In most cases two teenagers engaging in sexual activities are imune from the law because we all know that human nature has a way of taking us hostage, esecially when we are young, full of hormones, and prone to doing stupid things that we would never even dream of as an adult. Children need to be protected from adults who would exploit them, not from themeselves. So what has changed?

The problem is that with the proliferation of cell phone cameras kids engaging in sexual play are, understandably, prone to take photos of themeselves and then circulate those photos among friends. And once that happens a bunch of nut jobs in the American judicial system, brainswashed by right wing propaganda, have decided that this behaviour must be stopped at all costs. And of course the only way to stop this behaviour is prosecution. The logic: teach a few good kids a really nasty lesson and others will learn from it. Patent nonesense.

We acknowledge that kids are kids for a reason; because they are KIDS! They do not yet have the capacity to make adult decisions. Charging a teenager with a sex crime as an adult because she posted a topless picture of herself on myspace is a classic example of paranoid delusion. This is creating a problem where none exists and ruining the life of a young person because her actions offend the sensibilties of only the most conservative section of modern society.

Obviously we do not want our kids taking pictures of themeselves in compromising positions. That is not being argued because there exists a segment of society so twisted that we have a global industry circulating child pornography. But let’s fight the real fight. Let’s go after the people who are actually sex offenders. Go after the pedophiles who exploit children and throw the book at them. There is no question about that because there are bad people our children need protecting from.

And admittedly our children need protection from themeselves from time to time. But when two consenting teenagers fool around and take a picture of the activity a crime has not been commited. When a young girl takes a picture of herself and sends it to her boyfriend a crime has not been committed. We don’t need teeangers applying for pardons because they did something foolish in a moment of passion. And we don’t need teenagers registered as adult sex offenders. This helps no one.

This is policing at its worst. Allow me to make a small comparison. This would be like a busting a hippie commune for growing weed when a bunch of crystal meth crack dealing junkies are pushing their smack on preteens two doors down the street.

Why do we have so much trouble fighting the real fight?

I cannot understand how the President of a country can be expected to administer a pardon based on those who deserve it, rather than those who are owed a favour.  I have always tried not to be a pessimist in life but I also try not to ignore the realites of human nature.

Imagine for a moment, say George W Bush, preparing a list of people deserving a pardon. Does anyone in their right mind think that list would be based on anything other than political favouritism? No of course not. Just saying so would be simple let alone trying to defend the position.

So as much as I dislike the inefficiency of government bureaucracy I have a stronger dislike for injustice. And although Canada’s pardon program can be along and tedious at times the fact that it is adminstered in a fair manner makes me happy because I am quite sure that if I ever needed an American pardon I don’t think my world populairty rank would get me onto the President’s list anytime soon.  

Word is that petitioning for a presidential pardon costs in the range of $200, 000 dollars in legal fees. Otherwise you will need to have a very close political connection if you have any chance at all of receiving a pardon.

If this is not an elitist system I don’t know what is. In Canada our own pardon system seems a shining example of a fair and unbiased government system in comparison. As many problems as there with our system here in Canada it really is not a system based on who you know or how much money you have. In Canada if you serve your time, complete your sentence, and stay our of trouble you can make an application to have your criminal record pardoned. And once you have a pardon it is illegal for anyone in Canada to discriminate against you based on it.

The idea that a president, particularly one as woefully inadequate as George Bush, is the only man in the country with the authority to determine who deserves a second chance is just a little too dystopian for me. I don’t know who will receive the final Presidential pardons before Bush leaves the Whitehouse but I would bet my last dollar that there are more than a few people who deserve it more, but who are, unfortunately, not even in the running for one.