file photo by Boyd Loving
Here’s a few questions, presumably germane:
A. If one posseses digitally-stored indecent pictures of an adolescent minor, but that adolescent minor is oneself, is this okay (i.e., does this constitute a legal loophole)?
B. If one **distributes** indecent pictures of an adolescent minor, but that adolescent minor is oneself, is this okay (i.e., does this constitute a legal loophole)?
C. Presuming, solely for the purposes of discussion, that the answer to question B is “yes”, does this additional information change the answer to “no”?: The individuals to whom you distributed the indecent pictures of an adolescent minor are, themselves, minors?
Boys in today’s society were already facing plenty of pits into which to fall. Now they need to contend with this? Talk about instigating absolute chaos.
Here’s another question I wonder about: Is a minor legally responsible for the content on their phone?
How would the authorities actually define ownership of a phone – the person paying the bill, who signed the contract with the service provider or the person who is physically holding the phone when it is confiscated?
Many families share phone plans to keep costs down, could aunt, uncle or grandparent be held responsible for the content of the niece or grandchilds phone?
What if the minor sends the picture to a 30-something year old district attorney in Alabama? In 40 years, in the year 2057, can the DA run for Senate?
What if the minor is in the Dominican Republic? Can the minor then send pictures (and more) to a sitting United States Senator from New Jersey?
“To the three UCLA basketball players I say: You’re welcome, go out and give a big Thank You to President Xi Jinping of China who made your release possible and, HAVE A GREAT LIFE!” Trump tweeted early Thursday. “Be careful, there are many pitfalls on the long and winding road of life!”
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Pitfalls…such as, minor-aged members of the opposite sex sending you nude photographs of themselves. If you don’t react perfectly, it is YOU who is blamed for all of the negative downstream consequences.