# In my humble opinion, this is the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard of **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 19, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827 "2006-12-19T20:31:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/1 "2006-12-19T20:31:30Z")
So. 17 year old guy goes to a party. He hits on a 15 year old. She gives him a blowjob. He goes to jail for 10 years. [The same story, only better written.](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/19/us/19georgia.html) I don’t really have much to add beyond the fact that this nearly made me ill. You think Scalia & Co. see this thing in two years & give it a fair shake? I’m gonna guess…no. Just awful. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/2 "2006-12-19T20:46:18Z")
> [@](#): > > “Had Genarlow had intercourse with this girl, had he gotten her pregnant, he could only have been charged with a misdemeanor and punished up to 12 months,” said Brenda Joy Bernstein, Mr. Wilson’s lawyer. Now that’s some kind of fucked-upness. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/3 "2006-12-19T20:50:59Z")
So the Legislature fucks up, dude gets ridiculous sentence as a result of the idiotic law. The Legislature fixes the law but doesn’t make it retroactive. Why hasn’t the governor commuted his sentence in this obviously special case? ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/4 "2006-12-19T21:00:56Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] Why hasn’t the governor commuted his sentence in this obviously special case? [/QUOTE] Perhaps it’s Strongly Worded Letter time. You’ve inspired me. ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/5 "2006-12-19T21:01:45Z")
IMHO, the kid and his friends sound like real jerks. Bringing a bunch of younger girls to a hotel room with the intention of getting them drunk and/or high then videotaping them performing sex acts? They deserve to get in some trouble, but a ten-year prison sentence seems way out of line. I agree that the governor should commute his sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/6 "2006-12-19T21:17:31Z")
[QUOTE=Autumn Almanac] IMHO, the kid and his friends sound like real jerks. Bringing a bunch of younger girls to a hotel room with the intention of getting them drunk and/or high then videotaping them performing sex acts? They deserve to get in some trouble, but a ten-year prison sentence seems way out of line. I agree that the governor should commute his sentence. [/QUOTE] We know from the article one was two years younger and the other was their age. It was a high school New Year’s Eve party, so the rented hotel room isn’t all that out of the ordinary. Shady? Sure. We’re on the same page here and I’m not trying to condone the “get them drunk & screw” defense or anything, but I’m still upset over this. We’re talking about a typical all-American sort of kid here (“…football player, honor student…homecoming king”), not someone with a history of unfortunate instances. That said, we’re still on the same page about most of this. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/7 "2006-12-19T21:46:42Z")
[QUOTE=Birdmonster] We’re talking about a typical all-American sort of kid here (“…football player, honor student…homecoming king”), not someone with a history of unfortunate instances. [/QUOTE] The same kind of kid who may be more likely to get away with “unfortunate” things. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/8 "2006-12-19T21:48:32Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] The same kind of kid who may be more likely to get away with “unfortunate” things. [/QUOTE] That’s what I was going to say. Those things don’t change my opinion of the story at all. Football jock or high school dropout, it doesn’t matter. The facts of the story are what they are. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/9 "2006-12-19T22:03:26Z")
While I think the guys are dicks, they didn’t kidnap the girls. By 17, a girl should know that “let’s go to my hotel room and take mind-altering substances” is not necessarily the most honourable thing a guy could say. I’m not blaming the victims, here–just pointing out that they did accompany him willingly, and so his crimes were that much less serious. Thus, I agree with the calls for a dramatic reduction in his sentence. As an aside, arguing that the courts should be more lenient given the boy’s position as a “nice guy” is essentially ignoring the basis of the American legal system, that all people are equal before the law. I agree that his sentence should be reduced, but not for any merit of his character. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/10 "2006-12-19T22:20:10Z")
Scalia, as far as I know, does not see his role as that of Dumb Law Slayer. If a dumb law passes Constitutional muster, it’s good to go. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/11 "2006-12-19T23:10:34Z")
Moving thread from IMHO to The BBQ Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/12 "2006-12-19T23:36:28Z")
He knew a 15 year old was jailbait. I’m assuming that 16 is the age of consent in Georgia, and that is part of the reason he is being punished so severely? I don’t know that he should do 10 years, but he did commit a crime, he should be punished. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/13 "2006-12-19T23:41:47Z")
[QUOTE=Birdmonster] We’re talking about a typical all-American sort of kid here (“…football player, honor student…homecoming king”), not someone with a history of unfortunate instances. [/QUOTE] Tje fact that the whole “all-American kid” line of argument apparently works on you says little for your intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/14 "2006-12-19T23:52:07Z")
[QUOTE=mhendo] Tje fact that the whole “all-American kid” line of argument apparently works on you says little for your intelligence. [/QUOTE] Did I say it worked on me? No. How often does our legal system give slaps on the wrists to white honor rollers while slamming their black counterparts? Too often. Which is exactly what happened here. But if you’re okay with children having sex with their peers & then being tossed in jail for a decade, great. That doesn’t say much for your intelligence either, nor does “tje,” by the way. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/15 "2006-12-19T23:57:14Z")
Why do these [stories](http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=16557) always seem to come out of Georgia? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/16 "2006-12-20T00:00:34Z")
I think it’s criminal behaviour to bring underage girls to a hotel room, give them drugs and tape them having sex. I note that there was also an allegation of gang-rape (although this particular boy was found innocent). It may be an excessive sentence, but what did he think he was doing in that room? If his friends are found guilty of gang-rape, will that change your mind? ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/17 "2006-12-20T00:06:31Z")
[QUOTE=Birdmonster] That doesn’t say much for your intelligence either, nor does “tje,” by the way. [/QUOTE] Yeah, the “tje” undercut your whole argument, **mhendo**. Of course, if you’d been a white honor roll student, we’d have given you a pass. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/18 "2006-12-20T00:22:10Z")
[QUOTE=glee] I think it’s criminal behaviour to bring underage girls to a hotel room, give them drugs and tape them having sex. I note that there was also an allegation of gang-rape (although this particular boy was found innocent). It may be an excessive sentence, but what did he think he was doing in that room? If his friends are found guilty of gang-rape, will that change your mind? [/QUOTE] **Glee** : First & foremost, this kid had consentual sex with a girl two years younger than him. In California, he himself isn’t even at the age of consent when this occurred (I know we’re in Georgia here, though. Just bringing that up). What he himself did was vaguely and barely illegal, whereas what his buddies did (if found guilty, of course) is heinous. To change him guilty by association would be ridiculous and I don’t think you’re doing that. So what we he doing in that room? Trying to get lucky. Which he did. Consentually. With a classmate. On New Year’s Eve. Which leaves us with the drugs, the booze, and the video camera, which is certainly worrisome. But it would be naive to think that unsupervised kids in a hotel room on New Year’s wouldn’t be up to some sort of hankypanky, right? Isn’t that what high schoolers _do_ when their parents are away? I’m not saying I condone it or anything: the point of this post (originally) was to draw attention to the fact they’re throwing each & every book in the state of Georgia at this kid for reasons that seem, well, dubious at best. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/19 "2006-12-20T00:26:15Z")
Would anyone be saying ‘victim’ if this was a 15 year old boy giving oral sex to a 17 year old girl? I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827/20 "2006-12-20T00:29:55Z")
[QUOTE=catsix] Would anyone be saying ‘victim’ if this was a 15 year old boy giving oral sex to a 17 year old girl? I doubt it. [/QUOTE] As many female teachers that have been arrested lately for having sex with an underaged person?! You’ve got to be kidding! Individuals might not be saying the male was a victim, but the law sure would. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-this-is-the-biggest-crock-of-shit-ive-ever-heard-of/384827.md?page=2)