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wallinbl · Sep 21, 2009, 09:31 PM

Innocent Bath-Time Photos Get Kids Taken Away From Parents - ParentDish

So, does that make Anne Geddes the biggest child pornographer of all time?

ghporter · Sep 21, 2009, 09:35 PM

That makes the store that complained about the pictures either VERY stupid or VERY overly cautious. Either way, it's a dumb situation.

Doofy · Sep 22, 2009, 06:23 AM

I was going to mention that maybe this is due to the US cultural problem of not being able to differentiate between "pornography" and "nudity", but this kind of crap is happening here too.

turtle777 · Sep 22, 2009, 08:10 AM

Only in f***ed up Amaraca. And Britain.

-t

OldManMac · Sep 22, 2009, 08:56 AM

This is how people's lives get screwed up by self appointed moral guardians.

wallinbl · Sep 22, 2009, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by ghporter

That makes the store that complained about the pictures either VERY stupid or VERY overly cautious. Either way, it's a dumb situation.

Worse, the police agreed and took the kids away. It's one thing for the store clerk to be cautious - s/he's an $8 hour employee who has no particular training in this. It's another for the police, who do have training in what the law is and how to enforce it, to take such a dramatic measure. Further, it took 30 days for them to get their kids back. Speedy and public trial, my ass. If you were wrongly separated from your kids, 30 days would be an eternity.

Doofy · Sep 22, 2009, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by OldManMac

This is how people's lives get screwed up by self appointed moral guardians.

The cops and social workers in the US of A are self-appointed?

andi*pandi · Sep 22, 2009, 09:49 AM

This has happened before... clerks making judgements about photos... but 30 days? Someone's stupid. Charges should have been dropped asap.

OldManMac · Sep 22, 2009, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by Doofy

The cops and social workers in the US of A are self-appointed?

No, the clerk who called them decided he/she would be a self-appointed moral guardian, and the officials who responded took the same course of action. You know exactly what I'm talking about; if you claim not to, you're being disingenuous.

starman · Sep 22, 2009, 11:02 AM

As a parent, this bothers me a lot. Buy a digital camera, printer, and deal with the hassle of buying ink (which shouldn't be any more of a hassle than taking your film to Wal-Mart).

However, there's a SERIOUS disconnect between trying to nab a sex offender and common sense. Everone's so easy to jump on the bandwagon that they don't realize that the pictures are innocent and of their own kids.

They should make sure they get their records expunged, and sue for their job(s?) back.

And if I found out who reported my ass to the police, I'd harass them within the letter of the law just to make sure they knew how much they f'd up my life. They took the kids away for a MONTH. A F*CKING MONTH. That just bothers me. In a month, not a single person who had the ability to fix this stopped and said "this is getting out of control".

Doofy · Sep 22, 2009, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by OldManMac

No, the clerk who called them decided he/she would be a self-appointed moral guardian, and the officials who responded took the same course of action. You know exactly what I'm talking about; if you claim not to, you're being disingenuous.

The clerk wasn't the one who took her kids off her.

OldManMac · Sep 22, 2009, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by Doofy

The clerk wasn't the one who took her kids off her.

Whoooosh

Chuckit · Sep 22, 2009, 11:29 AM

I've been saying it for some time now: Our bloodlust for pedophiles is really unhealthy. Yes, it's good to keep children safe, but when we've got something like "To Catch a Predator" on prime-time TV, we have a problem. It's like one mention of the word "pedo" and our sense of logic and propriety flies out the window.

starman · Sep 22, 2009, 11:30 AM

I just had a thought about my digital camera solution....

All it would take is some <insert computer fixit place here> ********* employee to look at your compter's hard drive, see the pics, and you're right back to the same problem.

I don't know what bothers me more, the fact that some assh*le decided to be some moral judge, or the system breaking down for not stopping it before it turned into something it wasn't.

And what do you tell these kids that got yanked from their parents for a month?

The reason why this bothers me so much is because the whole time I've had kids, I was always wary of pricks like this. There's always someone who's out to report your ass because your kid's having a bad day. Oh your kid's screaming? You must beat them.

And the sad thing is that this will happen again and again because people don't learn.

Chuckit · Sep 22, 2009, 11:35 AM

The people who report these things are just trying to be helpful, I suppose — reporting a concern shouldn't really hurt anyone. It's the government folks who need to get slapped around.

The Final Dakar · Sep 22, 2009, 11:35 AM

This country has gotten to the point that in some places, they want to convict teens of having child pornography for taking pictures of themselves on their cell-phone. We're a bit uptight.

starman · Sep 22, 2009, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

The people who report these things are just trying to be helpful, I suppose — reporting a concern shouldn't really hurt anyone. It's the government folks who need to get slapped around.

Really? So the parents should THANK Wal*Mart for all that?

Doofy · Sep 22, 2009, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by OldManMac

Whoooosh

I don't think so.

Store clerk doesn't know whether these photos were within the law or not. That's why they're a store clerk and not a lawyer. The blame here lies strictly with those who should have known better - i.e. the cops and social workers.

Doofy · Sep 22, 2009, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by starman

I don't know what bothers me more, the fact that some assh*le decided to be some moral judge, or the system breaking down for not stopping it before it turned into something it wasn't.

The assh*le who reported this didn't decide to be some moral judge - he simply played within the system. If those pics had have been illegal and he developed without reporting, that's 40 years getting real friendly with Bubba.

Blame the system and society - don't blame the dude developing.

seandavid010 · Sep 22, 2009, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by OldManMac

This is how people's lives get screwed up by self appointed moral guardians.

Originally Posted by Doofy

The cops and social workers in the US of A are self-appointed?

No. The cops and social workers are employed to enforce the law, not to be 'moral guardians'. There's a big difference there.

starman · Sep 22, 2009, 12:00 PM

Originally Posted by Doofy

The assh*le who reported this didn't decide to be some moral judge - he simply played within the system. If those pics had have been illegal and he developed without reporting, that's 40 years getting real friendly with Bubba.

Blame the system and society - don't blame the dude developing.

Seriously? Do you think a pedo would bring those pics to Wal*Mart to get developed? I think anyone working the developer machine would have to use a LITTLE common sense. Have you seen any of the pics? They looked pretty innocent to me, but I'm a parent.

Doofy · Sep 22, 2009, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by starman

Seriously? Do you think a pedo would bring those pics to Wal*Mart to get developed? I think anyone working the developer machine would have to use a LITTLE common sense.

I think you overestimate the common sense in your fellow man.

Chuckit · Sep 22, 2009, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by starman

Seriously? Do you think a pedo would bring those pics to Wal*Mart to get developed? I think anyone working the developer machine would have to use a LITTLE common sense. Have you seen any of the pics? They looked pretty innocent to me, but I'm a parent.

News Of The Weird recently ran an item about a guy who took his MacBook to a Genius Bar because some of his pictures were displaying with the wrong thumbnails, and when the tech went to look at the pictures in question, he found it was the guy's stash of kiddie porn. So yeah, I can believe a pedo would be that stupid.

starman · Sep 22, 2009, 01:32 PM

Oh yeah, I remember that. Well, I guess some people really ARE that stupid.

lpkmckenna · Sep 22, 2009, 03:24 PM

Taking children away from parents over innocent photographs is the kind of thing that "tea-baggers" should be alarmed about. Every state employee associated with this incident should be fired or reprimanded. I hope the parents take the gov't to the cleaners.

BTW, if anyone at Wal-Mart other than the store clerk was involved, Wal-Mart should expect to pay thru the nose. If a manager or supervisor was involved, the financial penalties ought to be huge.