Text 31991, 65 rader
Skriven 2006-06-15 04:45:02 av Bob Ackley (1:2905/3)
  Kommentar till text 31854 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
Ärende: Pickled Pirates Prop
============================
Replying to a message of Michiel van der Vlist to Dan Ceppa:

 MvdV>>> I have no problem sleeping knowing that I support what *you* in
 MvdV>>> your limited POV label a child molester.

 DC>> *My* limited point of view?

 MvdV> DAn, your own USAian court said he is not a child molester.

 DC>> It appears that most all civilized countries hold similar views about
 DC>> pedophilia.

 MvdV> You are very wrong. In most countries a fourteen year old is not
 MvdV> considreed a child any more.

In point of fact, once an organism of virtually any species attains sexual 
maturity it is considered an adult and labelled as such.  Except, of course,
for humans in the United States.

In a cemetery located in what is now a state park in the state of Nebraska,
USA, is the
gravestone of Mrs Dulcena Bratton, wife of Mr. James Bratton, and their infant
daughter.  Apparently the lady died in childbirth, a not uncommon occurrence in
1873, which is the
date on the stone.  According to the headstone Mrs Bratton was 15 years, 6
months old
at the time of her death.

A century and a half ago in the US a 17 year old female that was still
unmarried faced the very real possibility that she would never find a husband.

Again, a century and a half ago it was not uncommon for children to "leave the
nest"
at age 12 or 13.  One reason, perhaps the main reason, for the child labor laws
in this
country is the fact that mothers did not want their youngsters to work in the
coal mines of
Appalachia.  It is my opinion that many if not most of the other laws regarding
adulthood
stem from this.

And such laws are more about control than they are about protecting anybody. 
I've
known 12 year olds I'd trust with my life and I've known 60 year olds I
wouldn't trust
with a warm crayon.

A year or so ago in Nebraska a fellow got his girl friend preggers.  He was 19
and she was
15.  They went down to Kansas (roughly 20 miles) and were married - with her
parents' permission (at the time it was legal in Kansas, after the brouhaha in
the right wing press Kansas changed its laws).  Some of the busybody neighbors
complained to the county attorney, who investigated and decided not to
prosecute.  So the busybody neighbors complained to the state attorney general,
who was and is a wannabe governor.  He took up the case - very publicly - and
managed to get the husband a year in jail and a lifetime of having to register
with his local authorities, wherever he lives, as a sex offender (and note that
many if not most local authorities post the names and addresses of registered
sex offenders on web sites, which has caused houses to mysteriously catch fire
in the dead of night).  The crusading candidate also discovered that there are
nearly a hundred similar situations in the state and promised to prosecute all
of them.

--- FleetStreet 1.19+
 * Origin: Bob's Boneyard, Emerson, Iowa (1:2905/3)