Teenagers are prone to dumb, tasteless pranks, but one 14-year-old is facing prison time for his latest stunt. The teen, from Everett, Pennsylvania, hopped on top of a statue of a kneeling Jesus—in front of an organization called "Love in the Name of Christ"—and simulated oral sex with the statue's face. Naturally, he posted the pictures to Facebook, which made their way to authorities.
Officials in Bedford County charged the teen (whose name hasn't been released) with desecration of a venerated object, invoking a 1972 Pennsylvania statute that criminalizes "defacing, damaging, polluting or otherwise physically mistreating in a way that the actor knows will outrage the sensibilities of persons likely to observe or discover the action." You'd think an appropriate punishment for a kid violating this seldom-invoked law might be picking up trash or, at worst, paying a fine. If convicted, he faces much worse: two years in juvenile detention.
Seriously? Two years for rubbing his adolescent trouser snake on an inanimate object.
That is completely ridiculous.
And not only ridiculous, but possibly unconstitutional as well.
That is unless Pennsylvania were willing to give this person two years as well.
The kid just wanted to be offensive. And he was.
ReplyDeleteHe'd be had for "offensive behavior in a public place" where I live. And he'd deserve it.
Exactly correct. You may not agree with a persons lifestyle, beliefs, and so on, but going out of your way to be disrespectful, provocative, and offensive, will usually illicit some kind of reaction (punishment), and that is exactly what he gets.
Delete"Offensive in a public place"????
DeleteBut what's offensive?
I can almost understand "drinking public" but "offensive in public" is, like "loitering," just an excuse to overreach and purge those who violate the sensibilities of a white, male, "Christian" governing class.
I'm an artist and if I could have my Aesthetic Police Force, half the world would be in jail for being ugly, tacky or boring. :-)
Thank the gods some are provocative.
I think it's offensive to see religious people trying to push their superstitions on passers by. So can I have them arrested now?
Delete..."defacing, damaging, polluting or otherwise physically mistreating in a way that the actor knows will outrage the sensibilities of persons likely to observe or discover the action."
DeleteHe didn't do any of the things in the statute. "Physically mistreating" in my view would be if he took a hammer to the statue or threw acid on it or put graffiti on it.
He's not being offensive to me, just playing a prank. "Offensive behavior" might apply if he had pissed on the statue, but that didn't happen.
He's just a kid, and two years detention is too severe a punishment. Those zealots in PA need to lighten up.
I don't find it offensive, I find it hilarious. The only thing I do find offensive about the whole picture is that a religious statue is being pushed on the public, now that is offensive.
DeleteLooks like the statue that you think has more rights than people is sitting in a ditch. Shouldn't the people that put it in a ditch be arrested then,, according to your logic?
DeleteMaybe he is a prophet, and he had a vision, or heard a voice, like moses, and that voice told him that he had to put his manhood in it's face to save mankind. How could they argue that?
DeleteBut if he had a picture taken with a garden gnome this wouldn't be news. Jesus Christ religion freaks are thin skinned and without a sense of humor. I sure am glad I never acted on an urge to place a toilet under the sign of a local church called The Movement and take a picture sitting on the seat.
ReplyDeleteCall it a political protest, then it would be free speech
ReplyDeleteBedford, pa is the heart of Pennsylvania's "South". It is neither representative of Philadelphia, nor Pittsburgh thinking, two centers of intellectual development. Although I just love the image of jesus, like many priests today, being caught in the act of blowing a fourteen year old boy, I am greatly appalled at the image of a young girl fellating Ronald McDonald for what, a living wage?
ReplyDeleteYeah, this isn't even physically near Philadelphia. It's actually closer to Harrisburg (the state capitol), so how Philadelphia became mixed in with this is a mystery.
DeleteIt's Pennsyltucky land.
Delete@6:53: Where do you live, Afghanistan? The Taliban would be proud.
ReplyDeleteLooks like an expert leap frog game to me...
ReplyDelete》psst, Jesus wasn't a white guy made of plaster.
Nowhere near Philadelphia.
ReplyDeleteYes, Philadelphia isn't even mentioned once in the linked story on Mother Jones.
DeleteOkay that is totally on me.
DeleteFor some reason I typed out Philadelphia instead of Pennsylvania.
Fixed now.
Thank you! That was really making me sweat. Along with all of the other real problems we've got going on here.
DeleteI suspected it was just a mistake, but DANG,
that's not here!
(We're a BIT more liberal in Philly... mostly)
What if twenty other people were to go and do the same thing? Or fifty? How proud are Philadelphians of freedom of speech? How committed are they to separation of church and state?
ReplyDeleteNot philadelphia
DeleteIsn't there something in their bible about "graven images" and how bad it is to act like a bunch of stone (or plaster) is really divine? Is that plaster image somehow magical to them just because it represents what they think is a holy person? WTF?
ReplyDeleteExactly! And I suspect you are not even a "Christian" and you know more about what is written in the bible then most of the followers out there. This goes for statues of Mary and Saints.
DeleteIf you are going to claim to believe in something at least follow the basic rules.
Two years in detention is just so wrong; he's fourteen years old, still a growing teenager. Someone, perhaps the ACLU, needs to come to his aid.
ReplyDeleteExpression in a pranking manner is his right even if it offends the sensibilities of some tight-ass prude.
I don't remember for sure, but I probably did things offensive to some when I was a teen, but that was a very long time ago. In those days people dealt with such things in a more practical way, then moved on. Today everyone is so fucking uptight about everything.
Personally I found his prank funny, although perhaps not that original.
What about desecration of the flag, ie: wearing it as clothing, shoes, etc. or draping it over a chair, or any number of other ways Mrs. Palin has utilized it to offend the sensibilities of others, with complete disregard for the veterans who have fought to keep it clean?
ReplyDeleteSilly person, that makes Sarah Palin more of a Patriot by honoring the flag. And just forget about her husband pissing on that same flag for 7 years and probably continues to this day as an AIP stooge.
DeleteI think we should all organise a protest! Let's all gather down at the Wasilla High School in front of that statue of Bristol. It would be such a cunning stunt!
DeleteI'm not religious and I certainly do not believe the stupid kid deserves jail time. That said, I am damn tired of those who constantly enable and reinforce such stupid and obnoxious behavior. Let both the boy and the girl be assigned to pick up garbage for a few days in public service, rather than adding to the garbage of our society. Tolerance goes both directions, including teaching kids to have a modicum of respect and sensitivity towards those whose beliefs they do not share.
ReplyDelete???? When did being silly turn into a crime that needs any punishment?
DeleteBTW I will tolerate religion, fight for people's rights to practice their chosen religions, but I will NEVER respect religion.
Oh FFS. Jebus. It's okay to EAT THY FLESH AND DRINK THY BLOOD. Fellow athiest... it's all bullshit. shake.my.head.
ReplyDeleteOMG this is hysterical - except for the jail part.
ReplyDeleteOK, Bristol can punch an older gentlemen 10 times and walk free.
An adolescent can play around with a statue and go to jail.
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Idiocracy.
He should claim the statue miraculously healed him of hypospadias or a STI . That's what he was asking Jeebus to do and Jeebus kissed him and "PRAISE JESUS" he is healed.
ReplyDeleteThe kids should tell his lawyer that was what he was doing.
Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a wiener!
DeleteIf this was my child I would have been upset for two reasons:
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost in my family we strive not to go out of our way to be cruel. If that act, as silly as it is, was on a statue on private property and seriously hurts the owners beliefs of that property my child would be disciplined accordingly.
Second of all he is 14, simulating sexual acts at 14 and then be allowed to post it publicly is colossally stupid. I would just be upset that my child was stupid.
Jail time? Hell no. Pushing back the privilege of driving till he is 17? Perhaps.
There is never a reason to be cruel. That makes you a bully.
I currently have two 14 year old boys in the house.
You lost me at "hurts the owners beliefs", this act did not harm anyone's beliefs and if the owners cared so much their statue, which could be argued is NOT on private land since it would clearly fall within 25 ft of a road making it part of a right of way, they shouldn't have put it in a ditch.
Delete@ 2:51 You sound just like a Palin and her ilk. Fine you don't respect other peoples beliefs, I would have hated to be brought up in your home. Every single problem that has occurred on this earth is because one group or person had not respected another group or person and their beliefs. That is what it comes down to.
DeleteIf you had your dead child's headstone in front of your home and some 14 year old "punk" is motioning rape to it would it deeply bother you? Well that is how many feel abut their faith and no child in my household will be responsible of making another person feel like shit regardless if we agree with what they believe. I am raising compassionate, loving, intelligent productive members of society.
By the way, my property line goes to the street. Nobody has a right of way claim on it. You really should school yourself concerning property rights.
"""By the way, my property line goes to the street. Nobody has a right of way claim on it. You really should school yourself concerning property rights."""
DeleteI have owned homes in 5 states,they all had right of ways for utility companies and for the actual street. My current home is on a gravel road shared and maintained by 4 other homeowners,so we have no row because there is no county or state road,however there is still a row for the utility company that runs along the electric company lines. If you live on a state or county road,and the row is usually 30 ft from the center line.
Why would I ever teach my children to respect a religion that caused the massacre of over 70% of my ancestors, the rapes of many more, and the stealing of their children?
DeleteAlso, neither of those two statues are of real people, there is no proof your Jesus existed and Ronald McDonald is not real either, and they aren't graves, get over yourself. And when the christian religions atone for the millions of deaths they have caused world wide and continue to do so in many countries in Africa then they may get my respect and not before.
This is insanity, if a corporation can be a person legally then a teenager can get a pretend blow job from Jesus. This case needs to go to the supreme court as it is clearly a violation of this kids rights to be incarcerated for a teenage prank that does no damage.
ReplyDeleteI am from Germany, this is Dump and not Normal to give a Teen 2 years for Face reaping of a jesus statue, in Germany is this a JOKE, and this ist NORMAL but not 2 years....... The Amerikan justice ist Dump ans not Normal.....
ReplyDelete