Child pornography: the automatic guilty verdict
Believe it or not, there is a subject more personally dangerous to mention and more divisive, than "abortion". It is "child pornography".
Almost everyone wants to protect innocent children. It is in our nature. Some people, though, have broken natures and want to prey on the innocent. Many of these find jobs with government where they can cause harm with no fear of breaking the "law". Others (we will pretend the categories don't overlap) exploit innocent children sexually.
I often find myself taking the hated position of attempting to point out that just because the agents of the state kidnap someone on charges of possessing child pornography, it doesn't mean the person did anything wrong, or even actually had any of the forbidden materials in their presence. I suspect it is very easy to plant such images in a person's computer in order to be able to lock them up without anyone speaking out in their defense. It has become our "witchcraft" accusation; impossible to survive once made. Don't think the goons of the state don't recognize and take advantage of this fact.
Child pornography even includes what I consider the "Stephen King-ish victims". Should Stephen King be on death row for all the murders he has "committed" in his books? Of course not. Why should an equivalent creative act (no matter how revolting it is to most of us) be punished? Cartoon characters which could be interpreted to be imaginary children are not harmed no matter what anyone does to them. If certain studies are correct, then this type of "child pornography" could actually prevent real attacks on innocent children, rather than "inspire" it as the detractors claim. Regardless: no victim; no aggression.
When a child victim of pornographic exploitation grows to be a responsible self-owning person, he or she should have total control over what is done with the images of them as a child, including getting all copies away from the feds' "child porn database" (for "research"... riiiight...). Even if we don't like what they choose to do with their personal property. Otherwise you are telling them they do not own themselves, but the collective- "society"- does. That is wrong and harmful now, and two wrongs don't make a right.
It is also dangerous to point out that most teenagers are not "children" even if the state declares them so. Some may not be fully responsible for their actions and some undoubtedly are. Age has no bearing on this. To make a "one-size-punishes-all law" harms everyone in the long run. This is the absurdity of the "sexting crisis".
Since I know I will be misrepresented, it is probably pointless to state this, but I will anyway: I don't want to view any child pornography. I don't understand its attraction to some; I would violently defend any child who was being exploited in this way whether they were familiar to me or not. If I knew someone who had it, I would keep my children away from him and would warn everyone I knew to watch him near their kids. I would NOT tattle to the state, however. I would also try to remember that all is not as it seems when the state wants to get rid of someone. Governments lie. It is what they do best, except for stealing, kidnapping, and killing.
