(Re-posted here in this blog due to popular demand by blog readers. Originally posted at: http://avt777.blogspot.com/2011/04/comedy-and-free-speech-or-kiddie-porn.html )
April 13th, 2011
The Youtube comedian/jokester, Evan Emory, who edited his video to make it appear he was singing a sexually-suggestive song to a group of young school children agreed to a plea bargain whereby he will serve a sentence of a sixty day jail-term (among other things). The said individual pleaded ‘no contest’ to "unlawful posting of an Internet message with aggravating circumstances” – according to the Village Voice. Apparently the young man/comic agreed to the plea bargain to avoid any possibility of a conviction of "manufacturing child pornography."
Clearly, the young man and video jokester didn’t think his joke through to any possible conclusion – especially how the video might be perceived/received by any of the young children’s parents, let alone how it might be perceived by a prosecutor or judge. If my child had been highlighted in the video, I also probably would have been perturbed. Nevertheless, in this day and age, it would seem nearly anyone would agree to spend a month [or so] in jail [to appease any upset parents or bureaucrats] before they would risk being labeled and nationally listed as a ‘sex offender’ – assuming they ever wanted another job.
What is of issue here, in my opinion, is this matter highlights how the plea bargain process seems improper. Maybe this matter should have been heard to clarify what speech is illegal and what is not – regardless of what is improper or in poor taste or what jokes of what subject should be avoided. Of course, such a hearing/trial would have meant a considerable increase in workload for all the legal entities and personnel involved.
Then again, what probably prevented this matter from being heard is the apparent and often improper nature of mandatory type of sentencing, particularly so concerning any national blacklists – such as any National Bad Drivers List, No-Fly List (unless the individual is a verified terrorist) and dare I say it, any sex-offenders list (because it can apparently blacklist for life any such simplistic comedian-wanna-be, for one example).
It would seem mandatory sentencing or labeling should only apply to violent criminals, in my opinion, if at all. Sentencing guidelines would appear as a better alternative. It would seem that any honest and competent judge could distinguish those that should be removed from society and incarcerated and those for whom such a sentence of incarceration may not be warranted. However, of course, not all judges are fair, honest, and competent – as history has shown us time and time again throughout the land.
I mean, regardless of all else, maybe this matter should have been heard/tried to clarify what is Free speech and what is not. Such a clarification appears as necessary for some, obviously. This Youtube comedian was not intending to make child pornography, in my opinion, he was merely attempting to make a [poor or improper] joke. However, any mandatory sentencing and blacklisting of this Youtube comedian likely also would have been improper. (Be aware, I don’t know the individual personally.)
As a result of no clarification of legal speech in this matter, would any viewer of the joke Youtube video also be guilty of watching child pornography? Are/Were any news/media outlets then providing child pornography by allowing anyone to view the video on their websites or broadcasts? Was Youtube guilty of posting child pornography when it allowed the posting of this video to its massive website?
As with any legal ambiguity, by this plea bargain, Freedom of Speech has essentially been weakened as to what Free Speech is legal or illegal – again, as such a clarification appears as necessary for some and, in the end, such a legal clarification could help all. Is the Village Voice breaking the Law by providing the video for viewing – which it chose not to do by the link below? I don’t profess to have or know the answer for dealing with pedophiles and I wish such individuals were not ever among the free and decent peoples of the world, of course. However, when one is talking about Freedom of Speech without any violent intentions, well…. Maybe, at a minimum, our tax dollars would be better spent by not putting misguided and simple-minded comedians in jail for jokes – regardless of the inappropriate nature of the joke.
AVT
See:
YouTube Kid Gets 60 Days in Jail For Sex Joke Song
By Joe Coscarelli, Wed., Apr. 13 2011 @ 5:13PM
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/04/youtube_kid_jail_child_porn_joke_song.php
On the other hand, for reference on my position on such matters, I have also previously posted:
Should We Execute Violent Sex Offenders Regardless of the Degree of Murder? Body of Missing Female High School Student is Recovered
http://avt777.blogspot.com/2010/03/should-we-execute-violent-sex-offenders.html
Also posted at:
http://avt777.blogspot.com/2011/04/comedy-and-free-speech-or-kiddie-porn.html
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Bats facing extinction?
April 11th, 2011
Are bat populations/species facing extinction as reported predictions anticipate?
One has to wonder what is causing the latest manifestation of all the unsavory realities throughout the world (bees disappearing, bat-kills, bird-kills, fish-kills, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.). Have any such unsavory conditions in the world always been present to the latest degree and our latest concern is more a result of the speed and quantity of reported information? Could these recent conditions be a result of global climate change or possibly the testing of a massive science-fiction type of electromagnet weaponry? Or did these types of calamities always happen from time to time and to such an extent in nature and the populace didn’t have access to high-tech or high-speed news media to be informed of the matter (immediately or otherwise)? Then again..., is something more ominous afoot – albeit of mankind or cosmic origin?
AVT
See:
Fungus sweeps across the country, killing bats
By THE DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE
Staff Writer
Friday, April 8, 2011
PS. Should I include or mention widespread political unrest as well? Do the news media sources have nothing but calamities to report because reporting such appears as the only way for the media sources to increase ratings, readers, and therefore advertising revenues? Although the bat-kills seem have been given only minimal attention, I must admit.
Are bat populations/species facing extinction as reported predictions anticipate?
One has to wonder what is causing the latest manifestation of all the unsavory realities throughout the world (bees disappearing, bat-kills, bird-kills, fish-kills, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.). Have any such unsavory conditions in the world always been present to the latest degree and our latest concern is more a result of the speed and quantity of reported information? Could these recent conditions be a result of global climate change or possibly the testing of a massive science-fiction type of electromagnet weaponry? Or did these types of calamities always happen from time to time and to such an extent in nature and the populace didn’t have access to high-tech or high-speed news media to be informed of the matter (immediately or otherwise)? Then again..., is something more ominous afoot – albeit of mankind or cosmic origin?
AVT
See:
Fungus sweeps across the country, killing bats
By THE DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE
Staff Writer
Friday, April 8, 2011
PS. Should I include or mention widespread political unrest as well? Do the news media sources have nothing but calamities to report because reporting such appears as the only way for the media sources to increase ratings, readers, and therefore advertising revenues? Although the bat-kills seem have been given only minimal attention, I must admit.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
TSA Agents Arrested for Theft at JFK Airport in NYC. TSA: Thieving Scoundrel Admin. of the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security!
April 6th, 2011
Approximately a week and a half ago, reports were broadcast telling of the arrest and confessions of at least two [if not several] TSA Agents concerning theft from airline travelers at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City. The agents of the TSA (Transportation Security Administration, or was that the Thieving Scoundrels Administration) were apparently stealing material items from passengers’ checked baggage; the same checked baggage that the agents were responsible for verifying as safe and flight-worthy and not containing dangerous or terroristic devices/contraband. Apparently, arrests of TSA Agents from JFK had been made several weeks ago. However, I heard no report of the story until last week. Very briefly, I heard the reported story on WABC Television Late-Night News Sunday March 27th, as I recall.
Does it seem odd that this story was not given more attention by the mainstream press/media outlets? TSA, the U.S. airport security folks who x-ray and search baggage at the airports and screen passengers as well, are - of course - U.S. government employees (U.S. Department of Homeland Security / insecurity). I would venture to guess that many would not want the populace/consumer/airline traveler to know that some of these TSA folks who are entrusted with helping to verify our safety while traveling via commercial airliners are no better than common thieves. Again, that is to say, I am sure many governmental-type entities would not want us to know that several of the government agents entrusted with our safety are merely low-life criminals – those who have neither apparent need nor desperation but choose to steal to better themselves financially, nevertheless.
Are incidents such as this which involved the apparently government sanctioned thieves at JFK Airport more prevalent and more widespread than the average American consumer may know? Or, is this merely an isolated series of incidents or another in the long list of our Federal government’s ineptitude? Lest we forget, these TSA baggage checkers and security personnel [and thieves] have supposedly gone through rigorous background checks to ensure any trust placed in the TSA personnel is warranted. Apparently, the numbers of common thieves among the TSA has grown and thefts of this sort have continued across the nation for a significant period of time, btw.
In my opinion, another of the huge ironies with this story - and another reason why I no longer enjoy traveling via commercial airliners anymore - is that when traveling by air, the traveler can no longer lock their checked baggage to prevent theft of valuables. Baggage can not be locked, of course, so that any of these potential thieves/TSA Agents can go through/inspect the checked baggage – all in the name of security, anti-terrorism, and passenger safety. (Search and seizure/Fourth Amendment Rights therefore being suspended, no doubt.)
With the irony marching forward: If these TSA Agents can not be trusted to not steal from the unsuspecting airline passengers, one must logically wonder, what else might the corrupt TSA agents put a price on? Could the corrupt thieves amongst the TSA inspectors be bribed into letting dangerous or terroristic items/weapons on the planes?
Obviously, any trust in the recently arrested TSA-common-thieves was ill-placed. One has to wonder if any faith of somewhat assured safety concerning the airplane, cargo, and the planes’ passengers was also ill-advised – given the actions of these TSA agents at JFK Airport.
Adam Trotter / AVT
PS. As another interesting personal oddity to this story, I am aware of a friend who was on business travel to a non-stop destination, leaving from JFK Airport in New York a few weeks ago. Upon arrival at their destination, my friend then discovered that a lap-top computer which was in their checked baggage had been stolen. They reported the theft to the authorities a few days prior to the recent re-reported arrest of the TSA agents/thieves which was broadcast last week. So in other words, there are likely to be more/other thieves working for the TSA at JFK which have yet to be caught - as the thieves of this latest reported story had been arrested prior to the theft of my friend's lap-top computer. Regardless, I’m sure my friend’s missing computer has long-since landed in some Gotham City stolen-computer chop-shop and will likely never be seen again.
Though there are a surprisingly [or not surprisingly] few/limited number of media reports on this latest TSA related theft at JFK Airport, nevertheless, also see:
Two TSA agents busted at JFK Airport for stealing $160,000 from checked bags
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bags_tsa_agents_busted_checked_jfk_FRka1bq83wcuV1xwkEwUJK
Coumar Persad & Davon Webb, JFK TSA Officials, Admit To Robbing Passengers (POLL)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/16/coumar-persad-and-davon-w_n_824105.html
Investigation into alleged TSA thefts at JFK Airport (An article from Like a year ago)
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/investigators&id=7447038
TSA Under Fire for Rising Theft by Baggage Screeners (An article from seven years ago)
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=266573
Approximately a week and a half ago, reports were broadcast telling of the arrest and confessions of at least two [if not several] TSA Agents concerning theft from airline travelers at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City. The agents of the TSA (Transportation Security Administration, or was that the Thieving Scoundrels Administration) were apparently stealing material items from passengers’ checked baggage; the same checked baggage that the agents were responsible for verifying as safe and flight-worthy and not containing dangerous or terroristic devices/contraband. Apparently, arrests of TSA Agents from JFK had been made several weeks ago. However, I heard no report of the story until last week. Very briefly, I heard the reported story on WABC Television Late-Night News Sunday March 27th, as I recall.
Does it seem odd that this story was not given more attention by the mainstream press/media outlets? TSA, the U.S. airport security folks who x-ray and search baggage at the airports and screen passengers as well, are - of course - U.S. government employees (U.S. Department of Homeland Security / insecurity). I would venture to guess that many would not want the populace/consumer/airline traveler to know that some of these TSA folks who are entrusted with helping to verify our safety while traveling via commercial airliners are no better than common thieves. Again, that is to say, I am sure many governmental-type entities would not want us to know that several of the government agents entrusted with our safety are merely low-life criminals – those who have neither apparent need nor desperation but choose to steal to better themselves financially, nevertheless.
Are incidents such as this which involved the apparently government sanctioned thieves at JFK Airport more prevalent and more widespread than the average American consumer may know? Or, is this merely an isolated series of incidents or another in the long list of our Federal government’s ineptitude? Lest we forget, these TSA baggage checkers and security personnel [and thieves] have supposedly gone through rigorous background checks to ensure any trust placed in the TSA personnel is warranted. Apparently, the numbers of common thieves among the TSA has grown and thefts of this sort have continued across the nation for a significant period of time, btw.
In my opinion, another of the huge ironies with this story - and another reason why I no longer enjoy traveling via commercial airliners anymore - is that when traveling by air, the traveler can no longer lock their checked baggage to prevent theft of valuables. Baggage can not be locked, of course, so that any of these potential thieves/TSA Agents can go through/inspect the checked baggage – all in the name of security, anti-terrorism, and passenger safety. (Search and seizure/Fourth Amendment Rights therefore being suspended, no doubt.)
With the irony marching forward: If these TSA Agents can not be trusted to not steal from the unsuspecting airline passengers, one must logically wonder, what else might the corrupt TSA agents put a price on? Could the corrupt thieves amongst the TSA inspectors be bribed into letting dangerous or terroristic items/weapons on the planes?
Obviously, any trust in the recently arrested TSA-common-thieves was ill-placed. One has to wonder if any faith of somewhat assured safety concerning the airplane, cargo, and the planes’ passengers was also ill-advised – given the actions of these TSA agents at JFK Airport.
Adam Trotter / AVT
PS. As another interesting personal oddity to this story, I am aware of a friend who was on business travel to a non-stop destination, leaving from JFK Airport in New York a few weeks ago. Upon arrival at their destination, my friend then discovered that a lap-top computer which was in their checked baggage had been stolen. They reported the theft to the authorities a few days prior to the recent re-reported arrest of the TSA agents/thieves which was broadcast last week. So in other words, there are likely to be more/other thieves working for the TSA at JFK which have yet to be caught - as the thieves of this latest reported story had been arrested prior to the theft of my friend's lap-top computer. Regardless, I’m sure my friend’s missing computer has long-since landed in some Gotham City stolen-computer chop-shop and will likely never be seen again.
Though there are a surprisingly [or not surprisingly] few/limited number of media reports on this latest TSA related theft at JFK Airport, nevertheless, also see:
Two TSA agents busted at JFK Airport for stealing $160,000 from checked bags
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bags_tsa_agents_busted_checked_jfk_FRka1bq83wcuV1xwkEwUJK
Coumar Persad & Davon Webb, JFK TSA Officials, Admit To Robbing Passengers (POLL)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/16/coumar-persad-and-davon-w_n_824105.html
Investigation into alleged TSA thefts at JFK Airport (An article from Like a year ago)
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/investigators&id=7447038
TSA Under Fire for Rising Theft by Baggage Screeners (An article from seven years ago)
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=266573
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)