Malia Obama went to a famous L.A. restaurant Monday night — a restaurant regularly frequented by celebs and paparazzi — and when the White House found out a photog took her pic, they went into DEFCON 1 to KILL the photos.
The 16-year-old went to Gjelina in Venice, CA with some friends. The photog got the pic as Malia walked out and then sent it to the AKM-GSI agency to sell. The agency posted the pic on its website for media outlets to purchase, but several hours later The First Lady’s Office called AKM-GSI and asked them to please take the pics off the website and delete them from their files.
We’re told Michelle Obama’s people told the agency they had promises from various media outlets not to photograph the 2 girls when they were not in the presence of their father.
AKM-GSI then agreed, sending an email to the media with the subject, “URGENT SET KILL NOTICE.”
The text reads, “Please delete the set of Malia Obama from your archive. The set was sent around earlier today. We cannot distribute this set.”
Two days ago, on the 10th, I published an article praising Glenn Beck for trying to ensure that refugee children are taken care of, even if he thinks they ought to be returned to their country of birth. But, there is another category of children that need to be taken care of. Those are the children at the other end of the spectrum, the children of the rich, the powerful, the famous. A child is a child regardless of their parents. And children need to be protected. Before the current laws and ethics that protect children, it was all too easy for paparazzi to go after the children in order to get a photograph or some type of quote. The problem is that children do not have an adult understanding and may end up scared of the person who appears to be coming after them.
It may surprise you, but it has been less than a year since an anti-paparazzi law was passed and signed in California to protect the children of Hollywood stars from being harassed or misused for pictures:
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2014, a paparazzo convicted of harassing a minor who has been singled out due to his or her parent’s profession (famous actors, singers, reality TV stars, politicians, etc.) can spend up to a year in jail — which is raised from six months previously. Fines can also be imposed, including $10,000 for the first violation, $20,000 for the second, and up to $30,000 for the third. The law also allows the parent or guardian of the child being harassed to seek civil liability.
“Kids shouldn’t be tabloid fodder nor the target of ongoing harassment,” Sen. Kevin de Leon of Los Angeles said, adding that the bill “will give children, no matter who their parent is, protection from harassers who go to extremes to turn a buck.”
There have actually been cases in which children have been taunted in order to get a reaction from them that can be photographed and quoted. So, I am fully in agreement with both the law in California and the request of Michelle Obama that her children be left alone. Children is one of the few areas that we can all agree on. It does not matter whether the child is rich or poor, legal or refugee, famous or not famous. Children are to be kept separate and protected until they reach their maturity.
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