michael saulnier Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 This sucks. No matter why Pete Townshend paid for access to a "child porn" site, research on a book as he claims, or any other reason... there's sure to be a big media frenzy over this. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=638&ncid=762&e=1&u=/nm/20030113/en_nm/people_townshend_dc Pete's been one of my musical heroes and I hope he's telling the truth about his motives. Perhaps he can redirect some of the attention to the cause of stamping out this sick stuff. No matter what version of the truth comes out... it sucks that he has to be associated with it at all. guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com
Super 8 Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 Perhaps he was just doing some research hoping to follow in Gary Glitter's footsteps and write a popular rock & roll sports anthem??? :confused: Super 8 Hear my stuff here
offramp Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 Didn't yer mean t'say "Oh, little boy"? I've upped my standards; now, up yours.
medford Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 fiddle about, fiddle about. I always wondered where he came up with that. medford
Tedster Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 So, I hear he's contacted Jacko's surgeon about a nose job. He's not thinking on becoming a priest, is he? I'm sorry...Pete's music is great. But...when you start talking kiddie porn... well, I'll wait until the verdict is in before I tie the noose...but, to quote Elvis Costello...Let 'em dangle. And not necessarily by the neck. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
miroslav Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 I guess I'm puzzled... ...if child porn is illegal... ...and therefore, child porn web sites are illegal... ...then, why are people able to log on to them...use credit cards...view the content... ...WHILE...the police are investigating??? I mean...if the cops KNOW of a child porn web site...why wouldn't they shut it down immediately, and arrest the web site owners? Are they keeping the sites active JUST so they can see who enters them...and then go after those people? It's like allowing murder...so they can then have murderers to go after...??? Maybe I'm missing something... As far as Pete is concerned...what the fuck was he researching? Maybe he was...but all you are going to find on a porn site...is porn...what's there to research? If he really was...bad move Pete...especially the credit card!!! miroslav - miroslavmusic.com "Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important."
BNC Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 I hope he is doing research to stop child porn, but, like Miroslav said, there is a big ol' question mark right there...Either way, Pete is going to have plenty of the Michael Jackson treatment to deal with.
Tedster Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 Yep, Miroslav. You've got it. I like seeing the occasional picture of the sparsely clad adult female as much as the next guy, but, in addition to kiddie porn, there's other disgusting stuff, very disgusting stuff on some sites. Sites that promote rape...shit like that. I'd love to see 'em all shot. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
Jeff Klopmeyer Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 Geez, this sucks. Townshend is one of my idols. I don't want to assume innocence based on his word, but I don't want to convict him before hearing the real evidence. Shit. :( - Jeff Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon
rold Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 "I don't want to assume innocence based on his word, but I don't want to convict him before hearing the real evidence." Amen to that, Jeff :thu: [url=http://jam.canoe.ca/JamMusic/jan11_townshend-ap.html]Some more on the story[/url] meh
Jotown Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 [quote]Are they keeping the sites active JUST so they can see who enters them...and then go after those people? [/quote]Bingo! I guess until they find a better way to catch pedophiles that's what they will do. Jotown:) "It's all good: Except when it's Great"
aeon Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 [quote][i]miroslav wondered:[/i] [b]I mean...if the cops KNOW of a child porn web site...why wouldn't they shut it down immediately, and arrest the web site owners?[/b][/quote]The site in question may not be within their jurisdiction, and what one part of the world considers child porn, another may not. Go tell someone you love that you love them.
Philip OKeefe Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by Jeff, TASCAM Guy: [b]Geez, this sucks. Townshend is one of my idols. I don't want to assume innocence based on his word, but I don't want to convict him before hearing the real evidence. Shit. :( - Jeff[/b][/quote]While I wouldn't call Townshend one of my "idols", I do enjoy a lot of his music. Other than that, I'm in complete agreement with Jeff. When my wife heard about this, she was ready to rip the guy apart. I, OTOH, feel we need to see what the whole story is first. Too often, people are "convicted" in the court of public opinion before the whole story comes out - and then once the whole truth is told and they ARE exonerated, that doesn't make the same media "splash" as the original story - leaving the integrety of the person in question suspect and shattered in the minds of many. The way I heard it, he says he was molested as a child, and has little recollection, and was hoping that viewing the pictures would bring things back in his mind so he could more clearly remember / deal with it. Maybe so, but I'd think seeing a psychologist would be a better approach to deal with something like this. Maybe he did. Maybe it was bad judgement on his part or a bad recommendation on the part of the psychologist. Or maybe he's just a sick perv. But I'm willing to wait and give him the benefit of the doubt until he's proven guilty. If he IS guilty of being a sick pervert, and the courts so order it as his sentence, I'll volunteer to be the one to string him up and let him dangle (and not by the neck) as Tedster / Elvis Costello suggested. Off the top of my head, I can think of nothing worse than child molestation - and that's what child ponography is. And by extension, anyone who supports such disgusting crap is equally guilty. :evil:
Jotown Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 [quote]Or maybe he's just a sick perv. But I'm willing to wait and give him the benefit of the doubt until he's proven guilty. If he IS guilty of being a sick pervert, and the courts so order it as his sentence, I'll volunteer to be the one to string him up and let him dangle (and not by the neck) as Tedster / Elvis Costello suggested. [/quote]I am totally with you on that. After all, it is "innocent till proven guilty". Jotown:) "It's all good: Except when it's Great"
Rog Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 Pete contacted the police when all this became public and told them what his motives were. To date, they have not contacted him. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt at the moment. If he is telling the truth, that viewing these sites was for research purposes, then I can understand his actions but not condone them - viewing them under any circumstance is a very stupid and nieve thing to do. It reminds me of when I worked at a university which had one of those web censoring programs across it's system ... kinda stupid considering some staff and students were researching internet porn and internet censorship themselves - or at least, they were trying to! "That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." - Banky Edwards.
fantasticsound Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 Kinda reminds me of Dave Barry's column regarding the U.S. Congress' investigation of pornography about 10 years ago. He joked about the fact the report was hundreds of pages long, and was not only required reading (with plenty of examples) for those debating what to do, but was available, [i]free[/i], to any U.S. citizen, just for the asking. He concluded by stating, "So, who's watching them?", referring to the congressmen who were now the people most overexposed to porn and most likely to commit sex crimes! ;) It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd
Jeff Klopmeyer Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by Philip O'Keefe: [b]Too often, people are "convicted" in the court of public opinion before the whole story comes out - and then once the whole truth is told and they ARE exonerated, that doesn't make the same media "splash" as the original story - leaving the integrety of the person in question suspect and shattered in the minds of many.[/b][/quote]Yup. Two points here. First, for those of you who are unaware, Townshend is a little brainier than your average guitar picker. For quite awhile in the late 80s/early 90s, he put away his guitar and worked as a book editor and critic in the UK and New York. His music and message has always had an intellectual and emotional bent that most hard rockers either were unable or unwilling to display. I'm not saying any of this makes him impervious from socially unacceptable behavior, like looking at kiddie porn. Second, let me remind you of a couple of names. Richard Jewel, the accused bomber of the Atlanta olympics. Dr. Steven Hatfill, the university professor who was the lead suspect in the anthrax mailings. Both guys were tried and convicted in the public eye before being exonerated of their accusations. Both men had their lives ruined despite their innocence. If Pete (or anyone) is found holding a smoking gun for a crime like kiddie porn, let him fry. I'll shed no tears. But even as far-fetched as his excuse may seem, let's wait and see how this progresses before formulating an absolute opinion. - Jeff Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon
BP3 Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 Didn't see this thread when I posted my Pete thread. Scary thing about his arrest is that they're charging him with [b]making[/b] child porn.
KHAN Posted January 14, 2003 Posted January 14, 2003 From yahoo news: [b] [i]Pete Townshend Is Arrested in Porn Case [/i] By ED JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer LONDON - Rock star Pete Townshend (news) of The Who has been arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children, police said Monday. Scotland Yard announced that a 57-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of making and possessing indecent images of children and of incitement to distribute indecent images of children. Police, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the suspect was Townshend. He has not been charged with a crime. Under British law, suspects are not charged immediately upon arrest, and some people are eventually released without charge. Townshend, 57, said Saturday he had used an Internet Web site advertising child pornography. He made the admission after a newspaper reported detectives were investigating an unidentified British rock star for downloading child pornography. Police said they arrested Townshend under the Protection of Children Act after executing two searches at a business and a home in Richmond, Surrey, the town outside London where he lives. They said they took computers from the home and were examining them. Townshend was being held at a southwest London police station. Townshend said in his Saturday statement that he was not a pedophile and only used the porn site once while doing research for an autobiography dealing with his own suspected childhood sexual abuse. Townshend helped form The Who in London in the early 1960s and wrote most of the band's hits. The title character in Townshend's 1969 rock opera "Tommy" a deaf, dumb and blind pinball wizard is sexually abused by an uncle. Their parade of hits included "I Can See For Miles," "Pinball Wizard," and "Won't Get Fooled Again." Earlier Monday, a group of police officers arrived at Townshend's Richmond home, one carrying a plastic crate containing packaging to store potential evidence. Townshend's arrest came as part of Operation Ore, a crackdown on people who view child pornography on the Internet. British police have arrested 1,300 suspects as part of the sweep, including a judge, magistrates, dentists, doctors and a deputy school headmaster. Fifty police officers also have been arrested, and eight of them have been charged with offenses. -------------------------------------------[/b] I'm still of the innocent until proven guilty camp. But being arrested can't be a good sign. I hope he is vindicated. So Many Drummers. So Little Time...
Jotown Posted January 14, 2003 Posted January 14, 2003 [quote]I'm still of the innocent until proven guilty camp. But being arrested can't be a good sign. I hope he is vindicated. [/quote]Me too. The thing to remember is that he was, "arrested on [b]suspicion[/b] of making and possessing indecent images of children and of incitement to distribute indecent images of children." The word suspicion, will be lost on most people I am afraid. On another thread I read someone say, "He was arrested for making kiddie porn!" How they got that from the above quote is beyond me. The sad fact is even if he is found innocent, the damage this will do to his reputation and career will be unrepairable. That's why in America, it is supposed to be innocent till proven guilty, not guilty till proven innocent. Jotown:) "It's all good: Except when it's Great"
rold Posted January 14, 2003 Posted January 14, 2003 "That's why in America, it is supposed to be innocent till proven guilty, not guilty till proven innocent." It's too bad that with much of the media and the court of public opinion, it IS guilty until proven innocent. I wonder how many people have fried over this attitude. A good example - a good friend of mine from college went to a party, got hammered, went home with a woman who had a boyfriend she insisted she was broken up with, slept with her, and a few days later found out she was still with the guy. He apologized to the boyfriend, the woman was offended, and told everyone (small community) he had raped her. Aside from the fact that this particular guy doesn't have an agressive bone in his body, the woman is a complete headcase. Yet the community still believed her, he was quickly excommunicated, and found he couldn't even go hang out at his old digs because management wouldn't let him in. He was in tears for days - I can still remember him trying to tell people "She was on top - how could I have raped her?" Nonetheless, it's too bad the court of public opinion doesn't believe in innocent until proven guilty. All in all though, with this Townsend case, I get the impression he's innocent - why would anyone take the first step by contacting police to tell them his intentions if he was doing this for pleasure? However, if he is guilty, I hope the full weight of the law comes down on his shoulders. IMO, there are fewer things more sick and twisted than forcing and/or subjecting children to sexual activity. meh
Jotown Posted January 14, 2003 Posted January 14, 2003 [quote]However, if he is guilty, I hope the full weight of the law comes down on his shoulders. IMO, there are fewer things more sick and twisted than forcing and/or subjecting children to sexual activity. [/quote]I completely agree with you on that. But, that is "however", not "in fact". Jotown:) "It's all good: Except when it's Great"
rog951 Posted January 14, 2003 Posted January 14, 2003 Bummer. I hope it turns out he's somehow innocent, but it doesn't look good. I kinda wanted to play "Let My Love Open the Door" at my wedding too. I wonder if this'll make it too weird or anything... None more black.
BrianT Posted January 14, 2003 Posted January 14, 2003 He should be considered absolutely innocent until proven guilty, except that he's already personally confirmed that he did what the police say. The only question now is "Why?" and whether or not his "Why?" is legitimate and legal. How to figure that out, I've no idea. I do have one thought, though. Threshold. Crossing the distinct and unblurred threshold of entering the information and clicking the "Accept" button to debit your credit card and enter such a site must be intense. Clicking on the button(s) to download pictures of horrible things being done to little children onto your computer is not ambiguous. Personally, I cannot imagine legitimate circumstances under which I would decide to give someone operating a pedophile website my money. But that's just me. Put yourself in the mindset he claims to have been in and do a mental walkthrough. Doesn't work for me. I don't think I need to go to a pedophile website to get an idea about how astoundingly sick it must be. Who would? (pun intended) Regards, Brian T
BP3 Posted January 14, 2003 Posted January 14, 2003 Well, the media fucked up - [b]BIGTIME![/b] CNN, SkyNews, FoxNews, AP ect. all reported that he was charged for producing child porn. False.
Jotown Posted January 14, 2003 Posted January 14, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by BrianT: [b]He should be considered absolutely innocent until proven guilty, except that he's already personally confirmed that he did what the police say. Brian T[/b][/quote]That is not true. [i]From Yahoo News[/i]: [quote]he was, "arrested on suspicion of making and possessing indecent images of children and of incitement to distribute indecent images of children."[/quote]He did not confirm any of this. He confirmed that he entered his credit card number into a child porn site. That makes him guilty of poor judgement and stupidity, but not of; "Making and possessing indecent images of children and of incitement to distribute indecent images of children." Lets at least try to stick to the facts here. Jotown:) "It's all good: Except when it's Great"
fantasticsound Posted January 14, 2003 Posted January 14, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by Plain Old Jeebus: [b]What a sick fuck.[/b][/quote]Why, yes, you are! :rolleyes: It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd
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