tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post8419935694917525230..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Living in the 'Age of Prohibitions'Gritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-91360592316338527392010-06-18T11:14:07.543-05:002010-06-18T11:14:07.543-05:00anon 2:15, according to the law, YES, your grandfa...anon 2:15, according to the law, YES, your grandfather would be seen as a sex offender if his crime occurred after 1969. as to this comment:<br /><br />"If you read the police reports and other documentation of the youth being admitted to TYC for Aggravated Sexual Assault or Sexual Assault you would know that all this talk above is untrue. These young men are sentenced for some serious crimes!<br /><br />"<br /><br />umm dude, if you are a dude, both of those charges are umbrellas for serious adn not serious offenses. If you have the money and a decent attorney, charges of both can be reduced to child endangerment, or unlawful restraint (neither of which will keep you on the registry).<br /><br />I got deferred adjudication in the 90's on the charge of Sexual Assault. My crime? Pikcing up a 15 year old in a club in Irving using a fake ID. I was in my 20's, her ID said she was 21. <br /><br />There is no defense for Sexual Assault charges if you do not have the liquid assets to hire the cream of the attorney crop. Texas changed its laws many years ago that made a suspect of a sexual crime well behind the curve. That change was the 'victim's' testimony is treated as proof. In the last couple of years some judges have begun questioning that "proof", but for those of us that were put on the registry in the 90's that questioning has come far too late. Not everyone on the Registry is a predator. <br /><br />paper after paper, analysis after analysis has shown that the real predator population on the registry is no more than 7% yet 100% are treated as the 7% should be. People then get their assumptions proven about RSO's when one of those 7% re-offends, citing that the whole will never change, are "monsters", need a bullet in the brain. <br /><br />DUI convicts have a 45% rate of re-offense, yet Sex Offenders have a 3 to 7% re-offense rate. Sex Offenders are treated more harshly than murderers, yet DUI re-offenders statistically endanger and harm more people. But the laws for Sex Offenders that have attempted to regain a place in society and made their lives better ON THEIR OWN are treated every year to laws that are harsher and harsher, and have NO way to show that they have truly reformed. <br /><br />Sorry, my soapbox is tall. However, getting back to topic regarding Teen sex offenders. Several cases in this state and as well the nation have been successfully prosecuted for a MALE child receiving nude pictures of his FEMALE love interest as Child Porn, while only 1 FEMALE that took those pictures has been charged for distribution of Child Pron Nationally that I am aware. The boys get a permanant stay on the registry, while the tart gets off scott free to do it again to the next guy that she finds lacking in the bedroom.<br /><br />Sorry if anyone sees me as jaded. I am actually, because to my two children at home I am dad, but have never been a 'monster'. <br /><br />Do you know how many school plays, softball games, or field trips I missed due to a 15 year old Chunt that wanted to play a victim?<br /><br />My culpability in all this? I should have taken her in the parking lot like she asked instead of taking her home and actually trying to get to know her.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-47186664427879419712010-06-18T10:48:02.924-05:002010-06-18T10:48:02.924-05:00""Let others debate the hot button cultu...""Let others debate the hot button cultural issues." Excuse me? You have been vigorously promoting the legalization of drugs and prostitution for years.<br /><br />"<br /><br />I have yet to read or see Grits promote legalization of drugs and prostitution. I HAVE seen him question the law as it is applied to these items as both have different levels to them. Generalized statements on THIS blog will get you slapped, and you generalized.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-6893878117883801692010-06-17T14:15:33.463-05:002010-06-17T14:15:33.463-05:00OMG,does that mean that my grandpa is a sex offend...OMG,does that mean that my grandpa is a sex offender. He married my grandmother, she was 10 years younger at 14? What about Mary and Joseph? It is said that Mary was around 14 and Joseph was in his 30's. If Joseph would have been arrested, would there be Jesus?<br />Oh and I forgot about my neighbor when I was 15. I won't say his name, I don't want him arrested, 33 years later. WOW, I could have had several young men arrested. What a shame, wake up men and women.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-16763120348327846332010-06-17T11:28:36.281-05:002010-06-17T11:28:36.281-05:00If you read the police reports and other documenta...If you read the police reports and other documentation of the youth being admitted to TYC for Aggravated Sexual Assault or Sexual Assault you would know that all this talk above is untrue. These young men are sentenced for some serious crimes!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-50694685762780701882010-06-17T09:49:11.439-05:002010-06-17T09:49:11.439-05:00In response to Juliet's Mom,
I couldn't a...In response to Juliet's Mom,<br /><br />I couldn't agree more. Common sense is the key point. There is no common sense involved in the current use of the age of consent laws and teens. Nor is there when it comes to the multitude of laws that come under the heading of sex crimes. <br /><br />The words blind stupidity come to mind when one sees case after case of young men whose lives are destroyed by these laws. Or with the thought that teenagers will just not have sexual relations of any kind, as they have since the beginning of the species, just because someone decided it was offensive to their delicate sensibilities and passed laws against it. The only thing these laws and the current policy to enforce them has done is make our children criminals and create food for the industry we call our criminal justice system as well as a steady stream of income for the industries created by the SO registry system. Once again we are seeing laws passed and enforced in the name of protecting “children” that everyone knows has little effect in actually protecting them, but instead has created a new class of criminal, the child his or herself. <br /><br />On one hand, the cry is to protect children and allow them to be children, on the other, it has been completely forgotten that children grow up and that as they do, sexual awakenings and experimentation is a natural part of that growth process. Instead, the law demands that they repress all natural feelings of sexuality until a ”magic age” occurs and they wake up one morning completely transformed into adults because they are now “legal”. Then, of course, we demand that they accept and understand all the responsibilities of this sudden adulthood despite that they have been denied all the processes of growing up that those of us old enough to have had an adolescence free of these laws experienced. <br /><br />Laws will not stop teens from having sex. Laws will not stop teenage girls from lying about their age and having sex with older boys or men. (Back in my day as a teenage girl, an “older” boyfriend was the equivalent of whatever the current must have status symbol is for teens. Virginity will never recapture the status it had prior to the Sexual Revolution no matter how many programs the government implements.) These laws will not teach our children self respect, maturity or respect for the laws of the land, nor will they teach them anything other than rebellion against a society that has no real interest in protecting them. Just one that has an interest in control and how much cash can be made over criminalizing them. <br /><br />If there is any doubt of that, I suggest one consider the numbers of our youth caught up in this system, that if these laws had been applied decades ago a good number of us would be considered felons for the actions of our own youth and that I believe the youngest person now on the So registry has hit an all time low of the advanced age of 5 years old. Where is the “common sense” of that?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-37343399836022578712010-06-17T09:46:53.681-05:002010-06-17T09:46:53.681-05:00From The Washington Times
According to the Americ...From The Washington Times<br /><br />According to the American Psychological Association, over the past 12 years, girls have changed in their thinking. They are beginning to see themselves as having their only value in sexuality.<br /><br />"When a child sees herself only as a sexual object, she is no longer able to demand the kind of respect she deserves," Dr. Cooper said. "The new definition of 'love' these days is sending a sexually explicit picture."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-87363088410240441922010-06-17T09:43:32.826-05:002010-06-17T09:43:32.826-05:00I so badly want to express my concern and say some...I so badly want to express my concern and say something profound but all I can muster up is that our politically correct bubble wraped fear mongering jingo society doesn't know shit from good cholcolate.<br /><br />...and the information age belies itself!!!machinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04509405968226883793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-37657236930538848932010-06-17T05:28:02.447-05:002010-06-17T05:28:02.447-05:0010:44/3:30 - Anybody that ginned up over a few sec...10:44/3:30 - Anybody that ginned up over a few seconds of satirical mashup used as an example in an academic lecture really has too much time on their hands. Good heavens, get a life, will ya? You sound like the crazies who go after cartoonists for portraying Mohamed.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-75075320377408040982010-06-16T22:44:28.780-05:002010-06-16T22:44:28.780-05:00You will have to watch the vile YouTube video from...You will have to watch the vile YouTube video from Lawrence Lessig cited in the post to understand the meaning of the words about disrespecting Christians.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-59540106884722860572010-06-16T21:20:45.546-05:002010-06-16T21:20:45.546-05:00One's spiritual beliefs do not change the fact...One's spiritual beliefs do not change the facts that Teens are having sex. We are putting teens in jails/prisons for having consensual sex with a younger teen. We are putting teens on the registry for life, marking them as sexual predators. <br /><br />Teen sex should be addressed on all levels, including educating our teens on the law. It is another reason to abstain.<br /><br />From a Christian perspective both teens made a choice to have sex. Both are equally responsible. Should we stone them both? Make them both register? <br /><br />Why is it considered unChristian to show common sense as well as a little mercy?Juliet's Momnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-49598789029753572212010-06-16T15:30:00.905-05:002010-06-16T15:30:00.905-05:00Talk about creative. There is no end to the way pr...Talk about creative. There is no end to the way progressives can disrespect Christians. They seem to take immense delight in so doing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-41894943194479990972010-06-16T15:28:15.816-05:002010-06-16T15:28:15.816-05:00If we aren't going to decriminalize sex among ...If we aren't going to decriminalize sex among teenagers, then by George start teaching the Age of Consent laws in depth beginning with middle school kids. <br /><br />Worth the Wait Programs do not talk about the Age of Consent in depth. Kids are told its illegal for anyone under 17 to have sex, which many kids find amusing. Kids need to know the serious consequences of breaking the Age of Consent law. The girls need to know how serious it can be for the boy if they lie about their age and have sex with this boy. <br /><br />Today's kids have far more freedom and far less supervision than years ago. They freely roam the internet, channel surf, roam the neighborhoods and malls. Hooking up with other (older) kids across town where its easy to lie about their age. <br /><br />Kids today are not sheltered from sex. They have MTV, Internet, The Hills, Brittney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lady GaGa, Beyonce, etc. Girls typically like older boys. Today we have 13 year old girls allowed to dress like they are 21, look like they are 18,have all the freedom of an 18 year old, and lie about their age. We have 15 year old girls writing about sex on their myspace blogs without inhibitions. <br /><br />We need to accept the fact there are kids 13, 14, 15 & 16 year olds having sex with older teens by choice and not by coercion. <br /><br />Commonsense should tell anyone the difference between a child molester and a 17 year old boy who had sex with a 13 year old girl who lied about her age. There is a huge difference in the "victims."<br /><br />It is time for lawmakers to act. We are putting far too many teenagers on the registry for having consensual sex with another teen. Once a kid is prosecuted and made to register as a sex offender, their ability to become a productive adult will be drastically reduced.Juliet's Momnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-14523064912949865072010-06-16T05:38:59.334-05:002010-06-16T05:38:59.334-05:0012:57, please point out the Grits posts you're...12:57, please point out the Grits posts you're talking about, I'm unaware of your reference.<br /><br />1:11 - For generations the law allowed marriage with parental consent at 14. Unless you're claiming that option was simply never used, it's indisputable that changing the law would reduce the number of pregnant teens who marry their baby's father. Does that mean they all would? Of course not. But making it illegal hardly PROMOTES marriage, now does it?<br /><br />Bill B, thanks for the kind words.<br /><br />11:24 - as always, if you don't like what you find here, don't visit. Problem solved. I promise not to miss you too badly when you're gone.<br /><br />12:08, as I understand it, the age of consent for sex is 17, but youth can get married with parental permission at 16. Until 2005, youth could marry at 14 with parental permission and at 16 on their own steam, but it was changed to target the FLDS.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-54134358745464123632010-06-16T00:08:48.050-05:002010-06-16T00:08:48.050-05:00At a friend's house, and I can't be bother...At a friend's house, and I can't be bothered with the login, but it's poor and angry again.<br /><br />Grits - please tell us, because no one ever did, the laws about the ages of consent, and the criminalities involved?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-63747292144889706692010-06-15T23:24:57.873-05:002010-06-15T23:24:57.873-05:00Loved your video Grits. Loved the way Jesus Christ...Loved your video Grits. Loved the way Jesus Christ was portrayed as a transvestite stripper wearing a diaper. Especially loved seeing him hit by a bus. You should be proud of yourself for sharing this with us, Grits. It does seem to fit your values and that of the Grits fans who raved about this blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-6914940264282410222010-06-15T14:36:44.381-05:002010-06-15T14:36:44.381-05:00As far as deadbeat dads, reduce the prison system ...As far as deadbeat dads, reduce the prison system and some of the dads will get out and be responsible.<br /><br />But also, we should stop subsidizing children born out of wedlock. End public schools, food stamps etc. For that matter, end the laws that force a man to pay child support to some woman he has sex with. <br /><br />That will discourage women from spreading their legs so willingly.<br /><br />As an aside, if we legalized polygamy, some women might choose to share responsible rich man. That might help the problem a little bit.PirateFriedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14490889950268741305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-32018718659853313502010-06-15T14:32:38.804-05:002010-06-15T14:32:38.804-05:00I'm anxious to see the whole video (can't ...I'm anxious to see the whole video (can't at work)... but some observations if I may based on some of the discussion so far.<br /><br />I agree with the overcriminalization argument. It seems that everyone wants to be in some sort of special category. Therefore a crime against "ME" should carry some special weight. (your goat and oyster examples, isn't theft already a crime with specific penalties)<br /><br />I also believe the 'intrusion' of law enforcement into the schools is a result of parents not accepting the disciplinary action of the school personnel against their child.<br /><br />I also second the poster who advocates sanctions for actions with currently prohibited items, not just for posession of the currently prohibited item. I was in grade school at a time when all of us boys carried pocket knives and we managed not to slice each other up. It's ridiculous to jail a second grader for bringing his new 'swiss army knife' 'toy' to school because he's excited about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-26281123189949959642010-06-15T14:10:22.505-05:002010-06-15T14:10:22.505-05:00Grits,
Posts and threads like this are why I read...Grits,<br /><br />Posts and threads like this are why I read your site every day. Love it!<br /><br />The "poster child" example for the perils of overcriminalization is prohibition of alcohol, which made ordinary citizens into criminals, and "real" criminals into culture heroes.<br /><br />Lessig's argument about youth is right on.<br /><br />Bill B.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-37932216286734730172010-06-15T13:16:57.586-05:002010-06-15T13:16:57.586-05:00Now you're just pulling stuff out of your coll...Now you're just pulling stuff out of your collective ( I think) ass. You sound like two very minor court flunkies who are trying to edge into adult conversation. Listen: regular Grits readers are better than you, we just are. Go troll elsewhere.R. Shacklefordnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-90620475977313439002010-06-15T13:11:29.830-05:002010-06-15T13:11:29.830-05:00Grits,
Are you saying that the reason these guys d...Grits,<br />Are you saying that the reason these guys don't marry the mothers of their children is because the laws of Texas stand in their way? I never thought I would hear someone seriously argue that!!<br /><br />Why do they not marry these women?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-587946294276982772010-06-15T12:57:39.035-05:002010-06-15T12:57:39.035-05:00"Let others debate the hot button cultural is..."Let others debate the hot button cultural issues." Excuse me? You have been vigorously promoting the legalization of drugs and prostitution for years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-83687311104082931132010-06-15T12:51:14.351-05:002010-06-15T12:51:14.351-05:0012:16, what a disingenuous piece of garbage you ar...12:16, what a disingenuous piece of garbage you are to make comments like "he thinks it's okay for 25 year old men to have "open season" on 15 year old girls," particularly when you're hiding behind anonymity like a chickenshit coward hiding behind his mommy's skirts. F.U.<br /><br />I not only said I didn't condone such relationships, I said they were unwise and irresponsible. However I also maintain that the same thing has happened for many, MANY generations throughout American history and was only criminalized or even stigmatized relatively recently when the laws became more puritanical. More than a quarter-million underage girls get pregnant every year in America, many with older partners. Acknowledging that under those circumstances it's a better outcome for mother and child if the father marries her and provides for his progeny is a far cry from saying I "think it's okay" to engage in promiscuity in the first place. Your comments are disingenuous trolling, so I won't be reacting further at least until you find the cojones to attach your name publicly to them.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-38192358677627473562010-06-15T12:29:39.768-05:002010-06-15T12:29:39.768-05:0045 and ten is wrong, I'll give you that. 25 an...45 and ten is wrong, I'll give you that. 25 and 15? Probably wrong. But maybe not. In rural areas, you may just not have much to choose from, mate-wise. If the relationship is legitimate and not forced, it still seems sketchy, but I don't think it ought to be illegal. And I think the state ought to have to prove that the relationship is other than consensual, rather than throwing the book at every couple who is technically in violation of the law. Your comment about black women remains foolish.R. Shacklefordnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-4178710878946026062010-06-15T12:16:14.560-05:002010-06-15T12:16:14.560-05:00Shackleford, if some 45 year old man has sex with ...Shackleford, if some 45 year old man has sex with a 10 year old girl, "consensual" or not, then I think it darn well better be the government's business. There are absolutely any number of circumstances where "who screws who and when" is someone's business other than the participants. As the law stands currently, consensual sex between a couple of 15 year olds is not illegal. <br /><br />I'm not sure where Grits would draw the line in terms of legal age limits for sexual behavior. Apparently, judging by his previous comment though, he thinks it's okay for 25 year old men to have "open season" on 15 year old girls as long as they're Mormons and love one another! What about 14 years old? Or 13? Or 12? 11? 10? Where do you draw the line, Grits? Or is any age okay as long as there's parental consent? I don't think it's at all "whiny" for someone to ask these questions if you're going to advocate changing the law from what it presently is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-81263149143295260332010-06-15T12:13:50.492-05:002010-06-15T12:13:50.492-05:00This criminalization for social engineering thing ...This criminalization for social engineering thing is going to bite Texas le in the ass. Kids already feel stifled and cynical by all this revenue generating legislation. I heard my niece's kid say "It's all about the money" while watching cops the other night, and he's 11. You always reap what you sew, and I reckon the harvest that's coming when these kids get a little older will be a black one for Texas.R. Shacklefordnoreply@blogger.com