Offbeat

Rant

Are there adults in Vermont?

Posted 16 months ago|10 comments|528 views
Written by
AlmostThere
Acworth, GA
The Vermont Legislature is considering a bill that would legalize sexting between teenagers 13 - 18 years of age. Publishing or passing the material on to anyone else would remain a crime. The Legislature claims they don't condone the activity but don't want teenagers labeled as sex offenders.

I don't advocate labeling kids who do this as sex offenders but is this really the best solution Vermont can come up with? I don't want or expect the Legislature to parent the children of Vermont, especially after this announcement. But if this change in law comes to pass, they are telling any 18 year old boy/man who is so inclined, if he can get some 13 year old girl to send him home-made porn, it's OK with Vermont. Are there any adults in that legislative body?

Perhaps this shouldn't come as a surprise. Retired judge Edward Cashman is enjoying a cozy retirement at Vermont tax payers expense. This is the Vermont judge who sentenced Mark Hulett to 60 days in jail for sexually assaulting a girl repeatedly over a 4 year period. She was 6 years old when he began assaulting her. After a huge outcry, he raised the sentence to 3 years. Mark Hulett will spend less years in prison than the number of years he carried on the sexual attack of the child.

This latest travesty shouldn't come as a surprise at all.
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COMMENTS
The Cypress Gang
The Cypress Gang
Cypress, TX
16 months ago: So? You have an Adult? You have a Child? The Adult which probably pays for the internet in that household. What is to say the Adult doesn't use the Kid's computer. I can see it now... Not Guilty because we can't prove the Adult was keeping kiddie porn on their computer. Sorry until static IPs for public use - not enforceable for internet. Then they will need a fingerprint ID to login instead of a password to link them to the user. Sorry thinking long term. There goes our tax dollars.
AlmostThere
AlmostThere
Acworth, GA
16 months ago: This doesn't involve computers or the internet. Sexting is sending pictures or video via cell phones which practically every kid on the planet has.

I'm not looking for some way to bust anyone. I just think it is rather pathetic when a legislative body is confronted with a difficult problem effecting children, they just punt. But then again, Vermont doesn't have a sterling history of protecting children from would be assailants.
The Cypress Gang
The Cypress Gang
Cypress, TX
16 months ago: OH, I get it! Sexting is a slang for un-educated, un- supervised youth. Why not say SexThing? My dumb.
I say All SCHOOLS should have disrutpers on running full time during school hours. Then is would fall back to the parents control.

News Flash. Cell Phone / Internet.

Glad to hear the whole underaged sex thing is being texted.
So to speak. Turn them off and cut them off and who knows maybe they might read something worth while like Moby Dick (Sorry). Do me a favor and walk the streets of your own hometown with a video camera. It doesn't need to work - just poke it in their face. Pull out a map of the world and ask them to find AMERICA!

Chances are......
Mikhail
Mikhail
Burlington, VT
16 months ago: Funny, I actually live in Vermont. I don't think AlmostThere actually read up on the issue. It's legislation that the state attorney and prosecuters support. They don't want to waste time prosecuting a 17 year old kid for child pornography because his 15 year old girlfriend sent him a text with a picture of her boobs. Oh, and Edward Cashman isn't retired, he's still a judge. Before the Hulett decision his record was center right. Anyway, why do you care? No one in this country even knows where Vermont is, much less that it's actually a state. So I hear, "Vermont doesn't have a sterling history of protecting children from would be assailants." You would know right? Being from Georgia and all. Sorry we didn't bow to Bill O'Reilly and pass "Jessica's Law." Sorry, but this is a state with a very low crime rate, and with few crimes against children. That law is more appropriate in states like, say Georgia or Florida with high crime rates and sexual abuse issues than in states like Vermont with few of the issues plaguing your state.
The Cypress Gang
The Cypress Gang
Cypress, TX
16 months ago: Wow! Somebody from Vermont that possibly teavels to Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island; Conneticut and has a roundtrip ticket to San Franciso asking anyone about ethics. Go plant some herbs. dweeb. Maybe something to smoke. Sorry you already did - another my dumb.

You can't even run your own (as you put it - little - un-obscure- who really gives a crud) state.
Mikhail
Mikhail
Burlington, VT
16 months ago: Thanks Cypress, you're from Texas, doesn't your state have enough issues as is? How can you find enough time in the day to comment on those in Vermont? You're right it is planting season in Vermont, corn that is. The livestock need to eat. I mean seriously, Texas. Problems up the ****. Violent, illegal immigrant plagued, welfare state, and you're going to comment on the state of Vermont affairs? Your state has severe issues that don't exist here. Maybe you should concentrate on them. We don't have the issues you do. Thanks for the stereotype. There are plenty regarding Texas, but we really don't think about you guys; we only comment on regional stereotypes here. Sorry, you're not that important to us in NE.
The Cypress Gang
The Cypress Gang
Cypress, TX
16 months ago: Thanks for reminding us in Texas of all of the failed liberal (Vermont) attempts of controlling our little (not so when compaired to Vermont) world. I'm glad you bicyle riders think that we still ride horses to go to work. Illeagal Immigrants? I'm glad somebody has acknowledged that fact as it has been an ongoing problem for 50 years. How about we ship 20 million illegals to Vermont. I guess it might be your problem then. Glad you finally cleaned your glasses. Walfare State???
What is the per-capita of welfare in Vermont vs Texas? I'm going to have to think on that one. Yeah, I'll comment on Vermont. Hey liberal you go back until the beginning of time and find every Racial Riot. Crunch the numbers. I bet GA and TX are way down the list. I like your NE consolidated states logo idea though. Sounds like - Let's bring back the Civil War.
AlmostThere
AlmostThere
Acworth, GA
16 months ago: Mikhail,

You should tell Cashman and the college where he teaches part-time he hasn't retired. They seem to think he retired April 2007. Just out of curiosity, would you have such a caviler attitude if it were a picture of your 13 year old daughter's boobs being sent to some 15 or 17 or 18 year old? Would you still just think it's harmless teenage antics? I doubt it.
Mikhail
Mikhail
Burlington, VT
16 months ago: That was a brilliant rant Cypress. You have some pretty broad assumptions about Vermont. I didn't realize it was a failed state. Thanks for pointing that out. Last I checked we have been fortunate enough to be almost immune from the current recession. Jobs are intact, housing prices have not crashed and I stress, crime is still low. Many people don't lock their doors here. Why? Crime is low. Per-capita welfare is defintely higher in Texas. We lose 15 cents on every dollar we spend in federal taxes, and most of it goes to the south. Thanks for jumping to conclusions and assuming I'm liberal (I am not). I don't think you know much about my state and I doubt you've been here. If you have, it was to see the fall foliage or have a nice little skiing vacation, which is a popular thing among flatlanders. As far as what you've said AlmostThere, no I don't agree with a 13 year old sending a text to an 18 year old. This proposed law wouldn't allow that to happen. The age of consent in Vermont is 16. Therefore if the 18 year old was to accept the text from the 13 year old he would be prosecuted under The state's statutory/child pornography laws. However if the 13 year old girl sent it to a 15 year old, no prosecution would occur. I agree, it's morally wrong and perhaps it's up to the parents to teach their children proper morals, don't you think?
16 months ago: The law where adults can't see Child porn is made to protect the childern. I think it should be stated that the law can't be used to prosecute the childern who send or recieve the photos. If a 15 yr old girl sends a nude pic to her 16 yr old bf, they shouldn't be prosecuted for breaking the law. The law was intended to stop the abuse of underage childern by adults, not the stupid things that horny teenagers send or recieve from eachother. Now if a 16 yr old girl willingly sent a pic to a 26 yr old male, there could be grounds for prosecuting the male.

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