No to child pornography
This post is a bit unusual, in that I came to write it as part of a blog campaign. It is something I normally do not participate in, but I felt this warranted an exception. Today is Universal Youth Day and it is fitting that bloggers across the world are joining together to fight against the most heinous crime against children that exists in this modern world.
One of the scourges of the human race is pornography. Even before the advent of technology such as the Internet, it was rampant. Since the online age has came upon us, it is even more accessible and has caused many marital problems. Religiously, I believe it is a sin, but as long as it is between consenting adults, I really have no more to say, even though I believe it is very demeaning to a woman to be the subject of pornography. Some people like Larry Flynt say pornography is protected speech under the 1st Amendment. While that may be true to some extent, there is a part of this practice that should not be considered as such. When it comes to child pornography, all bets are off.
Consider this quote from Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It is part of his statement on sentencing guidelines for child pornography offenses.
I come before you today to make a simple point. Child pornography is a serious crime. It merits serious penalties. The guidelines are not the problem. The problem is the lack of understanding of the true nature and severity of this crime, and the harm caused by these offenders.
Child pornography is misnamed and misunderstood. It is not pornography. It is not protected speech. It is not victim less crime. These are crime scene photos, images of the sexual abuse of a child. They are contraband, direct evidence of the sexual victimization of a child. The circulation of these images among offenders not only re victimizes the child, but it also drives the market for the production of new images.
Some have said, “child pornography, isn’t that just adult pornography, 20 year olds in pigtails made to look like they are 14?” Well, not exactly. From the millions of images we have reviewed and the thousands of children we have identified, we have learned that most of the victims are prepubescent, and that a growing number are infants and toddlers.
Many of these children are being abused violently in images depicting bondage, sadism, torture, vaginal, anal, and oral penetration, bestiality, and sexual humiliation. Offenders tell us that the growing demand for very young children is because they are pre-verbal.
Most offenders have not innocently or mistakenly downloaded a single image or even a handful of images. We find offenders who build libraries of child pornography images, collected and viewed for the offender’s personal sexual gratification and, more commonly, traded, shared, and/or sold online.
Do you realize that in 2002, there were over 100,000 websites containing child pornography, according to the U.S Customs Service? That is over 100,000 websites displaying images, videos, etc. of children in sexual positions or acts. I can not think of anything more disgusting. How anyone could enjoy looking at such images is beyond me and I could think of several different things that would be very fitting punishment for those who commit such sick and perverted acts.
If there is one thing where our society has failed utterly, it is in it’s battle against child pornography. As Ernie Allen said in his statement, this is not a crime that has no victim. Not only is viewing, trading, or sharing such images the height of depravity, statistics have shown that most sex offenses against children are committed by someone who has viewed child pornography.
Those of you who have followed my blog for any length of time will know that I am a big believer if the 1st Amendment and personal freedom. There are lots of things that some people do that I may disagree with strongly, but those things are part of their personal freedom. I am free to speak up about it and they are free to disagree. Child pornography does not fall into that category. It goes past personal freedom and into an area of such corruption that I can not begin to put it to words. It is far past time that child pornography and it’s offenders are dealt with summarily and as harshly as is necessary to make sure the practice becomes endangered or extinct.
UPDATE: There is news this morning that 44 suspects have been arrested in Georgia computer child porn sweep and more arrests are expected. Read the article from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
After I get over my absolute disgust….I can say that you and I agree 150% on this one. This make me so angry. Not only is this NOT freedom of speech or pornography for that matter, this is a crime. Pure and simple. Everyone involved in this should be punished to the greatest extent of our law. I even think that the death penalty is warranted here.
You asked how anyone could even think this way. I think this is demonic, pure and simple. These people opened the door to sexual perversion and then were completely taken over. Nothing else makes sense to me. This – to quote Bush – is EVIL. It comes from the pit of hell.
The damage done to these poor children is more then my heart can bear. And babies? God help us! I think becoming a grand-mother recently, I find these stories so grievous my heart feels as if it will break.
My associate pastor is on the crime team that goes in and rescues people that are taken and put into the sex trafficking organizations and see so much of this kind of stuff. It is not difficult to stomach even for the most hardened FBI and police officers.
Thank you for doing this article. I have to say you did a really good job. I am going to cross-post an excerpt on my blog and link back here if that would be all right with you.
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That would be perfectly fine with me, Dominique. I am nothing special when it comes to writing, but this topic needs to be discussed and dealt with. It sickens me to think anyone could do this to a child. I would think a person would nearly have to be possessed or something to stoop to the level of child pornography.
Thanks. I will add it to my Monday posts. BTW, I twittered, stumbled and digg’d your article for you. You’re right. It needs to get out! P. S. I just sent you an email!
I don’t think it a “level.” I think at that point, you are completely debased. I keep thinking of that scripture that talks about God turning people over to the desires of their flesh. It’s a little humbling when you think about what we are capable of as humans.
Have a great weekend, my friend.
BTW, when are you all coming to Tulsa!
Dominique´s last blog ..Obama-care not in America’s best WELFARE