DUmmy Hero Bernie Ward pleads guilty to child porn charges (DUmmies in DUnial)

[Ralph Wiggum]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3264004

Liberal_in_LA  (1000+ posts)
Fri May-09-08 03:09 PM
Original message
Bernie Ward pleads guilty to child porn charges
   
I can't even post the link. So sad.

Fine, I'll post the link, moonbat!

http://www.abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4818224&page=1

A well-known San Francisco talk radio host and former priest who says he e-mailed child pornography as part of research for a book he was writing has pleaded guilty to federal pornography charges.

Bernie Ward, 56, the popular host of two local talk radio programs, faces at least five years in prison on a single count of distributing child pornography.

He admitted that he e-mailed an image depicting nude children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He also admitted as part of his plea agreement that he sent between 15 and 150 images of child pornography via e-mail, according to the Department of Justice.

Ward's attorney, Doron Weinberg, said he would argue for a five-year sentence for Ward rather than the nine years that prosecutors are seeking, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"In terms of his freedom, his future, he's lost almost everything," Weinberg said. "He's not going to be able to come out [of prison] and return to the work he does so well."

After his indictment was unsealed in December, Ward initially pleaded not guilty. Though he admitted sending the illicit images, he said it was only as part of his research into a book he was writing about what he believed to be the hypocrisy of the religious right.

Though it is illegal even for journalists to trade or possess child pornography as part of their work, Ward's attorneys argued that there should be some leeway for legitimate research into the subject.

Jeanette Boudreau, Ward's business attorney, told ABC News that Ward — described on his Web site as "unabashedly liberal" — told her he wanted to show that some Republicans and members of the religious right are public moralists who don't practice what they preach in the privacy of their homes.

More at above link...

[dutch508]

napi21  (1000+ posts)       Fri May-09-08 03:24 PM
Response to Original message
5. I don't have the words to describe how disappointed I am in him.
 If you enter his name in Google News you'll see several different reports. The one I read was the front page of the SF paper. I've been listening to Bernie on the radio ever since I had access to streaming radio, and he was such a straight forward guy. I'm not a very religious person, but I always listened to Bernie on "God Talk" on Sunday AM. He was excellent at winning arguments with people who would call in fighting that everyone should believe in "exactly what the bible says", and I don't think Bernie ever lost one of those arguments.

I even sent him $20 when he started up his legal defence fund. It really hurts when someone you trust betrays you.

Liberals...living the dream.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I even sent him $20 when he started up his legal defence fund.

No wonder he didn't win.

[Bondai]

napi21  (1000+ posts)       Fri May-09-08 03:24 PM
Response to Original message
5. I don't have the words to describe how disappointed I am in him.
 If you enter his name in Google News you'll see several different reports. The one I read was the front page of the SF paper. I've been listening to Bernie on the radio ever since I had access to streaming radio, and he was such a straight forward guy. I'm not a very religious person, but I always listened to Bernie on "God Talk" on Sunday AM. He was excellent at winning arguments with people who would call in fighting that everyone should believe in "exactly what the bible says", and I don't think Bernie ever lost one of those arguments.

I even sent him $20 when he started up his legal defence fund. It really hurts when someone you trust betrays you.

Liberals...living the dream.

Disappointed you say? disappointed? the guy is a flaming liberal scum bag who should be hung up by his thumbs.

[tuolumnejim]

Disappointed you say? disappointed? the guy is a flaming liberal scum bag who should be hung up by his thumbs.

You do kow that this is in SF thats being discussed, they pay extra for that their. 

[MoshMasterD]

This post speaks for itself....

Liberal_in_LA (1000+ posts)      Fri May-09-08 03:34 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. it's devastating. And he could get 5 years in prison
 WHAT WAS HE THINKING?

[Chris_]

But at least he wasn't a Right wing conservative hypocrite so it is OK.

To a libtard, no crime is worse than the crime of hypocrisy.

[Toastedturningtidelegs]

Here's another du link where the pedo-defenders come out to play

UNCLE_Rico (83 posts)      Fri May-09-08 12:47 PM
Response to Original message
12. I'm gonna buck the trend here...
 Edited on Fri May-09-08 01:12 PM by UNCLE_Rico
First off, let me state for the record, I absolutely LOVE Bernie Ward ... so maybe I'm a bit biased in what I have to say here. And I'm sure it will be unpopular with a fair number of you, and for this, I apologize in advance.

My biggest knock on Bernie in this whole thing is how bloody STUPID he was. How are you gonna be so dumb as to send illegal porn to someone you don't even know, that you just met over the internet? Bernie, my man, for someone SOOOOO friggin bright, how the HELL could you be so bleeding DUMB? Damn it, man!

Now I'll say what many will disagree with, but I really don't care, because this is just my own opinion. How is it that the possession of, or even the sending of, PICTURES, can be illegal? They are friggin PICTURES. Why is it someone with swatstika's tattooed on both cheeks could legally beat off to his library of pictures of, oh, just to be extreme, Jewish child victims in the concentration camps dead, and/or being brutally tortured, and THAT is just fine and dandy, but if they were 16 y.o's enjoying consentual sex, he could go to jail for 5 years? I really don't get that.

I do not believe a five-year prison sentence is appropriate for such a 'crime', it is far in excess of 'fair punishment'. I say this, not because I think kiddie porn is 'okay', in fact, I find it's existence to be very disturbing and sad. I say it for the same reason that I support throwing drug dealers in jail, but not drug users.

I do not believe Mr. Ward is being accused of distributing kiddie porn in the sense that I believe this law was intended to proscribe. IF he was guilty of being a part of MAKING MONEY off of this sort of material, if he was a PRODUCER, a PARTICIPANT, a web-site owner that made money, then, yeah, hey, throw the book at the ****er, and everyone else who takes part in PROFITTING off this material. Five years is not even enough in my book for an offense like that. If it could be shown that he BOUGHT child porn, and thus contributed to it's production, then, yeah, throw the book at him ... five years minimum sounds about right there.

But so far, I've heard nobody accuse him of these things. Furthermore, I've heard no mention that he had some huge library of kiddie porn on his computer. Nor have I heard anything about the actual CONTENT of said 'minor porn'. There's a bit of a difference, in the sickness level, between having a library of babies being gang-***** and having a few pics of 16-17 y.o. naked prostitutes from Thailand (where the age of consent is much lower) on your computer.

But even if he did have a bunch of really sick stuff, I think sentences of that level of extremity are way out of line for what Bernie did, assuming he was in NO WAY involved with actual PRODUCTION (and that would include contributing money in some way) of said material.

And I also think that it's EXTREMELY common that the very people who are attracted to such filth were THEMSELVES subjected to it. So I guess I find it in my heart to be a little forgiving for such souls. I don't think ANYone *chooses* what kind of sexual material floats their boat, and this is probably especially true of the victims of childhood sexual traumas.

I don't care what anyone says (unless you can show me proof Bernie was INVOLVED in funding or participating in kiddie porn production), I don't think Bernie should be going to jail for this. Sorry, I just don't.

And I refuse to believe Bernie Ward to be 'truly evil' purely based on his sending explicit pictures of minors over the internet to another adult. I think it takes a BIT more than that, especially given that he's been as stalwart a contributor to society as one could possibly hope someone to be. And for those of you who don't really *know* who Bernie is, let's just say he's as smart as Tom Hartman and as liberal as Mike Malloy. Losing him off the airwaves is a HUGE loss to 'our side', friends.

<asbestos suit donned>
... and in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make ...

I'm really hoping that this is a very extreme mole but I fear it is not And of course politics over right or wrong

CountAllVotes  (1000+ posts)      Fri May-09-08 01:48 PM
Response to Reply #12
15. "I don't think Bernie should be going to jail for this"
 Edited on Fri May-09-08 01:54 PM by CountAllVotes
I agree with you.

The day the defrocked Msgr. O'Shea actually goes to San Quentin for MOLESTING OVER 200 boys will be the day I might agree! Last I heard he is living a comfortable life somewhere near Chico, CA. 

The day Rush Limbaugh is taken off the air, I might agree.

The day O'Reilly is taken off the air, I might agree.

The day Craig is no longer in the Senate, I might agree.

The day Foley is charged, I might agree.

I could go on and on with this but I hope the idea is planted in people's minds.

Who did Bernie Ward hurt besides himself and his family? WHO?

 


"This country has nothing to fear from the crooked man who fails. We put him in jail. It is the crooked man who succeeds who is a threat to this country." -- President Theodore Roosevelt (1915)

Then this

seriousstan  (1000+ posts)       Fri May-09-08 05:55 PM
Response to Reply #15
19. Who did Bernie Ward hurt besides himself and his family?
 WOW! The pedophile defenders come out from under their rocks. I can only think of one reason for someone to defend child pornography. Birds of a feather.

SS laying down some truth there's more back and forth at the link http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3302161

[jinxmchue]

"In terms of his freedom, his future, he's lost almost everything," Weinberg said. "He's not going to be able to come out [of prison] and return to the work he does so well."

The work of collecting and distributing child porn?

After his indictment was unsealed in December, Ward initially pleaded not guilty. Though he admitted sending the illicit images, he said it was only as part of his research into a book he was writing about what he believed to be the hypocrisy of the religious right.

How does DISTRIBUTING images equal research?

Though it is illegal even for journalists to trade or possess child pornography as part of their work, Ward's attorneys argued that there should be some leeway for legitimate research into the subject.

Mm-hmm.

[Sonnabend]

The day Rush Limbaugh is taken off the air, I might agree.

Freedom of speech for me and none for thee

The day O'Reilly is taken off the air, I might agree.

And Err Amerika is such a raving success...
.

The day Craig is no longer in the Senate, I might agree.

I'd rather see Hillary out.

The day Foley is charged, I might agree.

He committed no crime.

Who did Bernie Ward hurt besides himself and his family? WHO?

Defending a paedophile...well, for the DUmp thats SOP anyway 

[DumbAss Tanker]

Though it is illegal even for journalists to trade or possess child pornography as part of their work, Ward's attorneys argued that there should be some leeway for legitimate research into the subject.

Mm-hmm.

A rather peculiar line for the mouthpiece to throw out in his defense, since his supposed 'Book' was allegedly about 'Hypocrisy on the religious Right,' not child pornography per se.  Doesn't sound like it's fooling anyone but the DUmmies.

[Sonnabend]

If he wanted to do research, all he ever had to do was go talk to the police, or the anti child porn teams...they would have given him every possible cooperation, briefings, organised for him to talk to enforcement officers, shown him, or talked to him about, past cases.

Possession of, and distribution of, child pornography makes him just another paedophile..far as I am concerned, throw him in jail and forget there ever was a key.

[jinxmchue]

A rather peculiar line for the mouthpiece to throw out in his defense, since his supposed 'Book' was allegedly about 'Hypocrisy on the religious Right,' not child pornography per se.  Doesn't sound like it's fooling anyone but the DUmmies.

Like that's hard to do.   

[mamacags]

If he wanted to do research, all he ever had to do was go talk to the police, or the anti child porn teams...they would have given him every possible cooperation, briefings, organised for him to talk to enforcement officers, shown him, or talked to him about, past cases.

Possession of, and distribution of, child pornography makes him just another paedophile..far as I am concerned, throw him in jail and forget there ever was a key.

I don't think the people of DU have actually read the evidence against him.  Bernie Ward is a really sick twisted disgusting piece of crap.  I think SmokingGun.com has all of the papers on it.  Yep....  http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0215081ward1.html   and also here...
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0305081ward1.html

[Sonnabend]

The boy is fourteen the girl is twelve???

Rot in hell you sick ****!!!! 

[Airwolf]

I hope Bernie gets 20+ for the sick shit hes done.

[Lord Undies]

I hope Bernie gets 20+ for the sick shit hes done.

And another 20 for the child porn stuff.

[jinxmchue]

I hope Bernie gets 20+ for the sick shit hes done.

And another 20 for the child porn stuff.

lol!