All American Kiddy Porn

Last November, a couple in the suburbs of Dallas were arrested for child-porn. The vile material that got them hauled in? A picture of the woman breast-feeding her baby. There were other "inappropriate" photos of their infant and toddler splashing in the bath tub, and they were, *gasp*, nude! But the single photo that raised the red flag was the breast-feeding shot. An overeager photo-lab technician at Eckerd reported these "suspicious" photos to the police. The sergeant, who I've promoted to the rank Captain Fuckhead, made the following statement, "We thought they contained sexuality." One thing led to another, the couple's house was ransacked, their kids were taken away by the state, and they were slapped with criminal charges for child pornography.

When I first heard about it, I thought, Well, I'm sure the matter has been cleared up, and now they have their kids back. Wrong. The criminal charges have been dropped, but after nearly six months, their kids are still not home where they belong.

I just don't understand this whole taboo surrounding breast-feeding in the States. What's offensive about it? How is it not viewed as something natural and pure? Or perhaps some may say, "Sure, it's perfectly natural... but I don't want to see it in public." Well, why the hell not? Most other countries don't seem to have a problem with it, so why should we?

Then there's the argument about breasts being exposed in public and whatnot. But come on, we're talking about feeding an infant, and that's what breasts are for. Believe it or not, they do not exist solely for male entertainment or to piss off prudish women; they do perform a higher function. I mean, if the nursing mom is going to hop up on a table and start a-shimmyin� and a-shakin� 'em, then ok, I can see the inappropriateness, but sitting there just breast-feeding? What�s the big deal?

So, speaking of exposed breasts, can someone explain to me why it's acceptable in mainstream media to display cleavage which has become sexualized, but it's considered lewd and immoral to expose anything below the top of the areola which is the part used to provide sustenance to a baby? And more importantly, why is it a second degree felony, punishable by up to TWENTY YEARS in prison, in places like Richardson, Texas?

One thing that the couple has in their favor is the fact that they are Peruvian immigrants. They don�t have this asinine prudishness in their culture, and in fact, it�s tradition to take a photo of the mother nursing as part of the documentation of the various stages of childhood. These are pictures for the family album, not for kiddy-porn sites. I think this played a key part in having the charges dropped, but it hasn't gotten them their children back yet.

In another case, unrelated but relevant, two acquaintances of mine in NYC took a few partially nude pictures: the girl�s bare back, the top half of her buttocks, the side of her breast. We�re not talking porn here, folks. So, when they went to pick up the photos from *insert drugstore chain name here*, the clerk alerted the manager, who then, at full volume in front of numerous customers, announced to them that company policy dictates that they cannot process pictures of a pornographic nature. And this was hardly Richardson, Texas; we�re talking NYC, home of the screaming lefties... or so I�d thought.

This brings up a tired, old debate which unfortunately still bears repeating: Why is it ok to show people shooting each other on prime-time TV and PG movies, but not nudity? NUDITY IS LEWD, DIRTY, AND BREEDS MORAL CORRUPTION! But killing is fine. Our government does it all the time-- it�s good for the economy! Give your kids toy-guns and plastic grenades, BUT FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY, DON'T LET THEM SEE A PAIR OF BREASTS!!!

Diane Arbus

Perhaps your average American will tell me that I�ve just spent too much time in a country where using breasts to advertise low-fat yogurt and mineral water is common practice. But, ya know what? That same country would never dream of taking children away from parents over a mere breast-feeding photo.

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