Reason picked up a story from CBS Chicago that will have you shaking your head so hard and for so many reasons that you’ll need about 3 Exedrin after reading about it.

In a nutshell: Four teens made a homemade, very consensual video involving sex acts between three boys and one girl, all aged between 14 and 16 years old. They uploaded it onto Twitter and shared it, on their own, unforced. It was not an act of revenge, thus wasn’t “revenge porn,” nor was it an act of bullying. It was an act that is arguably degrading, stupid and short-sighted, but it involved no personal injury nor loss of liberty to anyone involved.

However, the city of Joliet, which is 40 miles from Chicago, and Police Chief Brian Benton decided that instead of letting the shame or lack there of – as who of us hold the right or infinite wisdom to judge what is moral, embarrassing or shameful to another? – serve as punishment enough, that they would also attempt to ruin the lives of these children by charging them with child pornography, and attempting to label them as sex offenders. Legally, they have the right to do so, as Illinois and many other states have laws in place that allow for minors posting online or sharing images with each other to be charged in this way. It’s legal, but is it ethical?

From CBS Chicago:

“It’s a criminal offense, first of all, to post that type of material online, especially for underage,” Benton said. Police want the charges against the four students to serve as a cautionary tale to other youths engaged in high-risk behavior. “The child pornography offense that was charged is in place for a reason, because we don’t want to accept that type of behavior as a society,” Benton said. “It’s making a strong statement, and I think it’s important to do so, to send a message to others that kids shouldn’t be involved in this type of behavior, and hopefully this will serve as a deterrent.” Benton said such behavior could seriously affect the teens’ lives “for years to come.” “It’s an incident you may not recover from,” he said.

So, posting this material online could seriously affect the lives of these teems for years to come – that’s true. But charging them, and potentially convicting them as sex offenders? That seems to carry with it far more potential to affect and completely destroy someone’s life.

This despicable police chief and district attorneys are actively seeking to throw away the lives of four teenagers – practically children – in order to “make an example” of them. An example that doesn’t need to be made. The public shame of living this down would be more than enough without having to spend time in a juvenile detention facility until 21 – a potential sentence – and then have a permanent moniker of “sex offender” hanging over one’s head for the rest of a lifetime. What if one of these kids wanted to be a teacher? Guess that’s out the window. I doubt sex offenders will be getting many opportunities in that field. And literally hundreds if not thousands of everyday needs, rights and opportunities will also be shattered.

This is a prime example of agents of government and law enforcement taking irrational actions simply because they can, and puffing themselves up with self-righteousness to defend stupid and harmful actions. “For the greater good,” they’ll argue. Meanwhile four children will be thrown to the wolves and discarded – fuel for the state to be burned and discarded.

Liberty Links!

– Two black youths who beat white man “for Michael Brown” on train won’t be charged with a hate crime. Guess that’s a one-way street?

– NY Cop goes on crazy rant against Uber driver (video).

– NJ man who later died was handcuffed on ground, unconscious while being kicked and mauled by K-9 after being restrained states witness.

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