STAND UP

There is a scene in a movie that is sure to bring a tear to my eye. In the movie To Kill A Mockingbird Gregory Peck plays a southern hicktown lawyer defending a Blackman accused of sexually assaulting a young teenaged White girl. As he leaves court, defeated, the balcony filled with Black sharecroppers and family begins to stand. A sign of respect Peck never sees but done anyway hat in hand.

At times we need to stand. Stand for what's right, stand for those that stand for you. We need to get up off of our couches and stand up for Justice.

Interesting that one of the posters was told the FBI would have jurisdiction over this Dakota Fanning case.

Title 18 of the United States Code governs child pornography. See Chapter 110, Sexual Exploitation and Other Abuse of Children. 18 U.S.C. § 2256 defines "Child pornography" as:

"any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, video, picture, or computer or computer-generated image or picture, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical, or other means, of sexually explicit conduct, where -

(A) the production of such visual depiction involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct;
(B) such visual depiction is, or appears to be, of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct;
(C) such visual depiction has been created, adapted, or modified to appear that an identifiable minor is engaging in sexually explicit conduct; or
(D) such visual depiction is advertised, promoted, presented, described, or distributed in such a manner that conveys the impression that the material is or contains a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct . . ."

Section 2256 clearly defines images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct as "Child Pornography." It also, however, adds to that definition images that appear to depict a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and images or advertisements that suggest images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

I am sticking to my story, there is an investigation. But then I don't have to answer to the public. Maybe a lesson was learned back a few months ago when a candidate for office had his candidacy, his career, his personal and family life tainted (to say the least) when word came out in the press that he was being investigated for a particularly heinous offense.

Certainly (tongue in cheek) there must be caution to protect the investment Wilmington and the State have in the film maker and her film and you would imagine all the other movie companies considering Wilmington as a desination for their next film. There are jobs and millions of dollars at stake. After all it is only a child, and it's not our child. (so they say)

The idiots making deposits at the Tourism Bank & Trust think it is grand that people visit Wilmington to see where the stars of One Tree Hill hang out. You know the TV show about high school teenagers drinking and having sex. Wouldn't want to ruin the reputation of Wilmington home of Bastard Out of Carolina, Lolita, Blue Velvet, Brandon Lee's death in the movie The Crow, drug capital of the Southeast, home of the Wilmington 10 and the 1898 bloodbath. Nope wouldn't want to have to yank our heads out of the sand long enough to squawk at a teensy bit about child exploitation. After all who has it hurt? No one hears Dakota crying out rape or abuse ... yet.

Yet. What does a child of 12 know anyway? Just wait, she will grow up, and wise up, she will know what people have done to her all these years. Ask Brooke Shields.

It is important for law enforcement to take the role of advocate when a crime has transpired. The elderly, many times, have no idea they are victims of crime. Children, many do not know the difference between love and abuse, they wouldn't know what to report even if they wanted to. Sometimes a victim is unconscious, brain damaged, defenseless. Sometimes the victim needs someone to step up for them, their rights, and give them justice. Give us all justice.

Just because Dakota is not crying foul does not mean she is not a victim worthy of protection. I remember a case in the news lately when a 14 year old pregnant girl was protecting her 30 something lover, the supposed father of her unborn child. I remember she was so dead set on protecting him she chose to take the life of her unborn to protect their "love", I remember how tragic it must be and have been for her to be under so much pressure. The protection she needed came in the form of a hammer, crushing the spirit out of her. She needed an advocate, someone who could have the patience to talk with her, guide her into the right thing rather than make threats and judgments against her. Likewise there needs to be an intercession with Dakota by law enforcement to protect her with kid gloves by dealing with this properly and swiftly. She too is under pressure, imagine how difficult it must be to have her mother and folks she has trusted and lived with indicted for abusing her.

But it has to be done, we don't need little Dakota wannabes playing dress up games of rape because well "Dakota did it."

Whether or not any of the crew will step forward as an eyewitness is uncertain. In this business it doesn't take much to be blackballed from any future work. No one wants a whistleblower working for them. Especially in the film business when there are so many safeguards in place already to protect the personal lives of the moviestars.

Hollywood is extremely powerful, Mel Gibson found that out recently. I doubt anyone wants to step into an arena to face the all-star ACLU defense team and the onslaught of "expert witnesses" that will be diving in front of every reporters notebook and of course the liberal media pundits yammering about freedom and liberty and about how backwoods and puritanical Wilmington is. Think of the Duke Rape scandal and the amount of press that generated. Now imagine the angelic face of this blue eyed blond haired brilliant child defending her right to do as she pleases for art sake. Imagine Disney, and all the other companies that have DVD's on shelves staring Dakota with no one wanting to be reminded of her role in Hound Dog, imagine the big guns pulled out of mothballs to attack a piddlely little prosecutor with Mike Nifong's stink on every microphone shoved in the faces of every official within 100 miles. Imagine the inner strength required of the man that stands up against all that. The David with the slingshot facing mighty Goliath.

Makes you disappointed doesn't it? Because you know there aren't many men in this world holding positions of authority that would step up to the plate on this one. Too much of a downside to fight for justice on this. Too expensive.

Ain't it always the case?

I have a feeling though that this time it is different. Someone is out there sticking up for justice. Ready to confront the bully. Standing up for our children and our community. Someone with the right encouragement from a groundswell of support will face the mighty Goliath, and slay him once and for all. And he will do it for our children's future, not for any other reason.

May God protect him. God be with us all.

Comments

[DakotaAndElleFan]

Your local news is reporting there will be no further investigation. My work here is done.

And here's an online source proving that there will be no nudity in the rape scene:

http://www.wwaytv3. com/Global/story.asp ?S=5269150&nav=0zHSW Jqm&pass=1#poll55133

The pertinent info:
"The production coordinator for "Hounddog" ; says Dakota fanning was wearing a body suit during the entire rape scene and there was a child welfare worker on the set, along with Dakota's agent and her mother.
...
The production coordinator estimates the rape scene will only take up about a minute of the entire feature-length film. She says it's shot above the shoulders, using Dakota's facial expressions to tell the story"

Told ya so!

[Tre Benson]

I am as relieved as it seems to be that there was no nudity by the child actress on set.

I know the Production Coordinator and her husband and have no reason to doubt she said what was reported. But I also know that a Production Coordinator is not always on set, she works in an office sort of as an administrative assistant to the Producers.

I have never said that I have personal knowledge that the child was nude in the scenes. There have been many conflicting stories as to what she wore in what scene and others where she supposedly appears nude. The New York Daily News was the original source regarding any report of nudity. But to me there is very little difference between a child wearing panties and pasties, or an invisible body suit and nudity. Would you wear a body suit to the mall and feel dressed? Would someone mistake you as being nude if they were to see you "dressed" that way?

The law that has caused this to be investigated by authorities (NCGS 14-190.16 (a) (4)) is the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. The Law states as follows:

"It shall be the First Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, a serious Felony Offense in which records, photographs, films, develops, or duplicates for sale or pecuniary gain material that contains a visual representation depicting a minor engaged in sexual activity."

There is nothing about nudity being a requirement for a violation. Sexual activity can and does take place when people have clothes on. Even if those clothes are camouflaged to look as if the actor is nude. The law also states that only a representation of a sex act need take place. Meaning that the act of sex can be one of pretend, of acting it out.

I am quite certain that because of the eyewitness reports and the script that these allegations will be thoroughly investigated and a determination of whether or not a crime took place will be forthcoming.

I have been very careful and deliberate in what I have disclosed and when I have disclosed it. I work in the film business and have many friends that worked on this movie and do not want to haphazardly repeat anything I hear without some verification. This is a business I have enjoyed for 18 years and would like to continue to work in it for a few more without being blackballed as a troublemaker.

I like you am a Dakota fan, she is a wonderful actress. And I believe we both want what is best for her. The last thing I want is for someone to take advantage of her in a criminal manner. I think you will agree with me on that.

That is why I have made the effort to bring attention to this publicly. Address the rumors head on, take a stand and seek a solution.

Is or was this a crime? Were there other parts in the film that crossed the line and should be prosecuted? I don't know, that's for law enforcement to decide. But if something like this is not a crime, maybe it should be and maybe legislation should be enacted to protect future children from having to endure what little, innocent Dakota will soon realize was a terrible mistake of judgment on her handlers part.

And one more quick thing since you brought it up, a social welfare worker is a tutor, a school teacher not someone from Child Protective Services with knowledge of the law.

Hope these clarifications have been of help.

[child star]

thak you

[Steve]

Dear Tre:

I do believe that Sam-I-Am, in his own sweet way, says it all for the other side.

You know, when I first visited Dakota's fansites back in mid-March, I was impressed by the quality of the children who expressed their love and care for her. I was equally repelled by the viciousness of the punks and perverts who preyed on them in those unregulated, open-forum websites. That's why I stayed to comment on them; to encourage those kids not to give away personal information and not to pick up the foul language of their attackers, as children tend to do on the internet.

So much has changed since July 20th. Since the news of "Hounddog" has broken, the mood of the good kids has evolved into anger, dismay, confusion, denial and just plain heartbreak. Her most active supporters either don't mention her anymore or have gone silent.

And who are her new supporters? Left-wing pseudo-intellectuals like Dakota&ElleFan show up now. Supplementing them are, ironically, the very same punks and pervs who have always been there. Dakota is their heroine, now! What does THAT tell us?

Sam-I-Am represents Dakota's new fan base, now. What a terrible turn in what, at first, had been a heartwarming story of a little girl who, by good fortune and perserverence, had followed her dreams to Hollywood. What a tragic and ugly nightmare it has become.

It may be too late to help this little girl, surrounded as she must be by corrupt, pandering adults. I hope not, but that must be faced. What we can do is make sure, to the best of our abilities, that this sorrowful end of innocence will not befall others like her or threaten the innocence of children elsewhere.

[DakotaAndElleFan]

"There he goes again."

Dude, speak for yourself.

[Tre Benson]

Had to delete samiam's post. Sorry I did not catch it until earlier.

[David]

Why not just stand up, be a man, and admit you jumped the gun? What's with all the weasel stuff? Her mom was there, for crying out loud. By the way, I think you ought to give some thought as to why you would consider the rape of a child a sex act. It's not.

[Tre Benson]

I am not sure how I jumped the gun.

Some mothers pimp their children David.

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. -- A mother is under arrest, accused of selling a 12-year-old daughter into prostitution and trading a 14-year-old daughter for a car.

The 39-year-old woman, whose name is not being released to protect the girls' identity, is charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse and two counts of sexual performance by a child. She was being held Tuesday in the Okeechobee County Jail on $400,000 bond.

Both girls have been turned over to the Department of Children & Families, the Okeechobee News reported for Wednesday editions.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1382500/posts

You know there are hundreds more stories just as horrible. It are the ones where a parent manipulates and threatens and uses a child we rarely ever hear about. The ones where children are not protected by child labor laws and those who are placed into the workforce at 5 and 6 years old that are sometimes equally upsetting and yet few are aware of such abuses. They buy clothing from China and car parts from Mexico where some workers still have some of their baby teeth. And people will purchase tickets to see the new Jackie Coogan's who are many times out lawyered by their parents and producers to be left with anything by the time they come of age. It is a tough world for kids and if I seem over zealous to you then perhaps you should ignore me and those like me.

But you did make a very important statement worthy of debate.

You said "By the way, I think you ought to give some thought as to why you would consider the rape of a child a sex act. It's not."

Is rape an act of sex? Or is it an act of violence, an assault?

I thought about this before in another child case.

Some women's advocates such as those quoting the mythology of the late Andrea Dworkin would say that any act of sex with a woman, not to mention a child, is rape.

Some scientist would argue that a sex act is the attempt at procreation by a male and female and not some sport one plays with another utilizing their genitalia.

There was great debate a while back whether or not "oral sex" was indeed a sex act. In some countries where virginity has such an importance, young girls will frequently commit anal and oral sex acts to protect their status as a virgin. http://www.siecus.org/policy/PUpdates/arch04/arch040127.html

So is the rape of a child a sex act? Ask someone smarter than me. In my opinion it is. And I am sure in NAMBLA's opinion it is a ritualistic right of passage. There seem to always be two sides to anything.

"A suburban Cleveland man accused of sexually assaulting nine disabled boys told a judge Wednesday that his apartment was a religious sanctuary where smoking marijuana and having sex with children are sacred rituals protected by civil rights laws."
http://www.nbc10.com/news/9621055/detail.html

I guess there is someone, somewhere that could argue anything to death.

I barely have the time to change my son's diapers so I guess you will have to do your bidding elsewhere.

Good luck.

[Steve]

Hi, Tre.

That remark about the rape of a child not being a sex act was both incredible and chilling at the same time. Thanks also for reminding me about Mz. Dworkin's infamous little quote. Both of those statements serve to remind us of the alien universe that some must dwell in to accept such concepts.

One thing I remember, as far as the "oral" thing is concerned. Not long after the Monica Lewinsky affair was reported on, very disturbing stories started coming out of public schools across the country. It seems that children of middle school age, newly exposed to the very concept from watching the TV coverage, began to emulate it. After all, the President did it! I remember how sickened I was to think of little girls degrading themselves like that because they thought that it was the thing they were expected to do.

That's the power that the media and the movies have on impressionable young people. Let's consider that along with the content and message of "Hounddog" and the films that will doubtlessly follow it if released. It's okay to dance nude for boys and... other things, as long as you get a concert ticket for your trouble. Dakota did!

Far-fetched? For the great majority of kids, yes. However, all too many WILL start to think that way. The precent is clear. It's the power of suggestion on developing young minds.

[Anita Leiter]

I am a concern fan. I just read the script and now my stomach is in knots. I am a victim of molestation. So much of this brought back memories and feelings I had.

This is a sick movie. I am disgusted. I don't care what anyone says, these kids are being molested. Their inocenences is taken away. I don't care she had a body suite on. She still had a person on top of her moving in a sexual matter. The worst part she had people there watching it happen.

Then having the kids play with each other, I have agree that when a child has been expose at a young age they do do this, but they just open that door for those kids. YOU DON'T DO THAT! They don't know the life of pain they just caused those kids.

My heart goes out to thoses kids and the kids of the world if this movie goes public. I am afraid there WILL be more victims joining me.

[Steve]

God bless you, Anita. We keep hearing over and over again how this movie is good because it will "raise awareness". I've always maintained (again and again!) that it will merely exacerbate the problem by twisting the thinking of young people and enabling perverts in their sickness. I don't mention enough about the heartbreak it will bring to those who have experienced this ultimate horror for themselves. Thank you for your witness. One can only hope that the children used in this disgusting film will be able to recover from it.

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