The Sun for the defence

[Brian Cady <brianinatlanta2001@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jane Moore in The Sun comes to the defence:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2001280000-2003021001,00.html

Target the perverts peddling web filth

THE police thankfully refrained from wearing
television make-up for the highly-publicised,
mob-handed arrival at the home of Who guitarist Pete
Townshend. 

But Im sure it crossed their mind. 

Townshend is their latest celebrity scalp, and once
again the chain of events leading to his arrest seem
at best dubious, at worst downright incompetent. 

Operation Ore is Britains biggest ever crackdown on
paedophiles and thank God for it. 

But it has more leaks than the Titanic  conjuring up
images of hundreds of forewarned paedophiles disposing
of their hard drives before the police come knocking. 

Call me old-fashioned, but I remember the days when
the first we knew of someones alleged criminal
activity was shortly AFTER theyd been arrested. 

On Saturday, newspapers ran with a join-the-dots
description of an anonymous British rock star
described as famous both sides of the Atlantic,
married with children, and involved with major films. 

It was a talking point and guessing game in every pub,
shop queue and cab ride. Then by Sunday Who guitarist
Pete Townshend raised his head above the parapet and
admitted it was him. 

If hes found to be guilty of downloading, making and
distributing such sickening images, then he deserves
everything he gets. 

But if, as he claims, he was just ridiculously naove
and accessed the site for research for his
autobiography, then once again this business of people
being named before theyve been charged is highly
questionable. 

Paul Weller and Mick Hucknall both found themselves
named in connection with rape allegations that turned
out to be unfounded and the truth behind Pete
Townshends subscription to a child porn website has
yet to be established. 

But even if his version of events turns out to be the
correct, its fair to assume hes a broken man whose
life will never be the same again. 

Meanwhile, further police leaks have ensured the
guessing game has moved on to who the Labour MPs or
TV star on the list could be. 

High profile arrests are an excellent way of
publicising the scourge of Internet porn to
unsuspecting parents and, of course, those who are
found guilty of creating the demand for these sick
images must be named, shamed and punished. 

But more needs to be done to locate and shut down the
sources too. 

Operation Ore started with the raid and closure of a
Texan-based child porn website which was an excellent
start. 

But there are dozens, maybe hundreds, more in
operation and they need to be pursued with as much
vigour as the individuals who subscribe to them. 

But most importantly of all, the Government should
tighten controls on the Internet Service Providers and
make them more culpable for what can be accessed via
the Web. 


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-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com
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