Kentucky teen tweets her way to possible jail time

Why is this interesting? Because she could go to jail for tweeting the names of two boys who sexually assaulted her and spread pictures of the act over the internet.

Yes... let it sink in... you read it correctly.

I know, right!

Here are a few more details of the story:
The seventeen year old victim passed out at a party.
Two under-eighteen males then assaulted her and took pictures.
The same two males distributed said pictures via the interwebs.
The two males plead guilty to felony sexual abuse and misdemeanor voyeurism. Sentencing is in August.
The hearing was in a juvenile court and therefore subject to confidentiality.
There was also a court order to not discuss the case outside the courtroom.
The victim felt the charges were too lenient.
The victim tweeted the names of the two boys and stated "if I have to go to jail for my rights, I will do it."
The lawyer for the two boys filed to have the victim charged with contempt of court.
The contempt charge has a maximum possible sentence of 180 days in jail and a $500 fine.
The boys were tried as "youthful offenders" which is akin to being tried as an adult. (adult proceedings have no confidentiality)


This info was gleaned from Sam Laird's article on Mashable.com. here.

In his article, Laird asks if the reader thinks the seventeen year old victim does or does not deserve jail time for tweeting the names of her attackers. Mr Laird, nice article... stupid question. Of course she does not. She does deserve to be found guilty, but not jail time. This is where "judicial discretion" comes into play. This is why the process of vetting judges is so important. This is why the judicial branch is a vital part of the U.S. Government. The judge in this case will have to look at the two boys who assaulted her, who are protected by this confidentiality of juvenile court, even though they were essentially tried as adults, and ask an important question. The question being, while the victim did in fact commit a crime, how much of an injustice was done? If I run out on a red light to pull someone from out in front of a speeding car, should I get a ticket for jaywalking? Should I be charged with assault for punching someone who is assaulting someone else? While each instance is technically a crime, are they truly and offence? An injustice? No, obviously not.

In a somewhat fitting scenario in my head, the judge hears the contempt charge, finds the victim guilty and orders her to pay the maximum $500 fine with no jail time. Then, the judge hands down sentencing for the two assailants, giving them both the maximum jail time allowable, ordering the two boys to register as sex offenders (which they likely wont have to do in this case) AND ordering them to pay the victim's $500 fine.

Actually, that's a silly idea of justice. I don't know what would be a just punishment for those two boys. I do know that the least of that punishment would be to have the world know their names.

UPDATE: The defense attorney has withdrawn the request that the victim be held in contempt.

Try.

Love yourself. 

MAKE PEACE with who you are at this moment in time. 

Listen to your heart. 

If you can't hear what it's saying in this noisy world, MAKE TIME for yourself. 

Enjoy your own company. 

Let your mind wander among the stars. 

Try.

Take chances.

MAKE MISTAKES.

Life can be messy and confusing at times, but it's also full of surprises. 

The next rock in your path might be a stepping-stone.

Be happy.

When you don't have what you want, want what you have. 

MAKE DO.

That's a well-kept secret of contentment. 

There aren't any shortcuts to tomorrow. 

You have to MAKE YOUR OWN WAY.

To know where you're going is only part of it. 

You need to know where you've been, too.

And if you ever get lost, don't worry.

The people who love you will find you. 

Count on it.

Life isn't days and years. 

It's what you do with time and with all the goodness and grace that's inside you. 

MAKE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE...

The kind of life you deserve.

I was reminded of this today. The words come via a wonderful woman who no longer graces this earth.

Pretenders

So... let's say you're a painter.. You have basic technique, but haven't mastered it and haven't continued to study. You slap some paint on a canvas and take your painting to the gallery. You hang your painting on the wall and then stand next to it and wait for people to view it. The crowd arrives and people begin to walk through the gallery. Friends arrive and they see you and tell you how great your work is. Others arrive and they take in the work. While they're taking it in, you jump in with "I painted this!" They smile, raise their eyebrows as they nod as answer with "It's nice, I like it." You smile and they move on to the next piece of work. Others stop and you do the same, they answer similarly. After many people telling you they like it, you begin to feel more confident with your work. More people view the work and you are feeling good about it. They stop to look and you say "Isn't it great?", gleaming with pride. They nod, smile and move along.

A woman arrives and looks at your painting. You chime in with "Isn't it great?" She is taken by surprise and says, "I don't know, I'm trying to look at it." You respond with, "I painted it!" She says, "congratulations" and returns to view your work. You jump in with the most dangerous of questions, "do you like it?" She shrugs, purses her lips and says... "not particularly." She looks you in the eye and says "there are great instincts here, but you're still learning. I'm excited to see your work as you continue to grow as an artist." You shrink back as if slapped and can only muster, "oh'" She smiles and moves along to take in other works.

Is she a bitch? Is she jaded? Jealous? Honest? Unafraid to say what she feels in spite of being put on the spot?

What about you? Are you an artist? Are you as good at what you do as you think? Do you want to challenge yourself to grow? Do you want the praise? Do you just need the attention?

Tell me.

So it's been a while....

So it's been a while since I last posted. A lot has happened since then. I have moved and had someone steal from me. That's always a disappointing experience. The stealing, not the moving. The moving was hard, but not necessarily disappointing. It was a very emotional move as it was part of the end of something that was such an important part of my life. There was a lot of sadness and uncertainty about this move and now I'm in a new place living with someone I haven't known for more than a few weeks. What lies ahead seems like it could be great, but right now everything is unsure and uprooted. Luckily, I had two wonderful people help me through this move. When everything in your life is crazy, sometimes the most magical words you could ever hear are, "sure, I'll help you move" said with the simplicity of lending someone a dime. As if moving weren't a taxing, frustrating and sweaty experience.

Years ago, I had to move rather quickly and I was driving a beat up Volkswagen I could barely squeeze a box into, let alone furniture. When that was happening I reached out to a guy named Mike with Crohn's disease. Crohn's has nothing to do with the story, that's just how I distinguish him from the 50 other Mikes in my life. That number is not an exaggeration, by the way. Mike, sorry that you will always be described that way. I didn't really know Mike. I had met him a few months prior and we were often in the same places with the same people. Mike had a truck and said "sure" in just the same way my friend who helped this last weekend did. Just because.

That "sure" meant and means so much to me. It says, "I would love to extract some misery out of your life." It says, "Without agenda." It says, "I love you." Which is what some people need to hear in the midst of stressful times. What I also love about that response is that it says those three little words and then tacks on, "and I'm not afraid to prove it." Thank you to my two wonderful people this weekend and thank you to Mike with Crohn's disease.