Charles Rust-Tierney: Keeping Up With The Non-Media Blitz

A few new articles on the web, the majority trumpeting the fact that this story is not in the news.

Have a read:

07 Mar 07 | From BP News:

Conservatives typically don't hold the ACLU as a bastion of morality, but the fact that Charles Rust-Tierney, 51, of Arlington served as a leader of youth sports organizations in Virginia adds to the problem. Rust-Tierney reportedly had subscribed to various child pornography websites over the past several years and had downloaded videos and photos.

On behalf of the ACLU, Rust-Tierney was a leading proponent in the late 1990s for unrestricted Internet access, The Times noted. He argued that parents should bear the responsibility for guarding their children against online dangers.

07 Mar 07 | From WoldNewsDaily.com: Exposing the Associated Press

Here is an actual living person doing something – as opposed to news about grandfathers and great-grandfathers – and AP shows no interest. Charles Rust-Tierney, a former public defender in the nation's capital and local leader of the ACLU busted for kiddie porn.

Now, why is it so significant that AP did not "pick up the story"? Because AP is the major disseminator of news throughout our country and our world. Even with the Internet, if it doesn't make the AP wire, a story is going to have limited readership. Someone in AP's Washington bureau made a conscious decision to "spike" the ACLU kiddie porn connection.

07 Mar 07 | From The Hendersonville News:

For pure bleakness, it would be hard to top the shocking revelation that a former president of the Virginia chapter of the ACLU, Charles Rust-Tierney, has been charged with subscribing to child pornography Web sites. The thing that turns this incident from merely bad to horrifying is that the Web sites Tierney subscribed to featured pre-pubescent girls being tied up and forcibly raped as they cried to be released.

As a leader of the ACLU, Tierney fought against filters on the computers in public libraries, arguing that, "individuals will continue to behave responsibly and appropriately while in the library" (abcNews). Unfortunately, Tierney's own behavior did nothing to prove his point.

Did I mention what Tierney does in his spare time? He "coaches various youth sports teams in and around Arlington, Va." (ibid).

05 Mar 07 | From 411mania.com: These idiots need to actually read a news article before commenting so irresponsibly and cavalierly.

3) The disgraced Rev. Ted Haggard received a fair amount of media coverage for his fall from grace when it was revealed that he engaged in taboo sexual behavior. That said, many media outlets ignored the story of Charles Rust-Tierney, the former Virginia ACLU head arrested for possessing child pornography. There is a double standard in a significant portion of the media, and this failure to adequate cover the ACLU story is proof.

Mark Radulich: FACT - I know I've been out of the loop lately but wow, where did this story come from? [23 Feb 07: The Washington Times: Charles Rust-Tierney, 51, of Arlington, was named in a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Alexandria and was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and Arlington County police. His arrest was announced by Arlington police after an initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry R. Poretz. The arrest, according to court documents, came after ICE agents and Arlington police -- armed with federal warrants -- searched Mr. Rust-Tierney's home.] Since I went on forever with the above two statements, I'll make this brief. The mainstream media does not like religion (it relegates Islam to culture rather than religion per se). Any chance to do a story that undermines religion by slamming someone of power in that arena, it will do so. However, the media also has no real love for children so unless it's a man of the cloth or a sensational story, the media isn't going to do heavy reporting of child abuse either.

Brandon Crow: FICTION- But this one's a toughie. I'm saying fiction not because I don't believe there's a double standard or a slant in the media. There certainly is. But I won't go as far as to say there is an obvious majority of left-leaning tilt. Most media outlets, if we honestly evaluated them, are pretty down the middle, usually focused on information rather than spinning the information. Does the New York Times tend to spin left? Yes. Does CNN? Not sure. Does FOX News go way right, even to the point of being absolutely selective about the stories they present? Of course. But these examples are already relatively known by all.

My call of fiction on this question is based more on the comparison of the individual cases of Haggard versus Rust-Tierney. The two are not similar or even representative. Haggard is a criminal. He admitted to buying crystal meth and to soliciting sex—gay or not is not legally relevant but it is morally relevant as Haggard often rails against homosexuality, just check out the documentary "Jesus Camp." This moral carrot makes a huge difference as Haggard literally commits the acts he demonizes as sins against God, an ultimate moral authority (in his eyes). Rust-Tierney, though arrested and charged, has not admitted to anything, [23 Feb 07: The Washington Times: One agent said in a sworn affidavit yesterday that Mr. Rust-Tierney has subscribed to various child-pornography Web sites over the past several years. The affidavit states that Mr. Rust-Tierney also admitted to an agent yesterday that he had downloaded videos and photos, which were found in a search of his home, from child-porn sites.] nor has he been found guilty. It is still in the development phases. Also, his position as head of the Virginia Chapter of the ACLU does not directly or morally conflict with his "alleged" visitation of child pornography sites. [23 Feb 07: The Washington Times: Speaking for the ACLU, Mr. Rust-Tierney was a leading proponent in the late 1990s for unrestricted access to the Internet, arguing before the Loudoun County Library Board that people would "continue to behave responsibly and appropriately while in the library" and that "maximum, unrestricted access to the valuable resources of the Internet" should be allowed.]

And if we were to look at these two from the legal standpoint, then Haggard also loses. Legally, he broke the law—he bought drugs AND solicited for sex. For Rust-Tierney, the screws are much looser. Though there is evidence that his credit card has been used to access on-line child porn sites, it has yet to be proven that he himself did it. [23 Feb 07: The Washington Times: One agent said in a sworn affidavit yesterday that Mr. Rust-Tierney has subscribed to various child-pornography Web sites over the past several years. The affidavit states that Mr. Rust-Tierney also admitted to an agent yesterday that he had downloaded videos and photos, which were found in a search of his home, from child-porn sites.] True, if he didn't, he probably would have canceled the membership as well as the card, but like I said, legally, the screws haven't been put to him yet. Also, assuming he is guilty of accessing child porn sites, there is a huge difference between actual child porn where children are used, and porn sites that advertise child porn but imitate it by burlesquing some adult woman in kiddie hairdos, baby clothes and a lollipop. Which one(s) Rust-Tierney subscribed to remains to be seen. [23 Feb 07: WUSA9 News: Youth Coach In Court On Child Porn Charges: ...They say Rust-Tierney had video showing, among other things, the sexual torture of infants and toddlers. The judge said she’d never heard of child pornography that vile and said because of that, Rust-Tierney would stay behind bars until his trial.]

Splitting hairs? Maybe, but not really. There are some pretty prominent differences. Also, there is just much more ratings in going after the head of a mega-church who meets regularly with the president advising him on moral issues who falls from grace in the most ugly of ways than some no-name bureaucrat stuck behind a desk in Virginia. [23 Feb 07: WTOP News: Newsletters on the ACLU chapter's Web site indicate Rust-Tierney served as president from 2002 through 2005.]

Crow‘s right - tough one. I‘ve always believed that while the news media is far more liberal than conservative by nature, I‘m not ready to blow the whistle yet that the mainstream media as a whole is a bunch of Democrat sympathizers and apologists like Rush Limbaugh continuingly [continuingly????] preaches. But Mark is also right - the many outlets love a fallen-man-of-the-cloth story. 2 for 3

All of the idiotic comments made by these three were AFTER the news stories had been printed/published. AFTER. Where do they come off with this blather as "fact"? Do they understand what it is to FACT CHECK? I hope anyone reading this excerpt will shun the 411mania.com website because of its complete lack of regard for the truth and irresponsible comments. This is the highest caliber they can muster? Sad. Very sad.

Garbage in (from where, their personal opinion? Certainly not the media as is evidenced, more than completely and verifiably, by their complete lack of knowledge on the subject before commenting on it. Don't you believe "I don't know enough about it to comment about it" would have been a more professional and responsible reply to the question(s) posed? *nodding* Uh-huh.) - Garbage out.

And, according to Google, that's about all there is at the moment.

Interesting, isn't it?