Texas now wants to punish parents of teens caught sexting.

I don't disagree with that, it's judicial discretion. The judge can look at the case and decided, but I think there should be a formal summons and that parent needs stand in a court and explain their side.

Enough of the, "what can I do stuff". I don't care how the parent does it, just do it...or else.

Exactly, I think what you are doing is fantastic.

We are not there to be their friend, we are their parents and sometimes we have to protect from themselves.

I'm tired of having parents abdicate their responsibility, leaving society to deal with their parenting failures without any consequences.

Enough is enough, Houston has a epidemic of juvenile criminals running wild and the parents want to tell us there is nothing they can do.

If people can't raise these little tyrants then keep their legs closed and keep that thing in your pants.

People wanted these cute little bundles of joy...until they grow up and start running wild, then they tell us there is nothing they can do. My answer is, "you should have thought about that before you had them".

Most people spend more time deciding on a car purchase than they do planning a pregnancy and how they are going to raise a child.

It's time to hold parents accountable.

Good comment friend.

Personally, I don't like the term, "Nanny State."

My issue is that children are very unpredictable, and there is no scientific method of raising a good child. One method will work great with one kid, but be terrible for another. Personally, I do think that parents are ultimately responsible, but it cannot be something that the court of law can determine.

The difference between holding parents accountable in the Court of Law and DUI laws is the idea of Public endangerment. Now, it can be argued that a child showing pornographic images of him/herself is endangering the life, and well being of the other individual. The minor responsible for the sending, and unfortunately, the receiving (if caught) will be tried in the court of law. They will be held accountable for their actions.

But then the judge would have to try the parents. The parents would then have to testify that they did the right things, and they told their kids the right things. They could have records, and videos showing that they taught their child the rules. But the judge will just have to shake his head and say, "He did it, therefore you are responsible."

There are other laws out there that are very similar to this. For example, I think the statutory rape law does not protect the 18+ year old individual from minors who possess fraudulent ID. There was a gentleman in the good state of Texas who was 19. He was at a club in which every person entering the club must be 18+. Every person entering the club had to be carded. He met up with a girl, and was attracted to her. She asked him to go to his place for a good time. He asked her for an ID.

Her ID said that she was 18, and she promised him that she was of age. So, they went back to his place, they did their thing and that was going to be that. Problem is, the parents found out the next week. Despite the girl's wishes, they placed charges against the man.

The man went to court, and testified that he had checked the girl's ID. The girl agreed, that she showed him a fake ID. The girl told the judge that she lied to him. In the end, the girl was really 16.

The judge sent the man to prison for 8 years. He is now a registered sex offender. Though he regrets making the decision, he knows in his heart that he did everything to make sure that the girl was of age. He met her at an age appropriate location. He asked for an ID. He asked her to promise him that she was of age.

The girl, nor the parents, were held responsible for her lie. She wasn't even brought up on charges for possessing and using a fraudulent ID card.

The man didn't mean to commit statutory rape. He did the right thing and requested an ID. He wasn't ignorant to her age, he was lied to and was presented fraudulent forms of Identification. Though he did everything right in the situation, he went to jail and will now be forever labeled as a sex offender.

There is no perfect law Tim, laws are designed to try to protect as many people as possible, not to be perfect.

For every law I can give you an exception, but that has no bearing on the motivation behind the law.

Children are unpredictable, but it's up to their parents to try to instill some responsibly in them. It's amazing, the Marine Corps is able to instill discipline in 18 year olds in a matter of 3 months, there is little excuse for a parent not being able to explain to their teens why they shouldn't send nude photos of themselves, the fact that it is illegal and that both, parent and child, could end up in court.

Seems a no brainer to me, but you can't expect to have wasted 16 to 18 years by allowing a child to ignore you then all of sudden try to be a parent in their late teens.

I once had a woman in my shop who allowed her 4 year old to tell her to "shut up" and that she couldn't tell him what to do. I watched the woman continue to read her magazine and not say another word to him while he tried to pull down a custom wheel display. I had to tell her to go and get him or he was going to hurt himself. She reluctantly got up and went outside with him...kicking and screaming all the way. Is that freedom or a nanny state? Doesn't that child deserve to be protected even if it's from himself?

We are their parents, not their friends and sometimes they won't like that fact...too bad, it's our job and if we don't do it, trust me, there are gangs, pedophiles, rapists and murders out there just waiting to show them what freedom really means.

There is not a single reason to justify a minor posting nude pics and nothing good can come from it. I support the law, it may not stop it, but there will be consequences for violating it.

Just as we have conversations with our children about looking both ways before crossing the street and not taking candy from strangers, you can add "and don't send nude pics of yourself to your boyfriend/girlfriend because we both can go to jail.

Magic, we agree on everything but one thing. Parents are ultimately responsible, but you cannot punish them in the Court of Law for something their child did.

You don't need to explain to me the idea that parents can and or cannot discipline their children. But your Marine Corps idea has a huge flaw in it.

Even after those three months of basic; after all the discipline in the world has been given to those 18 - 22 year olds, most will come out and be great marines. However, some will come out and get busted for underage drinking, assault, and other crimes.

When I got out of basic I was sent to Pensacola Florida for training. While I was there, the Marines were causing a lot of problems. Not the entire group as a whole, but a few individuals were creating a big stir. Two Marine Corps soldiers rapped a naval seaman recruit. They used drugs to seduce her.

By your logic, the Marine Corps is now responsible for the actions of those two sailors. How does that make sense?

Believe it or not, by the time an individual is 13 years of age, they have a very good sense of what is right and what is wrong; even if they weren't raised in a good household. There is a natural sense of order that people sense.

By your logic, you are suggesting that minor, even 16 - 18 year olds are not responsible for any action that they make. Let me ask you question.

When a child is fined for a crime, who pays the fine? The parents do.
When a child is taken and confined for a crime, who suffers in agony at home? The parents do.
When a child is taken to court and tried, who pays his legal fees? The parents do.

Parents are already punished when their children commit crimes. Why do you want to waste Tax Payer dollars to bring parents to court for crimes that they did not commit?

What you are suggesting is that it is a crime to have your child commit a crime. That, by your child committing a crime, you are committing a crime. Not only is this not constitutional, its not humane by any stretch of the imagination.

This notion that every time a child does something wrong, it was because of a bad upbringing is completely ridiculous, and really isn't even worth debating as anyone who studies child behavior could tell you that often times, the parents do everything possible; but it just didn't work for the child.

There is no scientific evidence proving that it is possible to raise a child without fear of the child doing something wrong. There is plenty of evidence that shows that children require different raising techniques, and that the need for such techniques may not present themselves until it is too late.

Actually, yes Tim, the Corps WAS responsible for their behavior, that's how the Marine Corps sees it. I could go on in depth about our philosophy, suffice it to say that when one Marine screws up the entire Marine Corps and the Corps' reputation is always blamed, that's nothing new and is one of the first subjects covered in boot camp.

We agree to disagree on your one point. While jail could be an option of this law, I would assume that family court is where these cases will end up and counseling would probably the course of action in most cases.

The state is putting parents on notice, business as usual is over and this is a very serious issue, either you (parents) deal with it or the state will, the choice is all on parents.

Actually, I would like to see this expanded to other areas of the law.

I was just using the common Republican straw man arguments against a common Republican supported measure. Sounds stupid doesn't it. Please note the sarcasm in my first reply. It wreaked of it.

Magic, I know parents that rule under an Iron Fist. Their children aren't allowed to date until 18. Their children aren't allowed to be with a person of the opposite gender without any supervision whatsoever. They are taught all of the Christian values, and they are told never the twain shall touch until marriage.

The child then ends up pregnant at 15. I've seen it happen when I was in High School. I've been told by a Christian girl that she would not go out with me because she wasn't allowed by her parents. The next year, she is pregnant.

It doesn't matter how a parent raises child. If you shelter your child, other children will teach your kids about the world. If you teach your kid about the world, they will be tempted to go out and explore it.

No matter how you do it, ultimately it is up to the teen to decide whether or not to obey the parent's direction.

It is then impossible to hold the parent's accountable by law as every child is different. If you cannot grasp these simple ideas, then you live in a fantasy world.

Kids, even under the best of guidance, will be kids. Don't hold parents accountable; because it is impossible to determine if the parents did what was right, or what was wrong.

I will say this however, Parents SHOULD be held responsible for teaching their kids the difference between right and wrong. But there is no way to judge this in court. There is no measuring stick upon which to judge this on.

I, personally, believe that Parents are responsible for their children's actions. But, there is a difference between being responsible, and being held accountable in the court of law.

Your logic also assumes that all children are born good natured. I do not believe this to be true. For example, I've had two Labrador Retrievers. I received both at the age of 5 weeks; they were both from the same litter.

One lab responded to my coaxing, training, and affection better than the other. The other would fight me, always fighting. I trained both dogs the same way, but one was much harder to train than the other.

Today, the one good dog continues to be the good dog. The other dog tears up my shoes, eats food left on the counter, and cannot be trusted out of the kennel during long absences from the home. If I leave her in a room with nothing but a few dog toys and water, she will literally eat the wall, while the other dog does no wrong.

They were trained identically. Why is it that one would turn out different than the other? Its because they both have different personalities. Children are much the same way, if not more exaggerated than the dog comparison. Children are just different; God has made children different, and has shaped our personalities to be unique. Unfortunately, there will be some children who are not born with good nature in their hearts.

One last thought. I was one of those kids taught not to engage with another woman sexually until marriage. My wife and I were mature enough to remain innocent until marriage. I know it can be done . . . but I also know just how difficult it was for us to do.

It is extremely difficult to expect all the children of the world to follow my standard. Its not just difficult, its unrealistic. You could raise all the children in the world to my parent's standards . . . yet we will still have these problems that we see today.

For that reason, when it comes to the court of law, you cannot hold parents responsible for their children's actions.

One last, last thought.

Take Sarah Palin's daughter as an example. She fell into a trap that many children fall into. She was brave enough to keep the child, and resilient enough to change her ways, and advocate safe sex, and abstinence. What she did was wrong. But she learned from that mistake, and for that I respect her.

Should Sarah Palin be responsible for Bristol's underage teen sex? If so, what punishment would you see fit for her.

In the end, I see only positives for the family. They were mature enough to not press charges against Levi. They were mature enough to encourage Bristol to make the choice of life. They are now living with the consequences of that child's actions.

So was it Bristol's fault, or was it Sarah Palin's?

If I took responsibility for everything I did when I was 16 through 18, I wouldn't be the hard working, respectable citizen that I am today.

Sometimes you learn from doing something stupid. Sexting isn't something that I ever did. But I sure did some stupid things that, if I were punished under the rule of law, would have prohibited me from being where I am today. Because of my mistakes, I am a better, more mature person today.

Parents shouldn't be punished by law for something like Sexting. The action of their minor is the parent's responsibility; but often times Teenagers shut down, don't talk about their friends and their days. It gets harder to understand what is going on in their children's lives. There is only so much you can do as a parent.

If Parents were to be locked away, or forced into mandatory training because of something stupid their teenager did, then all parents of teenagers would be punished under law. There are more serious crimes that need to be dealt with. Lets not start throwing parents to jail for frivolous reasons.

Seriously, think about this. If a parent has to miss work, or spend time in jail, who would watch the kids? They would become wards of the state, which means more money spent supporting the kids of the parents that were locked away for doing nothing wrong.

Also, by this logic, parents of a child who commits burglary, theft, murder, or any other crime will also have to be sentenced in the court of law. So, if my son were to kill someone, I would be held responsible, even if I had done all of the necessary things to prevent said killing.

You know how kids are. Sometimes they just get pushed the wrong way and they snap. They then hit another kid, and break their nose. So, by your logic, the parent should now be tried in court because of the assault charges pressed against a minor.

By this logic, any kind of crime ever committed by a minor is now automatically the fault of the parent. I call BS.

Hey Republicans, stop trying to tell me how to live my life. I like my freedoms. I like being able to live without fear of going to jail for something that I didn't do. I like not being treated like a school yard kid. I like that I get to raise my kids the way I want to raise my kids. I like having the freedom to build my household the way I want to.

Stop trying to take my freedoms away. I don't want to live in a Nanny state Republicans. Stop trying to force your ugly, arrogant, in-tolerant rhetoric down my throat. I served these United States as a Navy Sailor. I did my three tours in the Arabian Gulf, and Iraq. I fought for my freedoms. Stay out of my house; and while you're at it, keep off the grass.

Consent laws change from state to state.

Do you know the diference between people feeling something is OK or not, vs a government making something illegal or not?

If an underage kid sends a nude self-pic to an adult without their consent, who exactly is the criminal?

Is the adult a criminal for receiving kiddy porn they did not want?

Is the child a criminal for making child pornography of themselves?

Is the parent a criminal for something they had no idea was going on?

Exactly how many people do you want to put in jail?

Nothing to invent.
It's already a crime.

Not for the parent. Yet, anyway. I think that was the point.

Funny thing you should mention splitting Texas as you did ... it just happens that Texas did guarantee it's right to secede when it became one of the United States. The stipulation of seceding however, is that Texas must split into 5 smaller states! It is that stipulation that will continue to make the talk of seceding only that ... just talk!

As for being offended by your statements, no offense taken, for you are correct. In fact, more people need to take heed to what has happened here oer the past few decades. Texas is a glowing example of just what this country will become should the Republicans be given control for ample amount of time to enact the changes they would like to make.

Aw shit you messed with Texas, NOW WATCH AS THE SKY OPENS UP AND YOU ARE CRUSHED BY THE MIGHTY HAND OF GAWDDDDD

...o hey, nothing happened, I guess it's all bullshit bravado.....

it's a sexting gone wrong pic. i had another pic up but was told to take it down so i put this up

texas

amazing to see how old up tight farts forget what they did when they were young to get a glance at their girlfriends titties... it wasnt called kiddie porn back then... it was called looking at your girlfriends tits...

Rather than trying to change the laws maybe you should get those pics off your computer before you get caught.

Amazing to see what culturally idiotic some people in this country are to see literally no difference between consensual pictures taken amongst young adults and children being forced into sex with older men for the pleasure of older men.

Controversy might work well in your crowd, but here we think.

LITERALLY no difference between a teenager taking a pic of themselves, and a child being forced to pose for pictures and have their images distributed to pedophiles? LITERALLY no difference? LITERALLY? uh ok...

change what laws? the republicans are trying to change the laws... not me...

actually texas is its own country, we joined with the united states for the good of the united states. because they begged us, and because they paid us handsomely... if you judge a whole state on what some assholes in the government did, then you're not any smarter than they are

Did you really need to repost it? I can reply to a reply.

Of course it is according to the law, that's not what the issue here is.

Obviously the law is mistaken and needs to be rewritten in a more specific manner.

Unless you really think we should arrest kids for taking pictures of themselves.

Maybe we should rewrite all laws so kids won't be held responsible.

Drugs, theft and even murder are ok because we don't want to ruin a kids future, Do we?

go big governmen... eh mr republican?

what exactly is big government to you? because to me, its law makers making sure that we keep arresting MORE people for victimless crimes...

a teenager sending a dirty pic of themselves to another teenager is not a crime... if a teenager sends that pic to a grown adult, then the grown adult is responsible if he or she asked for the pic or had inappropriate conversations with the minor in question... this is in no way the responsibility of the parent. and this is in no way the big brother government's responsibility to have people arrested.... geez would you make up your mind... do you want people to take personal responsibilty or do you want to blame parents for every fucking thing their children do? do you want small government or do you want the people you voted for to reduce the size of government by resigning themselves?

Haha, oh wow. False equivalency much?

First off, the point of banning child pornography is to discourage adult pedophiles from obtaining it. Unless you're also going to argue that minors that engage in sexual activity or sexting or pedophiles, your argument is stupid.

You're also suggesting that kids go to jail for something in which there was no victim. Chew on that for a while, if you care, which you probably don't.

You're also stupid because we DO deal with children differently under the law. That's why children aren't tried as adults. A ten year-old kid would not get 35-life for murder, and it's obvious why.

Blue, I was going to reply to your comment but Saladin already said everything I was thinking, as usual. I hope you're paying attention!

first... there is absolutely no reason to insult me because you disagree with me

second... there IS a difference between a teenager sending her boyfriend a pic and child pornography
third... i did NOT say that teenagers should go to jail for this... i said that parents should NOT go to jail for this, nor the teenagers... its a waste of tax dollars

fourth... i didnt say that children are not dealt with differently by the law... it seems to me like you maybe read half of what i said, and made up the rest...

my point was that parents cannot be held responsible for what their kids text... how would they even know they were doing it? its really easy to delete photos and texts... however, if a teenager is old enough to be sexual, they are old enough to know right and wrong. we are not talking about 10 year olds here... we are talking about teenagers. when i was a teenager, i knew right from wrong... i knew what sex was... and i knew whether i was comfortable or not with showing someone my body. i also knew what a pedophile is and how to avoid them. if i had been giving out nude photos of myself to boys the same age as me, you can damn well bet that my parents would have never known about it.

the only responsibility the parents have is to teach their children right from wrong... it is not their duty to carry punishment for a victimless crime.

you cant just lock up the whole country... ya just cant...

yes... by all means... we should expand the governments role in our daily lives...and we should have innocent people arrested... and we should have the tax payers pay for that... good idea there chief...

hey i dont want governmental intrusion in my life any more than the next guy.but when a basic level of common civility is that is part of how we as a people function is ignored, what other apperatus do we have to compensate.
just as everything else, if we the citizenry took care of such matters properly on our own, government wouldnt have a basis to intrude.

we dont have government working on anticanabalism legislation, cuz we as a society all do our part to insure it isnt a problem.if dumb ass parents lived up to the responsability of guiding the lives they created, government wouldnt have a need to be involved in this either.

it isnt like our government is making restrictive laws before the fact.it is always after the citizenry has proven it is incapable of doing it on its own.

unless you like the idea of living in a society that caters to child pornography?i like thialand just fine, just i dont want to be them.

its a new age... everyone has a cell phone... cell phones have cameras and the ability to easily send and hide messages and pictures. how is it the parents responsibility to serve jail time for something they obviously dont even know about?

you can teach a teenager right from wrong... but the fact is that teenagers are having sex... they always have been...

if politicians wanna go around making restrictive laws on the american people, why dont they start with what the boy does with the pictures... if he sends it to other people, or posts it on the internet, THEN its a crime... and not a jailable crime either... until that boy or girl shares that picture with anyone else, then its between two horny teenagers...

we cant lock up parents when their teenagers have sex with other teenagers... why should we be able to lock them up for something less severe?

you nailed it right on the head.
"how is it the parents responsibility to serve jail time for something they obviously dont even know about?"
why dont they know what thier kids are up to? is it not them, the parents whos responsability it is? arent they supposed to ask themseves "is this item good or bad for my kid, andin what ways?"

jail time is a bit much, but accountability for the children they are responsable for raising is not.

you are right.teenagers are horndogs.this has been true sinc the dawn of time.wich further shows how flawed the parents are in not taking this into account when providing thier kids the means to sext.its the difference between getting your kid a shit cheap pre-paid phone vs a camphone.giving the kid internet access and allowing them to have a cam hook up in the privay of thier own room.basicaly the difference between parenting and not.

if horny kids sharing thier experimental years had no consiquence i would agree with you.but this isnt consiquence free behavior is it?i mean a college kid has his private sex life posted on the internet and he killed himself.how do you imagin it effects a 15 yr old girl when her entire class knows what she looks like and how she trims her bush?

shari kaufman got drunk when we were 16 at a party and did a topless dance on a table.god bless alcohol and her sexual repression for creating that wonderfull experience.as well as her uperior genetics in regards to boobs.but she never recovered socially from that experience as she was mercilessly mocked afterwards.and we didnt have cam phones.i cant even imagine what it would have been like for her had it been a decade later.

AHAHAHAHAHAHA

That is the best thing I've seen all week.

I may have enjoyed that more than anything you have yet posted at c u r r e n t.

( not saying this is your best essay,.....but your ire doesn't always bleed through the text in a manner that tickles me so much ! )

VERY " +^d ". Spot on. Culture needs to GROW UP.

wait... why were u arguing the exact opposite point to me further up in the debate? you seem to have changed your opinion from one extreme to the other, and have the nerve to call me stupid several times for saying, basically what you said... the government should mind its fucking business, and teenagers have been figuring out ways to see their boyfriend or girlfriend naked for a long long time.... i dont get whats going on here

it is stupidity in the sense of naive, and behaving in a manor that has abandoned a basic understanding of what responsability is.they are kids hence lacking knowledge.stupid, not as a mean thing, but an inherent state of being for all of us at some point.

yielding to sexual urges and desires is the struggle that defines the teenaged.it is the frame work of thier entire existance.from personal questions, to sexual politics being played out day to day.it is healthy to explore, but with in a cautious set of boundaries, as errors that relate to sex are more powerfull than they can negotiate.

the tech questions are interesting, and may be the crux of the whole issue.as we are now starting to see a new generation of young adults who grew up with this tech.ive done all the things you have mentioned, but in my twenties with a greater understanding of what i was doing than i would have had at 16.i guess one generation doesnt have the first hand experience of this in order to understand it properly.

dude its texas.the guys who rouse cheers by threatening secession.crazy is thier deal.

you're full of shit... a hand full of people agreed with secession... if you arent from texas, then dont pretend to know what the fuck texas is about. these assholes got elected just like all the other asshole republicans that got elected... by uninformed, tricked, and stupid people who were more dedicated to voting than young democrats.

are there stupid people in texas? FUCK YES... are there stupid people everywhere else too? fuck yes...

the same way all the other republicans got elected,... money, corruption, and trickery

a handfull of people huh?
well in the rest of the country, when elected officials publicaly call for secession, that politician is vilified.in texas they are met with rousing applause, and are allowed to continue holding public office.either texas doesnt have representaive governance, or the people who tolerate such insanity are enough to be a fully represented voting block.a majority if you will.

if i dont know what texas is about? what kind of xenophobic madness do you have going on, when you criticize some one for speaking about how people publicaly portray themselves.it would be smomething if i were to bash kentucky for being inbreds, as that is soley prejudicial.im just acknowledging what texans put into the public sphere.dont be mad at me, look in your own back yard at the assholes who are offering this view of the lone star state.

and what state are you from?

please? you think im not above self deprication.
im a new yorker who now resides in fla.there ya go.you got literaly a bazillions points of mockery at your disposal.none of wich im going to try to refute.

but dont you dare talk about ny pizza.that is blasephemy

i had to change the photo i had previously it was gratuitously sexual

It's already a crime.

Transmission of child pornography.

. . . .just because someone BELIEVES it,.....does not make someone NOT a troll.

. . . . .and I am NOT calling anyone anything. For the record. Take note,....all with flags.

p.s. +^d

Of course it is according to the law, that's not what the issue here is.

Obviously the law is mistaken and needs to be rewritten in a more specific manner.

Unless you really think we should arrest kids for taking pictures of themselves.