Various people had criticized the new groping searches by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) as assault and, when done on children, something akin to molestation. According to police, one alleged child pornography addict found the TSA the perfect job. TSA Officer Thomas Gordon Jr. of Philadelphia has been arrested for uploading explicit pictures of young girls to an Internet site. What is astonishing is that Gordon posted a photograph of himself in his TSA uniform.
The arrest follows the disturbing posting of a video showing the pat-down of a 6-year-old girl — a case that Homeland secretary has called entirely appropriate.
Gordon, 45, began working as a TSA screener at the Philadelphia airport in December 2005. He could now face a sentence as long as 250 years and the fine of $3.2 million.
That is quite a potential sentence when the evidence appears composed of what appears to be the act of downloading — particularly five explicit photographs of young girls. What is missing is the allegation that he perpetuated the abuse as opposed to uploading the photos of others. There were 104 illicit photographs allegedly uploaded over four weeks and another 600 images or movies containing child pornography on a flash drive.
These sentences are often stacked by prosecutors charging each image as a separate crime. The result are sentences far in excess of manslaughter. It also forces defendants to plead guilty rather than face life in prison — even if they insist that they are innocent.
Source: Philly
i realise you can’t tell a book by it’s cover but that is one butt ugly pedophile
BIL, got off track with the rationale, sorry:
He should be removed from his job as a screener. Any sentence for the five explicit pictures should not be magnified to enhance any appropriate sentence for a single count consolidating all photos to reach one sentence. ‘Loading on’ would be inappropriate IMO.
BIL: “I’d like to know what you two would propose as an alternative from segregation from the rest of society (either in hospitals or prisons) until an actual cure presents itself?”
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He may not have a bona fide mental disorder or have committed any crime other than having pictures.
There are people in society that should go to jail or hospitals and never come out, their danger to society is just too great. I can readily agree with that. You may be right that child molesters are in that class (A position you hold as I garnered it from other postings of yours, please correct me if I am wrong about that.) but this is not a case of child molestation.
This man had pictures. The mechanism for discouraging child sexual abuse (when photographed) is the same as the mechanism for fighting drugs or RIAA uses against file sharers; pick the low-hanging fruit and impose enormous sentences (or fines via civil judgments)for the least harmful of behaviors in that particular class of criminal behavior.
If this man were caught molesting a child the propriety of locking him up forever would be a worthwhile discussion but that’s not the case. If the manufacturer of the picture could be caught and it was a picture of a child being sexually abused then s/he would fall into the ‘accessory’ or ‘complicit’ or ‘conspiracy’ side of the ledger. That’s different.
Going after consumers doesn’t work with drugs, prostitution, file sharing or porn of any kind, it just distorts the justice system and focus’ enforcement (if needed) at the wrong target. I don’t advocate doing anything more or less to this defendant based on the number of images he has. He’s probably classified as someone having Paraphilia, being a Paraphiliac, which can rise to the level of a mental disorder. If it doesn’t in his case (and there’s no indication that it has) then having him face potentially a life in prison or a hospital as a pedophile is a miscarriage of justice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraphilia
“In the current version of the DSM (DSM-IV-TR), a paraphilia is not diagnosable as a psychiatric disorder unless it causes distress to the individual or harm to others. The DSM-5 draft adds a terminology distinction between the two cases, stating that “paraphilias are not ipso facto psychiatric disorders”, and defining paraphilic disorder as “a paraphilia that causes distress or impairment to the individual or harm to others”.[16] This will make a clear distinction between a healthy person with a non-normative sexual behavior and a person with a psychopathological non-normative sexual behavior.”
The TSA can search you at their pleasure on planes, trains, boats and buses, departing or arriving (as was the case here):
erykah, the mission of TSA functionaries is not limited to airports, as has been written about right here on this blog.
mespo/LK,
Given the nature of the disorder, the lack of an actual cure, and the rate of recidivism?
I’d like to know what you two would propose as an alternative from segregation from the rest of society (either in hospitals or prisons) until an actual cure presents itself?
This business of patting down kids is screwed up. I would not allow them to do this to my child. I guess that is why I do not fly. Amtrak anybody?
What Mespo said, al of it.
Pedophilia is listed as an illness and is medically differentiated from other forms of sexual attraction to young people by age bracket.
Info on DSm and ICD (International Classification of Diseases):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedophilia
And he still managed to get past the nigh insurmountable standard for government employment. huh.
mespo727272
1, April 25, 2011 at 4:03 pm
rafflaw:
I think this societal ill is more disease than crime and should be treated as such. We can find more substantive ways to combat this perversion than locking up the purveyors.
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Whoa … that’s some pretty refined and deep thinking for the middle of the afternoon but a thought with which I find myself in agreement.
rafflaw:
I think this societal ill is more disease than crime and should be treated as such. We can find more substantive ways to combat this perversion than locking up the purveyors.
PRE, Etc:
When I first started into practice, an established member of the bar told me about “hot crimes.” Back then DUI was no big deal (it was .15 BAC for a conviction and even then they were routinely reduced to Reckless Driving) but with the advent of pressure groups like MADD, SADD et al, ad nauseum, it became the “hot crime” and no breaks were to be found from the judges. Rape became similarly situated once the “rape shield” laws came into effect and again no way to get a reduced charge on cases that merited them. The trend continued with all manner of crimes like child abuse, spousal abuse, computer theft, etc. Now it’s possession of child pornography that draws the public’s ire. The simple fact is that some crimes are treated differently according to societal mores and the judges get that. Why murder/manslaugter casess don’t make the “hot list” given the seriousness of the cosnequences is a mystery to me.
Mespo,
I agree that in some of the pornography cases, it seems more of an attempt to punish thought as opposed to action.
Child pornography in any shape is insidious, and measures to stamp it out have, to some degree, reflected that. I fully support those efforts.
On the other hand, child pornography nowadays seems to be more of a political pressure point. Politicians have EVERYTHING to lose by trying to ease disproportionate sentences; yet, they can score public points (as most politicians can) by increasing such out-of-hand sentences, claiming they are “tough on crime.” Child pornography is a prime example of this posturing. Combine this with public sentiment and the fact that defendant’s rights have been subverted in lieu of plea bargaining, and we pretty much have the Treason Trials for child porn cases.
An added twist: how many innocent people are being accused of child porn because someone hijacks their wireless router?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/24/unsecured-wifi-child-pornography-innocent_n_852996.html
Like most, I am appalled at child pornography and would support most legal measures to discourage it, but is this punishment for deviant thought instead of deviant action?
re: the photo of this guy in his TSA uniform
Idiocy, arrogance… and, yes, to what AY said… (These types love uniforms, badges, flashing lights, a sense of power…)
Makes sense to me. Girls can’t resist a man in uniform as I recall. Sorry.
A TSA screener involved in child porn… Okay, who is surprised? Don’t all speak at once.
I have read that the “picture world” is the first step to peds….it is just a matter of time before the fantasy is acted upon… Thats why I agree that mere possession of these type of photos should be harshly punished….
I may be wrong…but…I think that most were abused as children….