Comments on: Prosecutors Gone Wild

By: GM Roper

GM Roper — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 00:30:56 +0000

Ppkey, as much as it pains me ( ) I fully agree with LOTS. My reasoning is simple. In law, and in the courtsystem in all 50 states the identity of a juvenile victim of a sex crime is withheld for obvious reasons. If, as McDade says this was a “crime” (forgive the scare quotes please) then he had a responsibility to protect the identity of the “victims” (again, please forgive the quotes). By displaying those faces, to all and sundry, McDade showed that this was NOT ABOUT CRIME but about influence and how to influence public opinion. Leaving aside the issue of “child porn” (again forgive…) he has a duty to protect those children from the consequences of being exposed. He didn’t, ipso facto, he is a slimeball.

By: listener_on_the_sidelines

listener_on_the_sidelines — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:37:13 +0000

You are correct, Pokey. It is teenage sex. And, it is entirely possible that one of the women filmed is more upset at Wilson’s (and, others) incarceration than being caught on film herself. I guess what I should have said was, McDade’s release of the film to anyone who asked, without making an effort to obscure the identities of the women caught on film, was obscene. Or, at least, demonstrated an obscene lack of judgment.

By: Pokey

Pokey — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 09:32:53 +0000

If as you say this IS child porn, then one would have to assume that you would agree with the prosocution that this was a case of child molestation?

To me this was teenage sex NOT child PORN. Th

By: Pokey

Pokey — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 09:27:29 +0000

The 15 year old girl who is now 18 and in he Army, was the first one to say this was wrong and I am SURE that she is much more offended by the fact that these boys were prosecuted and one is still in jail than the release of this video.

By: Pokey

Pokey — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 09:20:50 +0000

I repeat, all the boys were also minors, but they went to jail.

By: listener_on_the_sidelines

listener_on_the_sidelines — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 02:19:53 +0000

Pokey a video tape of 35 year old man getting a blow job by a 14-15 year old girl would be classified as pronography, consensual or not. It wouldn’t matter if the 14-15 year old girl was drunk, stoned, or of sane mind, and had a parent’s signed permission slip. She is a minor, regardless of the age of the guy getting his “rocks off.” McDade released something, done by a minor, that could have repercussions later. No one can know if the person making the video tape would have eventually released it or not, and it wouldn’t matter. The fact that the prosecuting attorney failed to show due diligience in the handling of a minor’s records, or evidence of the minor’s actions, is all that is needed to hang this cow pie. I’ll leave weasels out of it. Wilson’s age, in this regard, is irrelevant. What matters here is the age (or, the ages) of the young woman (women) involved. I believe the law allows for differential treatment of victims and perps wrt age. It doesn’t matter what Wilson’s status is, the young woman (women) is under age, and her identity ought to be ‘protected’ by law.

By: Pokey

Pokey — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 02:00:34 +0000

The U.S. Attorney David Nahmias, said the video “constitutes child pornography under federal law,”; while DA McDade says this was child molestation; and defenders of Wilson say it was consensual high school fun and games.

It seems me this was a pure case of high school fun and games, and for me there are NO victims here except for Wilson and the other young men who are serving time and permanently branded by this travesty of justice

These kids all got drunk, stoned, naked and had sex at a party while being openly videotaped. We have all seen or heard of similar parties in our youth. The 15 year old freshman gave oral sex to 4 or 5 young men that night which was videotaped.

A bipartisan group of legislators introduced a bill in the 2007 Georgia legislative session (S.B. 37) that would allow Wilson’s sentence to be reduced by the courts. This session was adjourned in April, before the bill could be considered. Several legislators have subsequently called for a rare special session of the Legislature to reconsider the bill.

Regarding the video, DA McDade has provided a July 5th letter from the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia backing up his claim to release the video as required by Georgia law.

Hopefully the release of the video tape could will help free Wilson and expunge the brand of child molester from the other young men.

P.S – Love the Weasels

By: listener_on_the_sidelines

listener_on_the_sidelines — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 01:51:28 +0000

Score: Celeste 3.5, Woody 0.5, Pokey 0, GM 1 for the weasels

As for spacebars, we find common ground where we can, eh?

By: Woody

Woody — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:56:05 +0000

File this under the category of “bears and alligators and weasels.”

By: Celeste Fremon

Celeste Fremon — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 22:55:44 +0000

Pokey, of course I wouldn’t recommend they be blacked out for the jury. If the legislature was, in fact, acting as jury (which, at the moment, they aren’t; that would be the state supreme court that has the power at this point), it could be handled as things are always handled with evidence that must, for some reason or another, treated delicately. They could see the thing in a closed door session—or even in an open session, for that matter. But that way possession of the video remains in the hands of officials and doesn’t get broadly disseminated. (I think you’re just quarreling just for quarreling’s sake, right?)

I agree with GM. I’ve been slandering weasels. My abject apologies.

(Note pissed-off weasel rightly taking issue with my wrongful characterization: http://dnr.state.il.us/orc/Wildlife/virtual_news/images/long_tailed_weasel/lt_weasel_frontal.jpg