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Fabricate Your Own DNA Evidence
Manga Collection Ruled "Child Pornography" By US Court
Jared Diamond Sued by New Guinea Natives for Crimes of Anthropology
Watchmen's Day Of Reckoning Now Two Weeks Later
Moon’s Future Lies in Frontier Homesteading, Not Collective Ownership
Science Fiction's Verdict on Patents? Guilty.
The Next Witness for the Prosecution Could Be Your Brain
Indian Court Accepts Brain Scans as Evidence of Murder
Five Future Lawsuits We’re Already Working On
Denver Alien Video — Revealed!

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bookwench
08/19/09

In reply to Fabricate Your Own DNA Evidence
See? This just means we need more cameras. Cameras everywhere, in every aspect of our lives, to make ABSOLUTELY SURE we're all behaving in a morally appropriate fashion at all times.
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Klebert L. Hall
08/19/09

In reply to Fabricate Your Own DNA Evidence
"Frumkin says that, at the moment, there are ways to determine whether DNA evidence has been fabricated (and his own company, Nucleix, provides such tests)"

This seems to be the key phrase in the article.
-Kle.
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Ghede
08/18/09

In reply to Fabricate Your Own DNA Evidence
Of course, sequencing is getting a lot faster and a lot cheaper, maybe it is time they went for the whole thing.
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Elle
08/18/09

In reply to Fabricate Your Own DNA Evidence
I'm all for not relying too heavily on any one type of evidence, especially any that are possibly faked, but something tells me that the natural response to reading such an article as this just goes to incite panic and distrust in the system in place. That isn't good for anybody. If indeed "there are ways to determine whether DNA evidence has been fabricated," then I don't see what the problem is. Make those tests more standard in high profile cases where the only evidence is dna related and move on.
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kosai
08/18/09

@Elle: Oh no problem at all, the man inciting the panic owns the company that will perform the test.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
08/18/09

@kosai: Funny how that works, isn't it.

He will also sell you a magic rock that keeps away tigers.
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Edited by Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H. at 08/18/09 3:03 PM

Greasy Thumb Guzik
08/18/09

In reply to Fabricate Your Own DNA Evidence
It's a lot simpler to pickup a bag of McDonald's waste from the street & leave it at the crime scene!
If you're lucky, the leftover food will have a DNA match in the system & fingerprints on the bag.
Or just sop up some spit from the sidewalk with a clean napkin [be sure to wear gloves in either case] & leave the napkin at the scene.
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goldfarb promoted this comment Greasy Thumb Guzik was starred

goldfarb
08/18/09

@Greasy Thumb Guzik: this is actually a really good idea...
grab a few bags of trash from your area (including one of your own)
go to intended crime scene
commit crime
toss all the garbage all over the place

1 - you'll totally overwhelm the police/labs
2 - you stuff (including DNA) will be found, but so will that of your neighbour = reasonable doubt.
3 - sheer elegance in its simplicity.
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Illogic
08/18/09

@goldfarb: Seems better to try and not leave any of your own DNA in the first place though.
I mean, considering that it's be premeditated in this case.
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WindowlickinDaywalker
08/18/09

@Illogic: As CSI has taught us, when in doubt, use bleach.

A few years back I walked up to the checkout counter of a bix box retailer with a 5gal bucket, 1gal of bleach, a 2ft pry bar and a hand saw. Paid in cash. Cashier didn't even bat an eye, too busy talking on her cell. That was the day I started getting ideas.
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Janglesatwest
08/18/09

In reply to Fabricate Your Own DNA Evidence
That seems to require a lot of technical know-how in order to pull it off, but it is something people should be aware of. If there are tests to see in the DNA evidence has been faked in this way then those tests should be put into the SOP.
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RandomFrequentFlierDent
08/18/09

@Janglesatwest: Well, he did specify that the individual would have to be studying in the field of biology. I don’t think any old Stabby McGee would be able to get into a lab and duplicate the procedures. As a biochem undergrad I'd say I could pull off both of these. The first one is particularly easy, and I have access to a lab with all the equipment necessary . . . not that I would ever need to fake DNA evidence or anything . . . .
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Novaload
05/30/09

In reply to Manga Collection Ruled "Child Pornography" By US Court
Sweden, which is by any standard enlightened, and Australia and I think Canada as well have classified lolicon as child pornography--and associated with crimes against children. Google some lolicon before you start talking about "thought crimes."
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ParryLost
05/28/09

In reply to Manga Collection Ruled "Child Pornography" By US Court
I'd like to note that this law makes specific exceptions for content that has artistic value. This is vague, yes, but the intent is not to police "thoughtcrime." The intent is to ban images of fictional children produced specifically *as porn.* The idea is that people should not view children *in general* in a sexual way, that this is not something that should be acceptable. It's not just about harming individual children, it's about a value that says, "kids are not sexual things." And if a work's main purpose is sexuality, then that would be banned. I think this is a good law, generally speaking, though can't comment on this specific case without knowing more. If there's artistic value (of course, this is a vague judgement about community standards...), and it's not just porn, then it would not be banned.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
05/28/09

@ParryLost: The problem is, we don't know if there was any artistic value or not, by anybody's community standards. No trial, no judge or jury.

If the guy's lawyer can't tell whether he broke the law or not, it's a badly-written law.

This guy is probably not a pedophile, and even if he was, it's a bad law that needs clarifying. Clarifying after the slow painful horrible death of an actual pedo would be most acceptable to most people.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
05/28/09

In reply to Manga Collection Ruled "Child Pornography" By US Court
The lawyer says: "It's probably the only law I'm aware of, if a client shows me a book or magazine or movie, and asks me if this image is illegal, I can't tell them."

That shows it's a bad law. If the trained people can't tell what's illegal and what isn't, how is it supposed to be enforced correctly and justly? Either something's legal or it isn't.

You don't hear "Well, my client said he shot a guy/stole a wallet/set a car on fire, and asks me if this is illegal, and I couldn't tell him."
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
05/28/09

In reply to Manga Collection Ruled "Child Pornography" By US Court
Here's the actual description of the stuff:

Each book contains obscene images, with one book containing images of bestiality, including images of sex between a male pig and a minor human female, and images of a minor human female engaging in oral and genital intercourse with a male dog.

THAT'S ALL.

There were seven comic books found out of his whole collection.

No photos or video of actual or simulated children or even adults pretending to be children were found.

Better check your shelves, Iowans. You're next.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
05/28/09

@Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.: Let me be clear: actual bestiality is wrong, as is actual child porn. Nothing wronger, and everyone knows that.

But this particular guy isn't a pedophile.

Too bad he was so scared that he listened to his Podunk lawyer instead of holding out for conviction and appeals. Though I can't blame him for wanting to get it over with.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
05/28/09

In reply to Manga Collection Ruled "Child Pornography" By US Court
Oh, man.

By "bestiality", I bet they're talking tentacle porn, aren't they?

Iowa understands shagging livestock perfectly well ;) but they don't know from octopus.

Nor that it's partly the USA's fault that such things exist in Japanese manga at all.
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Erda
05/28/09

In reply to Manga Collection Ruled "Child Pornography" By US Court
I had to show this to my kid sister... She's 16 and a huge anime nut and this reminds me of some of the unsettling stories she has of creepy older men at cons. Egads...

I only have a passing interest in a few really-good animes (Fullmetal Alchemist FTW!) and a love of Miyazaki's movies, and now I'm even happier that my interest in anime stops there.
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UlyssesPony
05/28/09

It's okay - tell her, like everyone else on this board seems to be saying, that they're only images the pervert is looking at and not meant in any way to scare, degrade or terrify her.

The majority of the posters probably haven't ever seen the hard-core stuff that this pervert's being charged for - this isn't the sanitized Tokyopop versions that are changed for the US audience, this is the stuff straight out of the Japanese stores.

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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
05/28/09

@UlyssesPony: I think you've just proved the point: creepy older men at cons are bothering actual children and should be harshly punished for doing it out in public. They should be beaten and castrated. But that's real.

Also, how do you know exactly what images this guy's being charged for? And how do you know that the people commenting haven't seen the like?

(There are things you can't un-see, no matter how much you want to)

OMG TEH EBIL YELLER PERIL! THINK OF TEH CHIIIIILDERN!

(seriously, I read some Fu Manchu yesterday and a lot of this sounds familiar)
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Roklimber
05/28/09

In reply to Manga Collection Ruled "Child Pornography" By US Court
I'm all for protecting children from sexual predators, but this is ridiculous. The people who make, enact, and enforce these absurd extrapolations of the law need to learn the difference between harmful and harmless art. Perhaps this would be a good start to teach them a lesson:

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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
05/28/09

@Roklimber: That's a great clip. Like to show that to the folks in Iowa, ask 'em what they think it is, and then scold them for being pervs.
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Commander Shepard
05/28/09

In reply to Manga Collection Ruled "Child Pornography" By US Court
I'm sure all of these people running to defend child porn lite (because its just images!) would also love to see the KKK or local skinhead chapter thrown in jail.

Double standards for different speech lately.
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humperdinck
05/28/09

@rosscobtex: You seem to know how everyone thinks. Congratulations.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
05/28/09

@humperdinck: Wow, he's psychic! That's really newsworthy.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
05/28/09

In reply to Manga Collection Ruled "Child Pornography" By US Court
What about the Bible? Didn't Lot's virgin daughters sleep with him? How many people on that theoretical jury would know that story? Incestuous child porn, on a Sunday morning in church in public!
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