| 21st Century Witch Hunt Those of you who have read my stories on this site are probably expecting more of the same. Sorry, but this is a rather serious matter and one that is certainly germane to Leslita's subject matter and fans. As some of you know, I am a Canadian. I have, however, lived for short periods in both Oregon and Ohio and I know a little bit about American history. During the 1690's in Salem, Mass. people who contracted various illnesses and who did not respond favorably to conventional medical treatment, were often accused of being practitioners of witchcraft and many were punished by being "burned at the stake." More recently, during the 1950's, another form of witch hunt was perpetrated by U. S. Senator Joe McCarthy. This elected official held the distorted view that there were "closet" communists hiding under almost every bed and that at any moment they would rise up and attempt to overthrow the federal government. It now appears we have another witch hunt underway and this time the "offenders" are people like you and me who display affection toward minors (usually defined as those under the age of 14). I'm not sure about the situation in Europe today but a form of mass hysteria and paranoia seems to have permeated most of North America. In Canada, hardly a week goes by without someone being charged with possession of child pornography ("kiddie porn"). In the city where I live we are awaiting the sentencing of a former crown prosecutor ( the Canadian equivalent of a U.S. District Attorney) The judge has reserved his decision until early 2010. Personally, I see no reason why an individual should be prosecuted because he/she has a collection of pictures or videos of underage girls or boys for their own pleasure. The legal definition of child pornography in Canada's Criminal Code is as follows; "A photograph, film or video that shows a person who is, or is depicted as being under the age of 18 and is engaged, or is depicted as engaged, in explicit sexual activity" It follows, therefore, that drawings or written descriptions of explicit sexual activity involving minors are not illegal in Canada. In Canada, like the U.S., we have a serious illegal drug problem. There is a certain irony and inconsistency between how the so called justice system in Canada reacts to offences involving illegal drugs and child pornography. I have a solid enough knowledge of Economics to know that for a product to become established in a market there must be three essential components (production, distribution and consumption). Convicted producers of illegal drugs and K.P. are subject to jail time and/or heavy fines here in Canada. Similarly, distributors of these products are also subject to severe penalties. But when it comes to consumption, the rules suddenly change. A drug addict who is apprehended and found to be in possession of a small amount of illegal drugs; presumably for his/her personal use, if rarely charged. The exception would be if the amount was sufficiently large to suggest the addict was also a "dealer" (distributor) But the pedophile who has k.p. in his/her possession can easily end up doing several years in prison. Where is the logic in this? Perhaps more relevant is that drug addicts commit well over half of all the crimes commited in Canada. To support their addiction they engage in home invasions, break-ins in homes, businesses and cars as well as armed robbery and other forms of violent crime. I don't know about you, but I have never heard of a pedophile engaging in violent crime, or any form of criminal activity, to ensure a steady supply of child porn. In late April of 2009 an incident occured that borders on the unbelievable. A father and mother had taken some family photos of their toddler children at bath time. The children were both under the age of five and some of the pictures showed the children's genitalia. The film was taken to a local Walgreens for developing. An employee, seeing the nudity in some of the pictures, contacted the local police who, in turn, arrested the parents of the children shown in the photos. The parents were charged with production and possession of child porn. Mercifully, a senior police official saw the absurdity in the situation and the charges were abruptly dropped. My purpose in writing this piece is to motivate those of you who are supporters of the Leslita site and who, like me, are closet pedophiles. We must be aware of the religious zealots and other "do gooders" who are secretly plottting to ban sites like Leslita and persecute talented artists who create images that help us to retreat to our private, fantasy worlds. THE END * Reader's comment's are welcome. |