http://mediamatters.org/blog/2.....-wh/192523

At least its a pretty appalling representation of the Red State mentality in the supporting of beating childeren and child abuse.

Even more appalling when you follow the link and look at the comments on the local news site. Most of them predictably are totally in support of severely beating stranger’s kids for minor infractions.

http://www.11alive.com/news/ar.....es-torture

It’s insanity i tell you :(

On a happier note, stories like this make me happy i no longer live in Georgia.

There is some evidence, from legend and from archaeology, that an ancient Indus civilization that was at least matrilineal, if not matriarchal, was violently conquered by invaders who were driven from the Caspian era by desertification. One way to show utter contempt for women is to crush their “fruit” underfoot, and for the whole lineage is to extinguish their children and then “infect” their women forceably with their conquerors’ “seed”. It goes on to this day. And now, do you still think that dying baby is demonic?

That’s actually a highly symbolic representation of dance, whereas the “infant” is a demon, not a human child, although both god and infant are one in the same for purposes of the dance. The dance treads out evil so that good can flourish in the circle likely depicted above his head in the image you saw. The infant form symbolizes its primordial nature.

The dance is also a creation myth of sorts, since the entire universe is symbolized as emerging from one source. So it’s not as shocking as it might appear once the full symbolism is explored…in any case certainly not in the temporal, sensual way as depicted by the salacious Ganymede.

But there is no doubt as Erika points out that contemporary pygophilia is the accepted norm in many American public schools, with even _male_ teachers given the right to spank adolescent females in the red-state South. What we are talking about is a grown man hitting a girl on the buttocks with a stick he keeps for just this purpose. It’s pretty disgusting.

i also believe that the continued Christian right embrace of spanking children is connected to their continued attempt to suppress all forms of sexuality other than procreative sex during marriage. Otherwise they might notice that literally millions of adults around the world engage in consensual spanking activities for pleasure.

I can give two examples from art. One sees depictions of the god, Shiva, with a serene expression, dancing on and crushing underfoot a dying infant (some maintain this is merely a dwarf, but many early depictions of infants, especially in Indo-Iranian art, portray infants as tiny adults). And then there is a depiction of the abduction of Ganymede, by I forget what artist, which portrays a vulture-like eagle carrying off a screaming toddler, whose posterior is enticingly exposed. Out of consideration for our Hays Office, I shall go no further, but the paedosadism of this image is unmistakable.

And i tend towards gallows humor, so this is kind of a natural for me to think of. But since reading “Lisa” made me feel like i was going to throw up and the comments here bringing up memories of my being sexually assaulted as an 11 year old which made me cry, i do not think i could actually write it. It would be too painful :(

On another note, without knowing the precise facts of this case, i wonder if the fundamentalist Christian embrace of corporal punishment played a role. Having experienced frequent corporal punishment as a child which continued during my teenaged years, i know that the constant fear of being hit by adults can make a child extremely vuleranable to sexual exploitation by adults or older children. In fact, often adults who sexually abuse children threaten to spank them if they report the abuse. And its also natural for children who are frequently hit by authority figures to believe that they must be bad which creates additional vulernability. Now, we have no evidence that this happened in this specific case, but it is definitely a possibility (and one which may well provide actual or constructive force). But that is merely spectulation on my part and i have already admonished against spectulating when the known facts are bad enough.

But i do have to wonder if there is a tie between the use of corporal punishment of children and sexual abuse of children – corporal punishment is very common among fundamentalist religious groups – and likely within settings which are heavy in control such as cults or white supremacists. Those groups also appear to have an elevated rate of sexual abuse of children – there appears to be a connection there.

in any case, the odds that i ever get anything written beyond the idea is very low.

Just beware, much like R. Crumb, he has also drawn some naughty, naughty pictures in the past (not as naughty as this, certainly, but still prurient), so be careful of the links on which you click.

Good to see you!

Eileen, i’m angry because i object to the idea that one can presume that a 14 year old is an innocent angel – i know all too well that 14 year olds are capable of extreme acts of cruelty generally directed against younger children.

and yes, i’m sure i am overreacting, but again see eggshell plaintiff rule :)

A fourteen year old is not capable of making such a decision.

It’s a perversion and any adult that gives the green light to a child of theirs or any child is in need of serious help and should not be in charge of any child.

Also, production and distribution of child pornography is most certainly a charge considered to be more serious than sexual assault. It’s a federal charge with a greater sentence. But to call it a “worse” crime is merely a matter of opinion. Now you are speaking the same way those who are calling Biron’s action rape are and you are so angry about. Also, this isn’t an either/or situation. Her conviction on the federal charges don’t preclude state charges, as you know. Those that call her a “rapist”, I believe would like her prosecuted for all if her crimes. And as I’ve pointed out, a charge of sexual assault is not out of the question. We all agree her actions are horrible and the pain she’s caused her victim is irrefutable. Why must we continue to pick at each other over the term “rape”?

Rey – SPLC has removed references to the victim’s I’D. FYI

it is my belief that there is little point to spectulate about what other crimes might have been committed here – the known facts are disgusting enough to mark Lisa Biron as a horrible person and hypocrite. And since i normally tend to spectulate and love to discuss the law, i am not upset by you doing so.

But the “of course, it was rape, she was 14″ touched a very sensitve nerve of mine. Quite simply, that statement implies that 14 year olds cannot develop sexual motivation which would necessarily imply that they could not commit sexual assault. That obviously touched a very sensitive nerve which made me extremely upset. And i’ll admit it, when i get upset, i tend to become not a very nice person.

I am sorry about that episode in your life, but consider that it may be biasing your evaluation of this case.

Most American states went away from a strictly common law system to modify the law. In any case, “Statutory Rape” refers to the age at below which a person cannot ever legally consent to sexual activity which under New Hampshire law is 13. “Statutory rape” refers to sexual activity which is made illegal due to a person being too young to consent for sex. That is a substantial change from Common Law which set the age of consent at 18 (with exceptions for marriage and the like).

Rey, without there being evidence a conviction for aggravated felonious sexual assault or whatever it was that New Hampshire calls, that is presuming facts not in evidence. As a 14 year old, i was perfectly capable of understanding the difference between sex and rape. As someone who actually was sexually assaulted as a child (i was 11, the perpetrators were 13/14), this spectulation annoys me much more than it probably should – but its ultimately meaningless to the problem – creation of child pornography is already one of the most serious crimes around as shown by the mandatory minimum 25 year prison sentence. Even most murders don’t have mandatory minimum 25 year terms.

Amy, yes, according to the view of society creation of child pornography is a much more serious crime as demonstrated by sentences, sentencing guidelines, the fact that it has additional elements, and other factors. It is considered much more damaging psychologically to a victim to have a recording of a sexual assault which could circulstate for years and repeatedly resurface. Child pornography is almost always created for financial motives which also makes it a much more aggravated crime. It also helps to remember that in most cases, child pornography involves victims who are too young to consent to sexual activity – so the sentences of child pornopgrahy are generally based upon being additional on top to sentences for sexual assault of a child.

So yes, in my opinion creation of child pornography is a worse crime than rape – while both crimes represent sexual exploitation of the victim, the degree of exploitiation is higher. The damage is also generally higher as well.

And, yes, given that the fourteen-year-old girl was engaging in sex both with, and at the direction of, her mother, there is a very real question of whether she can have given valid consent.