Okay, Redstate’s temporary excursion into sanity is officially over. One of the leading #NeverTrumpers has a diary up alleging that California has just made child prostitution legal. The author is talking about SB 1322. Instead of making the least bit of effort to check out the story, she relies wholeheartedly on a fake news site, the Washington Examiner. This irresponsible rag reports
SB 1322 bars law enforcement from arresting sex workers who are under the age of 18 for soliciting or engaging in prostitution, or loitering with the intent to do so. So teenage girls (and boys) in California will soon be free to have sex in exchange for money without fear of arrest or prosecution.
What the bill actually says is
(1), this subdivision does not apply to a child under 18 years of age who is alleged to have engaged in conduct to receive money or other consideration that would, if committed by an adult, violate this subdivision. A commercially exploited child under this paragraph may be adjudged a dependent child of the court pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 300 of the Welfare and Institutions Code and may be taken into temporary custody pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 305 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, if the conditions allowing temporary custody without warrant are met.
RedState is all riled up because, in their unceasing effort to create even more acrimonious partisan tribalism, they would rather interpret “temporary custody” as legal cover to release these children back into the custody of their pimps. The press release sets it straight.
SACRAMENTO, CA — The Governor has signed into law legislation that deems persons under the age of 18 who might previously have been charged with criminal prostitution as victims of sex trafficking, eligible for treatment rather than prosecution.
“The law is supposed to protect vulnerable children from adult abuse, yet we brand kids enmeshed in sex-for-pay with a scarlet ‘P’ and leave them subject to shame and prosecution,” said State Senator Holly J. Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), who introduced SB 1322. “This is our opportunity to do what we say is right in cases of sex trafficking: stop the exploiters and help the exploited.”
When it comes to the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), the victims are criminalized under California law, often sent to juvenile hall and tagged with a rap sheet for prostitution.
SB 1322 decriminalizes prostitution charges for minors. It requires that law enforcement continue to immediately report allegations of commercial sexual exploitation involving juveniles to agencies charged with protecting and counseling them. Courts would still be responsible for overseeing the care that trafficked youths receive while they remain underage, in the absence of responsible parents or guardians.
The diary’s author slices up the red meat for consumption.
...if an 11-year old girl is caught prostituting, and says she’s doing what she’s doing of her own free will, no problem..[...]...This bill makes it very easy for pimps and traffickers to not only thrive in their sick business, but encourages them to seek out more children to victimize.
The sauce for this red meat? An appreciation that the Electoral College disenfranchises California.
This is California.
Want to know why we have an electoral college?
So the same people that support this kind of sickness don’t have an undue influence on our nation.
A commenter agrees
There should be a fence build alright, but should be built around California.
Sounds like the basis for a mutually acceptable secession.
The diary commenters, not one, show even the slightest doubt as to the veracity of the report. No, they gobble the red meat up. Truly Dan Kahan is right. They have not the slightest bit of curiosity.
So statutory rape is cool, as long as it's for money? Donald Trump should take the bully pulpit and call out stuff like this for 4 years. If he wants to 'make America great again', then bring attention to how depraved 'the other side' is at every opportunity. 'Disgusting Democrats'. Whatever. Tie them to their sickness and expose the results. Americans who don't read sites like this probably have no idea this kind of sick twisted crap goes on. If you go full Democrat, you get CA. Conversely, imagine an America where NONE of them hold office anywhere. How do we save conservatives in CA? How do we take back that once great state?
The thing is it's still shocking and surprising. I keep thinking they have problems but they can't be that bad, and then they are off to find a new low.
They babble on about hatred, oppression, and intolerance out of one side of their disgusting mouths, and legalize pedophilia out of the other. In their projection, they tell us what they really are.
How does a moral person live in such a place as Fornicania?
We must give the illegal alien children a higher income level career choice that they are capable of learning. Otherwise they will be stuck washing dishes, motel housekeeping, picking fruits/veggies, etc.
Do Republicans seriously think that criminalizing the victims of sex trafficking helps these victims?
Not only was the diary author too lazy to check out an obvious unlikely story, she is happy to help foment the acrimonious tribalism that is killing this country. As far as I am concerned, she has destroyed her own claims of being a loving child of her Heavenly Father who loves her neighbor as herself.
I am well aware that Kossacks welcome any chance to pile onto Republicans, BUT I am also certain if a Kossack published such a diary, it would be hide-rated within minutes, if not seconds. I cannot imagine the community would let such a blatantly false diary, even though it presented a wonderful opportunity to heap contempt upon Republicans, to stand.
I am sorry I ever thought healing was ever possible. It is hopeless, utterly hopeless.
Friday, Dec 30, 2016 · 9:11:59 PM +00:00
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azindy
Finally, finally a RedStater stepped in to provide important perspective. What took so long?
Okay, as much as I'd like to get all agitated about this, I work in California, in the Dependency Court system as an attorney, and I'm well acquainted with this law.
The objective of this law, whether it's well-written or not, is to ensure that minors who are caught up in the sex-trafficking industry aren't victimized again by the system and subsequently prosecuted. I would think that folks here would be pretty upset if some girl (or boy) were kidnapped, forced into prostitution, rescued, and then slapped with criminal charges because of some overzealous DA.
In addition, the law in all 50 states denies that children under 18 have the ability to consent to sexual activity. So, if you're in favor of statutory rape laws, you can't have it both ways. Either the minor has the ability to consent, or he/she does not...the fact that there's an exchange of money does not change the existing law.
Pimps tend to target kids from broken homes, kids who are in the foster care system, and frankly, anyone else they can get their hands on. Know how you can tell who a child sex-worker is? Next time you see a teen or child with a weird tattoo on their face or neck or shoulders (someplace that's normally exposed) and it's something that you wouldn't think a kid would tattoo (e.g. "Joey's Lil' Precious", "Moneyball", "Big Daddy's Bitch", etc) that's probably someone who is working in the industry or was rescued from it...hopefully the latter.
But even if the police find someone working "willingly", which I find VERY hard to believe because there's always a pimp calling the shots (even if it's the child's own parent!!), the police are going to take that child into custody. Sure, he/she won't go to jail, but they will be sent home to Mom and Dad, or if that's not possible, then into some sort of foster care placement. Sometimes with enough counseling, mental health care, drug rehab, and support, the system can pull kids out of that life and straighten them out. But sometimes they fall back into it because the problems are too deep and the pimps recruit out of group homes too.
No correction yet from the original author of the diary.
Saturday, Dec 31, 2016 · 2:59:45 AM +00:00
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azindy
NBC has a debunking story up (www.nbcnews.com/...). Their lede is way too weak.
A California Republican claims Democratic-backed legislation aimed at protecting underage sex workers actually pushes minors into prostitution.
The first half of the story repeats the spurious allegations and the second half debunks them, but as all journalists know, you deliver your message within the first three paragraphs or not at all because the vast majority of readers will not read to the end.
Sunday, Jan 1, 2017 · 7:42:25 PM +00:00
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azindy
The diary author still has not retracted. Restate is mostly ignoring the debunk (www.redstate.com/...), written by a different author. They just do not want to let it go; it is just too juicy.
caveman101
"No, California did not legalize child prostitution"...............yet!
Or this one:
gopcongress
The only problem I would have with the bill would be for teens would be more prone to independently selling their sexual services because they know they won't be arrested themselves, and in that case may actually increase the likelihood of consensual teen prostitution.
Newsflash. There is legally no such thing as “consensual teen prostitution.” It is still statutory rape.