The Apparent Fine Line Between Scrap-Book Memories and Child Pornography

This post here on Reason's blog upset me.  It has to do with a Grandma who was charged with Child Pornography because she took a picture of her grand-daughter taking a bath in her kitchen sink.  I, myself, have a picture or two of my son playfully running around the home with his ass busting out, and even one with dong floppin' about!  Why?   Because I thought it was hilarious that he was chasing me buck nekked around the house.  I shouldn't have to worry that I'll be labeled a sexual pervert and I'm sorry that this had to happen to this grandmother. The person who appears to be the pervert here is David Cook, the prosecutor. 

This quote of his bothered me the most:

"It kind of boils down to a gut feeling. If it feels wrong, it probably is."

Wrong to whom?  Wrong as in it stimulates you in some way?  Well, I doubt the grandma got off on it, but if it felt wrong to you - then that's completely subjective and has no bearing on the intentions of the grandmother.  Seems like some kind of Freudian manifestation of some perversion of his for him to be oblivious to the notion that this could be completely harmless, yet because Cook, the prosecutor, believes "there is no legitimate purpose for those photographs" or that  they must be wrong because "[he] would never pose [his] daughter or [his] step-daughter like that."



I will quote a comment from a reader, because it says what's wrong with this 'gut feeling' proposition better than I can:

"Private, interpersonal relationships are appropriately governed by intuition and compassion, but the law, which coordinates collective behavior, needs to be as clear and precise as possible. The disintegration of civilization begins when the law is applied by "intuition" and private relationships are governed by the mindless application of formalisms."

I'll end with saying that it probably wasn't best idea for the grandma bring her photos to a CVS and have her grand-daughter exposed to who knows what kind of people, but it's her right to do that, and in the end, she did nothing wrong.  I hope she gets her good name restored within her community if it's been tarnished.