anythings.org

Now, this article is supposed to be about the debate as to whether or not the alleged victim is actually the person shown on the R. Kelly child pornography sex tape, but the author of it decided to go for a catchy hook line, rather than starting the story off with what it was really about: R. Kelly is a pedophile, and he got caught on camera, but nobody is certain  who the victim was. I’m not even going to go into the fact that the article should be about the fact that R. Kelly is at trial for many counts of child pornography and not the victim’s identity.

She’s been described over several weeks of testimony as a Christian singer and a point guard, a participant in three-way sex and as the goddaughter to one of the music industry’s biggest stars.

As far as opening lines go, that’s pretty catchy. Sex! Scandal! Three-ways! Christianity! And then you read the next sentence, and you start to wonder what this article is really about:

Even the family of the alleged victim in the R. Kelly child pornography trial doesn’t seem to agree about her, especially about whether she’s on a 27-minute sex tape that could send the R&B star to prison for up to 15 year if convicted.

Continuing on with the story, they make it sound like the victim is on trial, rather than a pedophile:

Prosecutors say she was as young as 13 when the tape was made. Now 23, the woman has been identified at the trial. She has not spoken publicly about the case.

Prosecutors said they would not ask the alleged victim to testify. The defense hasn’t said whether they will, though Kelly attorney Sam Adam Jr. asked jurors in opening statements why prosecutors chose not to call her.

“One answer,” he said, his voice booming. “One: It’s not her on that tape.”

Let me say this now before my head explodes: it shouldn’t matter whether or not it is her on the tape. R. Kelly is at trial for having sex with a minor, and if the prosecution can prove that without being sure of the victim’s identity, then he should be convicted.

Not once does the entire article mention the word “pedophile”, which I find extremely shocking since the alleged victim was 13 at the time the tape was made, making her just on the cusp of puberty, which in the medical sense of the word, would make R. Kelly a pedophile.

So we can call (potential) child sexual abuse victims “vixens”, but we can’t call their attackers pedophiles?

I thought I would take a moment to step off my soap box and blog about Missy Higgins, an awesome musician from Australia who has a lot to say about life, love, and all the other miscellany things going on in her world.

From what I know, she isn’t very big here in the U.S. and I doubt my little blog will change that, but you should definitely give her latest album, On A Clear Night, a listen. I’ve owned her first album, The Sound of White, for a few years now and I never considered it that impressive. It had a few songs on it that were very good, but most of them were a little lackluster. I’ve been waiting awhile for this new album to come out, and I must say that I am very impressed with her latest effort.

Her lyrics haven’t changed - she’s still writing about complications of love, friendship, and life - but she has found a way to better display her vocal range and artistic abilities. She asserts herself much better on this album, and it’s a more adult recording that almost everyone can relate to. The album’s opening track, Where I Stood, talks about losing a love and not knowing where she stands without her girlfriend. It talks about the uncontrollable jealously she feels when she imagines another person’s hands on her ex-girlfriend’s body. The experience of ending a relationship varies for everyone, but I think one common factor is jealousy about what will come next.

Many songs stand out on the album, my favorites include Where I Stood, Sugarcane, and Angela. The album flows very well from start to finish, making the listener feel as if they are hearing a story told to them, rather than a bunch of unconnected songs.

I encourage you to give this album a listen. If you like it, buy DRM free music - do not buy this album from places (iTunes, etc) that digitally protect their music. Keep music unprotected and accessible by showing the industry that you prefer non-DRM music.