The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Quite Possibly the Most Eloquent Sentence of My Entire Journalism Career

Posted on | May 29, 2013 | 39 Comments

Twenty-seven years is a long time, and maybe I’ve forgotten a few good ones, but it would be hard to say I’ve ever done much better than this:

“To say that liberal media coverage of Hunt
has been ‘favorable’ is to say that the
Sistine Chapel ceiling depicts a favorable image of God.”

And that’s really what it’s about, y’know? Who gives a crap about a commonplace criminal procedure in Indian River County, Florida?

But the media said everybody should care about it: The Today show actually portrayed an accused sex offender as a sympathetic victim!

What was the name of the producer who approved that, huh? I would like that person to explain the half-assed background research that led them to believe that Kaitlyn Ashley Hunt (Booking #2013-00000708) was a plausible civil-rights martyr.

Did the producer not bother to read the arrest affidavit? What part of “fingered a 14-year-old in a toilet stall” is so hard to understand?

Maybe you don’t think that should be a felony, but it sure as hell is not a “civil right,” and Kate Hunt is not — repeat, not — a victim.

Look: Gay people are quitting gay-rights groups rather than go along to support this embarrassingly creepy agenda.

What is it with people who, the minute they hear words like “rights” and “equality” and “progress,” just stop thinking altogether?

COMPARING AN ACCUSED SEX OFFENDER TO ROSA PARKS?

Have you people lost your cotton-picking minds? Even if you think that, does it not occur to you that maybe you shouldn’t write it?

If there were an annual competition for Most Stupid Thing Said on Social Medai, the “Free Kate” crowd would sweep the prizes this year.

Anyway, I could rant all night — stupid people make me angry — but here’s the walk-away from my American Spectator piece:

As more facts about the case have emerged — they’ve been compiled at a site called SupportHonest.net — Kaitlyn’s family have raged online about the “hate” that they attribute to opponents and critics. Kaitlyn’s father Steven R. Hunt Jr. (who was himself arrested on a fraud charge last year) posted a Facebook message invoking the “Word of God” and lamenting that his “poor daughter is suffering tremendously.” Meanwhile, Kaitlyn’s younger sister has been invoking other words on Twitter.
Now that the false narrative of the “Free Kate” movement has unraveled, of course, the national media that celebrated the accused teenage sex offender last week have rather mysteriously lost interest in a story that no longer fits their liberal agenda. It takes a pretty powerful bias, after all, for the networks to resist a story as appealing as Teen Lesbian Bikini Fight Video.

Read the rest. Maybe I’ll come back and update with more ranting.




 

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Comments

39 Responses to “Quite Possibly the Most Eloquent Sentence of My Entire Journalism Career”

  1. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    May 29th, 2013 @ 11:23 pm

    I hope justice is done at the trial.

  2. K-Bob
    May 29th, 2013 @ 11:26 pm

    Nicely done. Find a way to work in ‘pleaded’ and ‘lurid’ and you’ll win the Pony Express (who the heck wants an “internet” anyway?)

  3. RFK77
    May 29th, 2013 @ 11:57 pm

    Within the past few minutes there have also been comparisons to Gandhi and the mother has been compared to “righteous gentiles” of the Holocaust, who saved the lives of Jews. The latter infuriates me on a personal level and I have no rational words to describe their audacity.

    My views may be diametrically opposed to yours politically, but I admit, your commentary on this has been nothing short of genius. Bravo to you for being the only person with enough cojones to put these degenerates in their place.

    The newly (Free-Kate-supporters-donation-money) hired PR machine is clearly in place though – a vast majority of comments are now being deleted.

  4. Infidel de Manahatta
    May 30th, 2013 @ 12:08 am

    Of course the only thing that could have made it even better for the press would be if Kaitlyn were a transsexual.

    I can only imagine the leg tingling that would have resulted.

  5. TC_LeatherPenguin
    May 30th, 2013 @ 12:10 am

    I know five better sentences…

  6. Freddy At Night
    May 30th, 2013 @ 12:20 am

    Fry Kate!

  7. robertstacymccain
    May 30th, 2013 @ 12:27 am

    It’s the not-thinking part of their arguments — well, “arguments” is rather stretching the definition of the word — that annoy the crap out of me.

    Look: Do we or do we not want to empower parents to keep their 14-year-olds from “consensually” fucking anyone clever enough to talk them into it?

    The vast majority of such acts are never prosecuted because they’re never reported to police because even your average 14-year-old is smart enough to avoid getting caught with their too-old-to-do-it-legally boyfriend or girlfriend.

    Does that mean that the stupid or unfortunate jailbait-chaser who gets caught is unfairly prosecuted, simply because other people routinely get away with the same crime? Is that “selective enforcement”? Are these people victims?

    No. Hell, no. If no one was ever prosecuted, the law would be meaningless, and you’d have 14- and 15-year-olds openly strolling around in public with their 18- and 19-year-old lovers. Hell, you’d have 16-year-old boys cruising their cars around middle schools picking up 7th-graders.

    Evidence suggests that Kaitlyn Hunt brazenly and deliberately broke the law — knowing full well that her involvement with this 14-year-old was a crime — even after the younger girl’s parents warned her to stay away.

    Kaitlyn Hunt is stupid, and stupid people have rights, but sex with a 14-year-old is not among those rights. To let her go unprosecuted would be, as I have previously said, to invite sexual anarchy in Florida. Every 14-year-old in the state would become “fair game,” and I’m reasonably sure the citizens of the state would be opposed to such a policy.

    People have criticized me for opposing the “Free Kate” agenda so forcefully, but it was not I who chose to make this a nationwide political crusade. The idiot should have just shut up and accepted the plea bargain, and we never would have heard of Kaitlyn Ashley Hunt.

    Instead? Well, she’s sure as hell going to wish I never heard of her.

    Did I mention that stupid people make me angry? I’m pretty sure I did …

  8. Adjoran
    May 30th, 2013 @ 12:37 am

    Hmmm. So her little sister with the potty mouth is named Emily, and in the Lesbian Beach Fight vid she’s cheering on “Emily” – you don’t suppose . . . ?

    The other day when I said Kaitlyn was angling for a reality series, I was kidding. But if that’s Li’l’ Sis, and seeing Mom and Dad, this family could be reality trash TV gold.

    Beats the Kardashians and Honey Boo-Boo, at least!

  9. robertstacymccain
    May 30th, 2013 @ 12:43 am

    Looking at this sentence:

    If no one was ever prosecuted, the law would be meaningless, and you’d have 14- and 15-year-olds openly strolling around in public with their 18- and 19-year-old lovers.

    It’s perhaps important to say that this isn’t necessarily a nightmare scenario, a 15-year-old dating a 19-year-old. But most parents, obviously, would be opposed to their children being sexually active — with anyone of any age — when they were 15.

    Therefore, Florida law proscribes such acts and, in nearly all cases where these crimes come to the attention of law enforcement, it’s because a parent has found out their underage child is in a sexual relationship to which the parents object. The Kaitlyn Hall wasn’t really unusual in this aspect, beyond the girl-on-girl angle, except that the gay angle gave her supporters an excuse to claim that this was a case about gay rights, which it really is not.

    What is truly unique here is that “Free Kate” has turned this into a high-profile nationwide crusade, and the arguments made by Kaitlyn Hall’s supporters amount to an effort to subvert the entire point of having age-of-consent laws.

    If the “Free Kate” cause prevails, then there will be more and more cases like this and, as I say, the result will be sexual anarchy — no police officer will take a parent’s complaint seriously if he knows that prosecuting such a crime will be a legal nightmare due to the Jailbait Rights Movement.

  10. K-Bob
    May 30th, 2013 @ 3:48 am

    Whoops! Looks like we’re getting all worked up over nothing. Thirteen is evidently okay in Britain, if your an eighteen-year-old Muslim male. So maybe Kaitlyn should show up in a burkha.

    Then plead the fifth…

    .

    .

    .

    …Sura.

  11. Rosalie
    May 30th, 2013 @ 7:37 am

    LOL. Sadly, you’re right.

  12. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    May 30th, 2013 @ 7:47 am

    Well said. I am not shocked by an 18 year old with a 14 year old, but I do find it a problem when that 18 year old gets two warnings to back off, the age of consent is 16, and the 18 fails to do so.

  13. keyboard jockey
    May 30th, 2013 @ 8:22 am

    It’s odd isn’t it that her father was a cop, and this family is either ignorant of the law or plain just ignores it.

  14. Bob Belvedere
    May 30th, 2013 @ 8:47 am

    ‘Lurid’ is a great word.

  15. Bob Belvedere
    May 30th, 2013 @ 8:52 am

    Good one!

  16. Ethan Eilar
    May 30th, 2013 @ 8:54 am

    No, that actually sounds like par for the course.

  17. Alessandra
    May 30th, 2013 @ 8:55 am

    Seriously – equating a woman who commits statutory rape multiple times to a child, including in a bathroom, to Rosa Parks is beyond perverted. If you wanted to drag Rosa Parks through the mud, there is no better way to do it.

    Instead of raping girls at the back of the bus, LGBT people want to come to the front and do it.
    Every child is a walking target for a perverted LGBT individual who thinks they are normal.

    They’re queer and they’re here to stay – in the toilets raping your daughters every day.

    They have a dream – and it involves underage children and vibrators…

    And that’s when they aren’t targetting adults… but one subject at a time…

    How disgusting.

  18. Guest
    May 30th, 2013 @ 8:57 am

    What? No Mother Theresa?

  19. Alessandra
    May 30th, 2013 @ 8:58 am

    What? No Mother Theresa?

    Joking aside – it is revolting.

  20. Alessandra
    May 30th, 2013 @ 9:03 am

    I disagree – btw I hate to see people using the word “dating” to refer to a sexual relationship.

    To the key point here – I don’t think consent should be earlier than 18.

    Sex is for adults.

    The message to kids should be: Grow up to be able to handle it with responsibility and a long-term, committed relationship, if not marriage. You’re a kid, it’s not for you. You can date (non-sexually), you can kiss, etc – but sex is for adults.

    Psychology Today: disguised “NAMBLA-like” author trying to sabotage age-of-consent laws

    http://alessandrareflections.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/psychology-today-disguised-nambla-like-author-trying-to-sabotage-age-of-consent-laws/

  21. Alessandra
    May 30th, 2013 @ 9:04 am

    It’s too bad the GLAAD folks can’t go to prison with her.

  22. David Moolten
    May 30th, 2013 @ 10:19 am

    While hardly to be advised or condoned, teen sex happens for all the reasons we know it happens, and while the age of majority may be 18, we also know that there are exceptions made where they are practical and necessary (the drinking age for example). Maturity doesn’t happen overnight, and clearly 18 year olds differ quite a bit from adults even just a few years older when it comes to judgment and understanding. Does this mean no consequences for Kaitlyn Hunt or older teen boys in the same situation, or more precisely, older teen girls (in heterosexual relationships with younger teen boys)? No, but wise and compassionate justice would recommend a misdemeanor rather than a felony in most cases–and a penalty that would discourage the behavior (and parents not minding their teen offspring) while not destroying futures for irresponsible though not unexpected lapses. Nearly all states (including Florida) have “Romeo and Juliet” provisions that address the fact that “adult” teens can’t always be expected to exercise adult judgment when it comes to sex. The question is really more one of specifics than philosophy, as the penalties and age gaps vary considerably from state to state–and in many states Hunt’s actions wouldn’t have provoked such potentially harsh penalties. Obviously Florida’s law is what it is, but that doesn’t mean it is as it should be, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see both a change in the law and some kind of nullification that addresses the Hunt situation when the legal proceedings are over.

    As to the fairness of Hunt’s prosecution, it is at best naive and at worst mendacious to claim that Hunt’s arrest and prosecution reflect “gender neutral” or non-discriminatory practice. We all know that there is wide discretion for police and prosecutors with respect to if and how to take action in response to a possible crime, particularly one of this nature. Teen sex is (fortunately) not a sphere in which the police operate with much interest or diligence, preferring others to handle issues that arise. So her case is more the exception than the rule, particularly with Hunt as a female offender. However, when the authorities do get involved there is an obligation to avoid bias with respect to minorities. Straight black males have received unduly vigorous and harsh “justice” for similar infractions. Such individuals fit certain [southern] stereotypes, whether they deserve them or not.

    As for lurid and snide descriptions of fingering and bathroom stalls to suggest something more aggravated, what teen sex couldn’t be framed in similarly lurid terms? The truth is that there is little here that is aggravating, no violence, no coercion, no pattern of behavior with others etc. The only reason for legal proceedings is that the younger girl’s parents (understandably upset) were so vigorous in pursuing the matter formally (with the school and with the police). While I understand their reaction, a wiser response from the authorities could have dealt with their concerns, stopped and even punished the behavior and all without the growing circus we now have on our hands.

    While those who defend Hunt do so for a number of reasons, including possible orientation bias, the real issue is really much simpler. The reflexive reaction to what is happening in this case (favorable media spin and the public rallying on behalf of Kaitlyn Hunt) is more a response to disproportionate justice not a suggestion that her acts were acceptable. This is why the ultimate result is likely to be leniency in spite of the way the law is written. It will be a politically satisfying result to both Hunt’s supporters and the government entities involved (and under siege for well intentioned but poorly codified regulation of teen sex), who I’m sure wish this would all go away.

  23. ConantheCimmerian
    May 30th, 2013 @ 10:42 am

    Why hasn’t the name of the 14 year old been released?
    Hmmm, clue anyone?

  24. Garym
    May 30th, 2013 @ 10:47 am

    K-Bobs on fire!

  25. Richard McEnroe
    May 30th, 2013 @ 10:51 am

    What do you have. against convicts?

  26. Richard McEnroe
    May 30th, 2013 @ 10:55 am

    Because um…she’s a minor and thevictim?

  27. riverlifecallie
    May 30th, 2013 @ 11:43 am

    I am thoroughly enjoying – well, enjoying isn’t the right word, but you get the picture – your righteous indignation over this entire fiasco. Thank you for staying in their faces with the truth. Except for the avid pedophiles, I wonder if anyone cheering on little Kate is really thinking about what went on here.

  28. Arlene
    May 30th, 2013 @ 11:52 am

    I understand her name was ‘released’ the first few days by those on facebook. I have since seen it sittng in occasional comments on different blogs . . . truly a terrible thing for some people to be doing.

  29. ConantheCimmerian
    May 30th, 2013 @ 1:30 pm

    Exactly my point (the Clue).

  30. Mm
    May 30th, 2013 @ 1:47 pm

    The goal of “wise” justice is compassion? Really? And here 20 years of law practice taught me that it is primarily about punishment, discouraging similar behavior, and advancing public policy. In this case, namely, that CHILDREN are not acceptable sexual prey for photogenic, manipulative pseudo-lesbians or those of any other sexual orientation.
    I wonder how Kate’s supporters would feel if Kate were an 18 year old seminary student and claimed that he had sex with the 14 year old because they were in love and the 14 year old was taller. Oh, wait, I already know.

  31. richard mcenroe
    May 30th, 2013 @ 2:48 pm

    They are. In private. In the dark. Feeling oh-so-dirty.

  32. Alessandra
    May 30th, 2013 @ 4:48 pm

    Kaitlyn Hunt plans to attend the June 6 graduation, said her mother, Kelley Hunt Smith.

    ============

    Gross – as if she hadn’t done enough

    http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2013/may/30/sebastian-river-high-reinstates-tickets-to-some/

  33. DaveO
    May 30th, 2013 @ 5:01 pm

    The mainstreaming of homosexual pedophilia is in the media’s interest. As the devil once said: do what you will.

  34. K-Bob
    May 30th, 2013 @ 5:22 pm

    Heh. Gotta do something to warm up this unseasonably chilly spring.

  35. David Moolten
    May 30th, 2013 @ 6:44 pm

    “The goal of “wise” justice is compassion” is kind of like…well not at all what I said. The phrase was wise and compassionate justice–as in not cruel or unusual, disproportionate, without regard to consequences, with the intent to correct, punish and prevent etc etc. When dealing with people who have their lives in front of them and yet do stupid things (how many of you didn’t as teens) there’s a need for a tad of compassion in meting out punishment, particularly in a country with a Judeo-Christian template (as opposed to what they do in Iran). There’s no arguing with the facts–namely that what I’m saying–taking age into account in statutory rape cases is important because of the fact that teen adults don’t act like adults and can’t in the area of sex. Nearly every state does exactly what I’m saying. So unless they’re all misguided (along with just about anyone with expertise in adolescent psychology), the only question is specifics. I’ll just reiterate, and you can foam and fume about seminary students all you want, teens, be they straight or gay, shouldn’t be treated like felons (15 year sentence as a possibility) for this kind of crime. The public reaction is simply recognition of that. Let’s wait and see how it plays out. I’ll bet you whatever you like; she’s not going to end up with a felony penalty here.

  36. laura_PH
    May 30th, 2013 @ 7:41 pm

    FYI, I have been stealing and reposting this line (with credit) wherever possible.

    “Look: Do we or do we not want to empower parents to keep their 14-year-olds from “consensually” fucking anyone clever enough to talk them into it?”

    YES. That’s it exactly.

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  38. SDN
    May 31st, 2013 @ 6:48 am

    Justice is about enforcing the law exactly as written without fear or favor or “special circumstances”. Don’t like it? Then make the open and honest argument to change the law.

    Want gun control? Then man up enough to pass an amendment to repeal the Second, instead of trying to see how you can dishonestly lie about it and sneak gun control past.

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