Children's Group Demands Pete Townsend Be Treated as Sex Offender

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 04:58:13 PM EST
Tags: Pete Townsend (all tags)

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In the theatre of the absurd:

Anti-child abuse campaigners are demanding that rock star Pete Townshend be treated as a sex offender when he plays at next year's Superbowl concert in America. They want the guitarist of The Who to provide DNA samples and fingerprints and to pose for a police mug shot before being allowed to perform during the half-time show of America's biggest sporting event.

Townshend was never prosecuted after his 2003 arrest for accessing child p*rn on his home computer. He agreed to be placed on the sex offender registry for five years but insisted he wasn't guilty and had been doing research.

The group is Protect Our Children. Who will protect the rest of us from them?

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Children's Group Demands Pete Townsend Be Treated as Sex Offender | 21 comments (21 topical)

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What did Townsend state he was (5.00 / 4) (#1)
by oculus on Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 05:08:02 PM EST

researching?

: I think you need the air quotes around (5.00 / 1) (#12)
by Dr Molly on Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 07:36:45 AM EST

"researching"...

Another "researcher" (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by Radiowalla on Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 06:44:13 PM EST

is former KGO host Bernie Ward who is now doing time in federal prison.

There are so many needs (5.00 / 2) (#11)
by Cream City on Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 08:39:02 PM EST

of so many abused children, and otherwise needy children, that could be served by serious voluntaristic groups and efforts. These groups just tick me off for taking money that could be going to truly good works.

Not unusual (5.00 / 0) (#14)
by DancingOpossum on Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 09:06:18 AM EST

All of these laws passed to protect children from EVUL PREDATORS have gone over the top. Please spare me the lectures about the horrors of child abuse, I'm perfectly well aware of them. But people convicted of sex offenses--often not involving children, and sometimes not even involving assault or touching--are subjected to draconian measures that deprive them of more rights than even those convicted of murder, arson, and other crimes. It's "helicopter parenting" gone global.

: This is another one (5.00 / 1) (#16)
by jondee on Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 11:23:09 AM EST

of those lurid, emotionally explosive issues that's just tailor made for would-be grandstanding pols to get behind: as opposed to addressing the problem of crumbling neighborhoods; parent's jobs that the pols sent to Mexico and China; investing trillions in overseas imperial outposts that "protect our interests" etc
Unless the parents can pony up, "the children" are way down on the priority scale in this country.
Dont get me started.

not a clue oculus. (none / 0) (#2)
by cpinva on Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 05:17:08 PM EST

i kind of vaguely remember that whole episode.

well jeralyn, we know this group won't succeed with their demands. they know it as well. that isn't their actual goal. their actual goal, which has been successful, was mountains of free publicity, that will (hopefully) result in lots of donations.

it's for the children.

Townsend says (none / 0) (#3)
by jondee on Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 05:31:25 PM EST

he was sexually abused himself as a child, which is probably where that "Im your wicked Uncle Ernie.." song on Tommy came from.


Should U.S. grant him a visa? (5.00 / 1) (#4)
by oculus on Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 05:35:02 PM EST

: Of course Oc... (none / 0) (#5)
by kdog on Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 05:51:58 PM EST

Hard to be Going Mobile without one...

Out in the woods
Or in the city
It's all the same to me
When I'm driving free
The world's my home
When I'm mobile
The world is our home.
Unfortunately though Pete...harder for the police and the taxman to miss us then we would hope:)

Gosh, seeing (none / 0) (#6)
by JamesTX on Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 06:10:55 PM EST

a half time performance by the Who might be a good reason to watch the Super Bowl. Maybe I'll just skip it.

Honestly (none / 0) (#8)
by Socraticsilence on Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 07:32:36 PM EST

some of these complaints sound like Wingers and there "who will protect us from the ACLU" bits.

Let me clarify (none / 0) (#9)
by Socraticsilence on Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 07:34:30 PM EST

-- this is a stunt by a Child Protection Advocacy group- presumably NAMBLA thinks its all good for him to be here.


Until somebody produces a child... (5.00 / 2) (#13)
by kdog on Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 07:58:28 AM EST

who says Pete molested them, I think its all good for him to be here...as far as we know the guy has never laid a hand on a child.


kinda not following (none / 0) (#15)
by AlkalineDave on Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 11:16:32 AM EST

is it not a problem until it becomes molestation? Child porn provides a demand that feeds molestation and abuse. Not saying you're advocating child p*rn kdog, just not really following what you're getting at.


: It's a problem... (5.00 / 1) (#21)
by kdog on Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 11:48:30 AM EST

believe you me Dave. Anybody who gets off on little kids is one sick puppy in my book...I just am not sure if looking at pictures alone is enough to lump a guy in with the uber-sickos who actually molest and rape kids with the "sex offender" scarlet letter....nor do I think a conviction for looking at pictures alone should mean you automatically can't get a visa to come to the US.

I remember Howard Stern's take on the whole (none / 0) (#17)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 11:26:09 AM EST

thing.

After spending an entire morning exploring with all his radio cohorts all the minute details - the child pron on his computer, Townsend's "alibi" ("I was doing research,") and all the dozens of twists and turns and nuances and subtleties and excuses, etc., etc., - Howard finally said
"You know what I think? I think he was looking at child pron and got caught."

Kinda cuts right to the chase...

Howard actually spent time (none / 0) (#18)
by jondee on Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 11:31:03 AM EST

exploring nuances and subtleties?


His stock and trade, actually. (none / 0) (#19)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 11:33:27 AM EST

Now else do you think he fills up 4 hours/day?


The sociological import (none / 0) (#20)
by jondee on Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 11:43:05 AM EST

of what happens when porn stars, Klansman and carnival freaks interact in an enclosed space.

It's all cutting edge stuff.


: Ha! (none / 0) (#22)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 11:50:59 AM EST

Yes, well, there is that too...