Promised Land Of The Free Indeed....Teen Gets 10 Years For Consensual Sex

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]<b><font color = "crimson"> ThomasQuinn wrote: [/QUOTENAME][QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Zeni wrote: [/QUOTENAME][QUOTE][QUOTENAME]<b><font color = "crimson"> ThomasQuinn wrote: [/QUOTENAME]

If I refer to the US and not to "the people of the US" that means I am speaking of THE GOVERNMENT. YES? If I say "The Netherlands" and not "The Dutch" I mean our GOVERNMENT? Is that so difficult to comprehend?!![/QUOTE]

Then you should also know that the Government of the United States has nothing to do with this court case. It is a state law, not federal. [/QUOTE]

Fine, let me rephrase: THE STATE OF GEORGIA is guilty of living in the 18th century.[/QUOTE]

The correct phrase should be this: The state of Georgia is guilty of having slight legal aberrations and inconsistencies.

"In such cases, the offense is a high and aggravated misdemeanor with 10 days to 12 months in prison, or $1,000.00 fine, or both.
Third conviction for battery against the same victim is a felony. This carries punishment of 1 to 5 years in prison."

Boy do I feel safer now...

I was gunna point out the whole state vs. federal law thing to Caspar, but it looks like people have beaten me to the punch. Yes, the law is backwards as hell, but it's also the state law, and since the federal courts haven't gotten or refuse to get involved, that's the law that applies.
That being said, the law is incredibly stupid, but there are a lot of stupid laws on the books (for example, in Michigan a husband legally owns his wife's hair). But it's not neccessarily the stupid laws that are the problem here...it's the enforcement. Since the legislature in this case decided not to make the new law that fixes this retroactive, that's the problem, not the law itself. I, for one, question whether a white boy would have gotten the same punishment for the same crime in Georgia...I get the distinct whiff of racist overtones here.
And this does point out the whole problem with many of these sex laws...guys have consenual sex with their sixteen year old girlfriends, get convicted of rape and spend the rest of their lives on the Sexual Offender and Predator list; I distinctly remember a case where this happend the the boy involved comitted suicide because he couldn't get them to leave him off the list, and that effectivly kills his future. It is easy to break these laws when you don't know about them, but that is half of the problem; parents don't tell their kids about these laws, or about condoms or birth control, because they don't want their kids to know about sex. The just say, don't do it, and expect that to work. Yeah right! For heaven's sake, how in the world do you expect them to make good decisions if you don't give them the tools to do it? Wake up, people.
I hope they can get this kid out of prison, but I'm guessing since it's Georgia and the way the case has gone so far, it probably won't happen. I guess all that can be done is we can hope that the young man will be able to use this experience to not only help teach others, but also maybe to fight this injustice to prevent it happening again. Hopefully he won't let this defeat him.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]CMU HistoryGirl wrote: [/QUOTENAME] Yes, the law is backwards as hell, but it's also the state law, and since the federal courts haven't gotten or refuse to get involved, that's the law that applies. [/QUOTE]

I agree with your entire post, but I wanted to comment on this. I learned from the show I mentioned in my last post that a federal judge has gotten involved after all. As of now, he's put a stay on the 1,000 foot zone law in Georgia (where a registered sex offender cannot live within 1,000 feet of a school, church, etc). The stay will remain until the case is heard and decided. Personally, I'd rather they put a stay on the insane labeling of certain people - like the teens we're talking about - as sex offenders, but, well, I guess this is a start.

yea georgia sucks


oh wait i live in georgia

i should rethink my first thought

Laws like this or the sex offender laws are against all human rights of self determination and against all common sense. It does not matter in which country they are applied, we should not mix up the two issues. The reason why people get upset that this happens in the USA is because they expect more freedom and justice from the USA. After WWII the United States were the role model for many European countries and now they are the only super power - what happens there matters to the whole free world. We would not expect anything else from African dictatorships or islamistic countries but the USA should not have such laws in my opinion.

I do not think that "the law is the law if you like it or not" is a healthy attitude for citizens of a free country. It's easy to raise your voices, you won't go to jail for crizicising laws in your country, so use your voice and do not let such outrageous and unfair laws rule your lives. If people in the 1960s and 70s had not stood up against unfair and inhuman laws black Americans would not be able to use the same toilet as white people up to this day - or gay people would not be able to live in peace and practice their orientation - for example.

I remember once listening to the radio where they talked about the same subject.

Some guy called telling that many years ago the parents of his then 17 year old girlfriend (he was 18 at the time) filed a suit against him for statuatory rape. To which he was not given jail time, but he was put under probation and labeled as a sex offender on his record.

The whole incident ruined a good part of his life because he wanted to pursue a career as a police officer but he couldn't due to his "criminal record". The laws changed years after, but just imagine having your goals and dreams shattered thanks to old fashioned ultra conservative laws.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]YourValentine wrote: [/QUOTENAME]If people in the 1960s and 70s had not stood up against unfair and inhuman laws black Americans would not be able to use the same toilet as white people up to this day - or gay people would not be able to live in peace and practice their orientation - for example. [/QUOTE]

Might I note that there are plenty of areas in the US where this still isn't true yet.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Sir GH<br><h6>ah yeah</h6> wrote: [/QUOTENAME][QUOTE][QUOTENAME]YourValentine wrote: [/QUOTENAME]If people in the 1960s and 70s had not stood up against unfair and inhuman laws black Americans would not be able to use the same toilet as white people up to this day - or gay people would not be able to live in peace and practice their orientation - for example. [/QUOTE]

Might I note that there are plenty of areas in the US where this still isn't true yet.
[/QUOTE]

You may, and should indeed. Whilst I am labeled as being 'anti-American' (and incorrectly so), some of you 'free thinking *good* Americans' should get off your asses and actually *DO* something about that. The US is in Iraq because that country didn't treat its people right...now make sure your OWN country is in order before you police the world again.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]<b><font color = "crimson"> ThomasQuinn wrote: [/QUOTENAME]
some of you 'free thinking *good* Americans' should get off your asses and actually *DO* something about that.

...now make sure your OWN country is in order before you police the world again.[/QUOTE]

There you go with overgeneralizations. And you wonder why you are labeled "anti-American" by many users.

I suppose more internet ramblings on a Queen forum is good place to start in our "Free Thinking Good Americans" quest to change our country; it seems to work for you.

"The law is the law if you like it or not," is indeed an unhealthy attitude, but any law that does not significantly infringe upon one's natural rights should always, always be followed. Just because the law should be followed doesn't mean that one should not try to change it. Just don't be stupid and break the law before it's changed.

You've got a hell of a lot to learn about how changes happen, MM.

theres a helluva lot to learn about the people of this country

you really should take your rose colored glasses off so you can see the whole picture and not just bits and peaces that afirm your slanted perception

It's not my problem if you fail to grasp what I'm saying, and would rather replace it with your own distorted view of what you would *like* for me to have implied.

you *never* have a problem

its always *someone elses* problem

its all a bore for me really and as said in a earlier post i shouldnt be surprised at all by your attitude/comments and admitted prejudice