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The title of this article speaks for itself, but if you read down further you will find that the FBI seized a child porn site and operated--yes, actually ran--- the site for several weeks before they shut it down. They offered child pornography for download.
http://tinyurl.com/kb73eh2
Now there are two questions I would like to ask---
1) Our government insists that viewing child pornography re-victimizes the children appearing in the images and videos, yet the FBI is perfectly willing to host child pornography--and re-victimize these kids--- for almost a month to anyone who wanted to download it. Does this sound like a bunch of people or an agency that really cares about the victims in those images or videos? Is it OK to re-victimize these kids when the FBI does it?? Is it OK for the FBI to break the law by offering up child pornography to catch a few viewers of child pornography?
Is it OK to break the law to enforce the law??? If our government cares so much "for the children" why in the hell are they re-victimizing those same children by taking over a web site and allowing child pornography to be viewed and downloaded??
2) Since there has been a long running battle regarding the restitution and compensation a defendant should pay the children in these images to help them with their suffering, will the FBI also pay these children the same damages and financial compensation that the courts are forcing the defendants of child pornography to pay??
The damage to the child is the same if the FBI is involved or if a regular downloader is involved. Is that not true??? In both instances the child is re-victimized every time the image is viewed---or at least that is what we are told.
And using the government's logic, by allowing others to download images from a site operated by the FBI, aren't they perpetuating the child pornography problem?? When the images are downloaded is not the FBI allowing a demand to be created which results in more images produced?? That is what they keep telling us.
Our country has waged such a War on Child Pornography and even the simplest of downloads receive an completely absurd sentence, yet here is a government agency actually offering it up for view.
This country is really a pathetic excuse for a democracy.
rewdiazepam
http://tinyurl.com/kb73eh2
Now there are two questions I would like to ask---
1) Our government insists that viewing child pornography re-victimizes the children appearing in the images and videos, yet the FBI is perfectly willing to host child pornography--and re-victimize these kids--- for almost a month to anyone who wanted to download it. Does this sound like a bunch of people or an agency that really cares about the victims in those images or videos? Is it OK to re-victimize these kids when the FBI does it?? Is it OK for the FBI to break the law by offering up child pornography to catch a few viewers of child pornography?
Is it OK to break the law to enforce the law??? If our government cares so much "for the children" why in the hell are they re-victimizing those same children by taking over a web site and allowing child pornography to be viewed and downloaded??
2) Since there has been a long running battle regarding the restitution and compensation a defendant should pay the children in these images to help them with their suffering, will the FBI also pay these children the same damages and financial compensation that the courts are forcing the defendants of child pornography to pay??
The damage to the child is the same if the FBI is involved or if a regular downloader is involved. Is that not true??? In both instances the child is re-victimized every time the image is viewed---or at least that is what we are told.
And using the government's logic, by allowing others to download images from a site operated by the FBI, aren't they perpetuating the child pornography problem?? When the images are downloaded is not the FBI allowing a demand to be created which results in more images produced?? That is what they keep telling us.
Our country has waged such a War on Child Pornography and even the simplest of downloads receive an completely absurd sentence, yet here is a government agency actually offering it up for view.
This country is really a pathetic excuse for a democracy.
rewdiazepam
Guess I'm one of the smart ones.
I do not have as big of an issue with the FBI using malware to track down people's IP addresses. People thought it was the perfect crime and they could never get caught, and the FBI just evened up the playing field again. Closing the loophole of people trying to look at CP.
No, I don't have a problem catching child porn producers, but I do have a problem with them placing tracking cookies and malware---basically hacking someone's computer----to make a child porn arrest. To me, that is too intrusive.
If we don't have a problem with them doing that, where does it stop? The government is betting that people won't have a problem with HOW they do things, as long as they are catching the child porn people---and they are right. And that is one of the reasons that the government is out of control---many of the citizens don't have a problem with how they do things.
I was the result of a false conviction, and I guess I just see the government as evil sometimes, as an entity that, if you give them an inch, they will take a mile. I have seen that with my own eyes.
I don't think the FBI hacking personal computers will stop with child pornographers, but I hope I am wrong. Things like this have always led us down a slippery slope, so I don't see why it wouldn't in these kind of cases.
I don't think the ends justifies the means, but that is just my opinion.
rewdiazepam
There are already some people in hiding in other countries that fled because things were planted on their computers by FBI and ICE -
Thank you REW well said
- and frankly I am sick of CP possessors being painted as the worst of the worst - this is a crime that for many years was a misdemeanor -
Just because a legislature might give law enforcement blanket immunity that does not automatically mean a court would accept it. It would be the kind of question that the concept of three branches of government with a system of checks and balances was intended for.
I hope you are right, I really do, but everything that I know about the situation leads me to believe the court would not rule that way. The court still stands by the notion that the registry is not punishment-- so I hold out little hope that this would shock their conscience.
I have always said that I do not ask that my son not be punished for breaking the law but I would like his sentence to have an end! With life time registry in FL there is no "serve your sentence" - the sentence is never over!
As the numbers on the registry grow and these insane laws affect others something has to give ...
free thinking and being independent can sometimes lead to not listening to common sense or reasoned wisdom. ~sigh~
But don't try to tell me how child porn is so terrible because it re-victimizes the children in the images or creates a demand and then allow that same child porn available to be downloaded by anyone. That is just so hypocritical.
If it is true what the FBI says about re-victimizing the children and that downloading creates a demand---which is a REAL stretch in both cases----then why is the FBI allowing real child porn on the site for download?
There is no telling how many people downloaded real child porn in the three or four weeks the FBI was running the site.
I GUESS THE FBI IS TRYING TO SOLVE THE CHILD PORN PROBLEM BY ALLOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF CHILD PORN. Does not make a bit of sense.
The War on Child Pornography has affected so many of the mothers, wives, girlfriends, and family members on this board. The sentences are literally Draconian. This is why this is such a sore spot with me---the people I care about are suffering here.
rewdiazepam
Nor do I think downloading CP creates a demand for CP. The demand is already there or they wouldn't click on it in the first place. If you look at it in this way I think it makes the most sense to go after the supply side, ie the people actually molesting and raping children.
You are calling the government out on their hypocrisy, expecting their rules to be consistent with the stances they take. I agree. I am just not that surprised by it and it doesn't shock me that they are doing this. They are punishing people after their sentence has ended. They keep on adding retroactively more ridiculous rules.
This definitely makes me angry but it's way down on the list of issues that I am extremely upset about.
1. The ongoing punishment that is the registry
2. Making it extremely difficult for offenders to reintegrate into society when it actually makes them less of a risk to re-offend
3. Not using any academic resources or any part of their brain besides emotions when coming up with sex offender laws
4. Spending all the money to combat sex crimes focusing on less than 10% of the problem
5. Call a child an adult so you punish them like an adult but if they are victims calling them children.
6. Travel restrictions, international Megan's law
7. Not treating CP like an addiction that it is. Low level drug criminals get treatment, so should low level CP offenders
8. Central Florida sex stings in general
9. Now I would the FBI's hypocritical stance on running a CP site.
-Lack of due process
-civil commitment
-residency restrictions
Are all ahead of the FBI being hypocritical too
You are exactly correct and that was an excellent, well thought out post. I agree with everything you said, and no, I am not surprised to see the FBI taking over a child porn site and allowing child porn to be downloaded. Pissed as hell, but not surprised.
But I was the victim of police corruption and perjury and I really dislike the hypocrisy and dishonesty of law enforcement. All the other issues that you mentioned which you felt were more egregious than the FBI running a porn site, I also agree with.
But I just really, really, really do not like what law enforcement has done to citizens in this country.
rewdiazepam