and it is horrible.

By: PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts »

PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts » — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 20:35:31 +0000

[...] A postscript to this discussion is to mention of another example of a laudable and popular goal leading to abuse. In this case, the goal is the rooting out of child pornographers. Alex Knapp, blogging at OTB, noted this Salon piece a little while ago: They called me a child pornographer: As usual during the trip, we took several photos. Because I forgot my digital camera, I bought a disposable camera at a gas station on the way to the campground. I took pictures of the kids using sticks to beat on old bottles and cans and logs as musical instruments. I took a few of my youngest daughter, Eliza, then age 3, skinny-dipping in the lake, and my son, Noah, then age 8, swimming in the lake in his underwear, and another of Noah naked, hamming it up while using a long stick to hold his underwear over the fire to dry. Finally, I took a photo of everyone, as was our camping tradition, peeing on the ashes of the fire to put it out for the last time. We also let the kids take photos of their own. [...]

By: Steve Verdon

Steve Verdon — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 23:34:26 +0000

Well Christopherâ?¦you got anything to back up your claim that the story is false? Hello...?

I'm going to hazard a guess that you are talking out of your third point of contact...again, Christopher.

By: floyd

floyd — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 22:21:24 +0000

anderson; the governments actions are a "reflexion"[sic] of the values of the people we elect, and reelect,and reelect, and reelect ad-nauseum

By: Steve Verdon

Steve Verdon — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 18:27:16 +0000

Well Christopher...you got anything to back up your claim that the story is false?

By: Stormy Dragon

Stormy Dragon — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 16:44:32 +0000

But Scalia has already said that the increasing professionalism of police forces, including a new emphasis on internal discipline, will prevent stuff like this!! Why do you hate America, Alex?

By: John Burgess

John Burgess — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 15:39:31 +0000

Itâ??s for exactly reasons like this case that we need easy-to-interpret legal standards and constraints on government action. Cases like this are why we need clear standards of evidence.

Here's where you may be opening the door to legal mischief. "Easy-to-interpret standards" are the problem, not the solution. They are, in fact, what were used to create this headache for this guy. The "easy-to-intepret" standard applied was

Photo(naked kids + genitalia + alcohol) = pedophilia

No interpretation was needed, simply checking off the boxes and coming to a conclusion (however erroneous that might be). Attempts to simplify mean that all the context, all the nuance get lost and innocent behavior suddenly becomes criminal.

By: Anderson

Anderson — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 14:18:11 +0000

who ever said anybody from the government had â??half a brainâ???? i remember freedom in america, though it was already feeble; and i have lived long enough to watch it die from the torture of ignorance, from a people grown too dull for self reliance.

Except of course when the same government is holding hundreds of people in Guantanamo Bay for five years without charging them with anything. THEN the gov't is all-wise and not to be questioned.

By: Steve Verdon

Steve Verdon — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 13:48:14 +0000

Christopher,

On what do you base that claim? Arresting parents for taking innocent pictures of their children nude isn't unheard of.

Personally, the overzealousness of the legal system in this area is why there are no such pictures of my son. I figure I can't count on either common sense or intelligence on the part of my fellow Americans.

Floyd,

Well said.

By: Below The Beltway

Below The Beltway — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 11:02:09 +0000

For The Children. Against The Parents...

......

By: Christopher

Christopher — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 04:51:30 +0000

LOL!

Not a true story guys. You were all fooled.

Way to go, Alex.

By: floyd

floyd — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 03:31:48 +0000

who ever said anybody from the government had "half a brain"?? i remember freedom in america, though it was already feeble; and i have lived long enough to watch it die from the torture of ignorance, from a people grown too dull for self reliance.

By: Robert Prather

Robert Prather — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 02:44:43 +0000

This is obviously an attempt to lay the groundwork for an attack on Barbara Bush and her son, George W. ;)

Remember after the 2000 election fiasco, President Bush showed a picture of Jeb when he was two or three years old, just out of the bathtub and naked? I thought it was brilliant and devious and never considered it odd at all. Parents do that sort of thing. Not odd at all.

By: Anderson

Anderson — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 02:34:41 +0000

Jesus, wait until Georgia finds out about Sally Mann.

By: Richard Gardner

Richard Gardner — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 02:05:48 +0000

Then there was the part about the social worker having never been camping, so had zero frame of reference to assess the situation. She was amazed that children were near a campfire.

So we now have legal warrantless searches from Child Protective Services (or equivalent), along with mandatory snitch laws if you suspect something might be happening.