Pee Wee Herman busted for child porn, claims it's "art"

Sorry if it's a dupe.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=638&ncid=762&e=2&u=/nm/20040320/en_nm/crime_reubens_dc

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After a 2-1/2-year investigation in which prosecutors examined 30,000 images seized from his home, actor Paul Reubens (news) pleaded guilty on Friday to a single charge of possessing obscene material.

The children's actor, who won fame as television's "Pee-wee Herman," was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to keep away from children during that period. He also has to pay a $100 fine in what his lawyers said was a major victory.

(snip)

Reubens, who did not appear in Los Angeles Superior Court, said in a statement that he was pleased to have avoided "a circus-like trial" and was " disappointed any part of my art collection was ever deemed inappropriate."

"These are certainly troubling times when our Attorney General Ashcroft has actually ordered the semi-nude statue of the Spirit of Justice to be covered with drapes," Reubens said.

"Taking responsibility by calling a few images in this collection 'obscene' and paying a $100 fine seemed like the sanest way to make it end," he added.


Some art collection... :eyes:

"Child porn" can, technically, be a picture of a nude woman 2 hours before her 18th birthday.

Anyone who's in possession of the Vanessa Williams edition of Penthouse is in possession of child porn. The centerfold was Traci Lords. Despite her having identification showing her to be of legal age, she was actually only 16.

So now it's illegal to own that magazine.

So, before I lump him in with pedophiles, I'd like to know exactly what the "child porn" is that he supposedly possessed. It obviously wasn't that bad, or they'd have pursued the matter. Indeed, there appears to be some question as to the validity of a key piece of evidence in the first place.

He paid a $100 fine and is allowed to appeal. I'd say "Pee Wee" was set up by the same assholes that are holding David Crosby, Art Garfunkel, and Tommy Chong hostage to Republican "morals".

If Paul Ruebens had every hurt a child, I would hope he died in jail. If he is a pedophile, he needs to be under surveillance. But the facts in this case simply do not lead to this conclusion.

At this point, based on the evidence presented (and then withdrawn), I'd say he should be presumed innocent.

whats up with them?

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/entertainment/8078963.htm?1c

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/artslife/story.html?id=356b7a53-e51e-41b2-a087-965e6b37d8fc

is an old and established practise. I remember reading a lengthy article about this a long, long time ago (late 80s, I believe).

Among the tricks used by the USPS/Justice Dept: some of those porn-by-mail ads in the back of magazines are run by the government. The tape you get is just fine, exactly what you ordered. At the very end of the tape, after a few minutes of blank space, is a few minutes of child porn. You likely will never even be aware it's there. But they're aware it's there.

Or they'll just send you tape, out of the blue. That actually happened a few times. At least one guy committed suicide, having lost his job and his family over the accusation, the result of a tape he never even ordered.

This isn't to say there aren't very sick individuals out there who deserve to be put away forever. There are. But this is also an easy way to fire up the witch hunt fever and get some quick convictions, ruin some lives, and look good to your constituents when a DA needs to get reelected.

Want to know what's sick? Accusing other people of child porn with no evidence.

These charges involved his extensive vintage erotica collection that contained postcards over 100 years old. Those were the pieces in question that they were calling child pornography. Gee, I wonder why they ended up dropping the charges? :shrug:

He also bought in bulk, never actually seeing each picture.

Now, I'm one to lable a perv a perv, but the proof in this case in unfounfed.

Now Jeffrey Jones...he's a different story. They actually caught him taking pictures.