Meet Kelso WA wannabe libertarian vigilante Curtis J. Hart

Don't Tread On Me hats are for douchebags.

This man is Curtis J. Hart, a "libertarian politician" from Kelso, WA. In addition to running a small-time online radio show and generally making an ass of himself, and losing elections by landslides in podunk towns, Hart runs his own joke of an online vigilante team called "The Punisher Squad." What a joke. I guess he must be desperate if he couldn't beat a 70 year old man for a podunk commission seat.

Curtis felt the need to call me from his home phone number, 360-442-1878. Looks like SOMEBODY just ran afoul of Ohio's harassing communications law. 

How Hart feels about helping the homeless

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/vancouver/vigilante-group-hunting-potential-child-predators-in-kelso/68619123

Vigilante group hunting potential child predators in Kelso

Maggie Vespa , KGW 11:19 PM. PST March 04, 2016

KELSO, Wash. -- Ask Curtis Hart if he considers himself a vigilante and you’ll get a blunt answer.

“I’ve been called worse,” he said.

Regardless of the title, Hart says he and roughly five of his friends, who call themselves the Punisher Squad, are serving a vital purpose. They’re catching potential child predators before they have the chance to strike, posting videos of their encounters on YouTube, and only calling police once it’s time for an arrest to be made.

Their first experiment, which happened Thursday, was a success in Hart’s mind.

The proof, being that of 36-year-old Adam Olson, of Castle Rock, who is behind bars, being held on $50,000 bond.

“He believed he was there to meet a 13-year-old girl to have sex with,” said Hart. “The whole thing was exactly like an episode of ‘To Catch a Predator.’”

According to the Kelso police report, Hart and a friend posted a message Thursday in the online app ‘Whisper’.' They posed as a 14-year-old girl, looking to “have fun with an older man”.

“Immediately, I got 30 to 40 responses,” he said.

Hart says he zeroed in on Olson. The two traded selfies, and Hart, still posing as the teen, said he was actually 13.

Quickly, reports show, the conversation became sexual.

“It was absolutely disgusting,” said Hart.

Hart said Olson pressed to meet the fake teen, so he rounded up some buddies, at least one of them armed, and headed to Kelso’s Tom O’Shanter Park.

He said Kelso police had no idea, until Hart and his friends decided it was time for officers to make an arrest, which they did moments later.

“We didn't want to leave it up to the police because you can't just sit around on your hands waiting for government to come and fix everything,” said Hart. “To wait for government is to want your city to end up like Flint, Michigan.”

It’s the same rationale used by similar civilian groups around the world.

The trend, in one city, was dubbed “The Hunter Phenomenon”.

Police elsewhere have pleaded for it to stop, saying it’s ruined lives, put civilians at risk and left would-be slam dunk cases riddled with holes.

KGW reached out to Kelso Police for comment on Olson’s arrest. We were told no one was available.

People living in Kelso and Longview, though, did want to talk about the idea, including David Willis. He has two daughters, and he’s all for it.

“The police are overwhelmed,” he said. “As far as a community, you want people to come together.”

Others were not so sold.

“They're not police,” said Bob Johnson. “They don't have experience. They don't know what they're doing, and we have laws that protect people that haven't done anything yet.”

Prosecutors in Cowlitz County have yet to file formal charges against Olson.

He’s being held on probable cause for one count of second-degree attempted rape of a child and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes by electronic means.

March Madness Selection Sunday: Nicole O'Kelly ("Nicky") and her stupid "pedo symbol" story is even dumber when you check out her FaceBook page

This entire silly story about a two heart symbol being code for "pedophiles are trading children for sex" is even dumber now that word has gotten out that Nicole O'Kelly, the idiot who started the hysteria a few days ago, got her information from LAW & ORDER SVU. Seriously? Someone has been watching waaaaaay too much SVU. (And yes, it was a load of crap made up by SVU, using other BS posted on Wikileaks and adopted by the various "chan" communities to mock the conclusions made by this show and Wikileaks. Note the references were mostly Wikipedia articles. The FBI needs better references.)

You know how the WFLA report (by that other Shiitake Award nominee Melanie Michael) claimed that "When a pedophile sees children with the heart symbol, it’s a code. It means this child is ready to be traded for sex"? Well, it seems the source of this claim didn't come from Wikileaks and that alleged FBI memo, but from an episode of SVU. Out of the mouths of idiots...

Law and Order SVU isn't exactly a bastion of accuracy (in fact, they tend to get a lot of even basic criminal justice facts wrong), so if you cite it as a source, you are an idiot. And yes, there are a ton of idiots out there who bought this tripe:

At least one guy got it right: 

The insanity just gets worse with this woman:

So now this woman has taken the crazy to the next tier. But it just gets worse and worse. So there were three symbols-- a heart, a rose, and a fist (Black Panthers?), and one idiot made the following suggestion: 

Yes, a victim industry group helped this bimbo feed her insanity. AOL quotes the ex-baby-killer ex-Planned Parenthood worker Anna Potter of the Bivona Child Advocacy Center: "When I see that heart inside the heart, it's pedophile,' said Potter of the symbol. 'It's that underground culture that they use to communicate... They're giving it to their daughter thinking it's a toy and then to someone else it could mean criminal behavior."

Anna Potter, certified dumbass

At any rate, so now this idiot concluded that the symbols on this toy truck is like the Da Vinci Code for "pedophiles," but they didn't really explain the fist. Black Panthers? They use the fist. I guess Nicole will be biting her nail for a while awaiting the hordes of militant black pedophile sex traffickers to proposition her for sex with her spawn. I can't think of a more ludicrous proposition. 

How does this stack up among the worse of the stupid sex offender-related stories featured on the Shiitake Awards? Since forming the 'Holy Shiitakes" category in 2010 to document some of the dumbest RSO-related stories in the media.  some of the most absurd beliefs about so-called "pedophiles"-- bus-surfing, using license plates to lure kids, newspapers refusing to publish the names of children out of predator fears, denying homeless shelters to teens because they fear there may be RSOs in the shelters, cops using the bait-and-switch to arrest adults looking for adult hookups online and claiming they were looking for kiddies, cops wanting to take pics of nude teens to see if they were sexting, fears that stick figure families on your cars lure "pedos," sex offenders running anti-sex offender sites, robotic kittens saying "rape me," Pedobear scares at ComicCons and Kit Kat ads, Lance Armstrong blaming SOs for his doping scandal, insurance companies refusing service because SO status is a liability, Ohio State recruit decommitting because there was an SO on campus, cities building walls around houses of SOs, Child Porn Barbies, the "Erin Brockovich of online dating" and her alleged rape by an RSO, government workers fired for marrying an SO, vigilantes proposing SO concentration camps with color-coded armbands, Idaho reps walking out on an SO bill reading because they could handle descriptions of private parts, mock electrocutions to scare SOs, and women setting up their boyfriends by downloading CP, O'come on, Man-Kelly may not be the worst but If this was the NCAA tourney, I'd have to see her tripe pretty damned high on the list.

That heart symbol is also a universal symbol for British Ice Cream. 

Melanie Michael actually believes that a symbol on a kid's toy is a euphemism for sex trafficking. Guess which state she's in...

There are just so many jokes I could write, but the one that comes to mind is that I believe the media should be represented by a similar symbol to the one discussed in this video, only the media symbol is a large brain encompassing a smaller brain, to symbolize the shrinkage of one's brain through too much exposure to the media. [See my rough drawing of the proposed media symbol].

By the way, nowhere on the entire internet could I find this symbol in connection with Sex Trafficking (one anti-trafficking group mentions "Tattoos of a name, symbol of money or barcode could indicate trafficking." Yeah, nothing about two hearts. 

Did I mention Melanie is from the land of 'Duh?

http://wfla.com/2016/03/09/code-for-pedophiles-ends-up-on-childrens-toys-sold-at-monster-jam/

Code for pedophiles ends up on children’s toys sold at Monster Jam

By Melanie Michael

Published: March 9, 2016, 11:24 pm  Updated: March 10, 2016, 8:59 am

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Nicole O’Kelly couldn’t believe it when she heard the stuffed toy she bought for her daughter at Monster Jam may have a symbol meant for pedophiles.

What an ugly bitch... the dog ain't much of  a looker, either.

“I’m absolutely sick. I bought this for my 2-year-old little girl. This toy was made for little girls. I wanted answers,” O’Kelly said.

When she got the answers as to why there was a strange heart symbol on her daughter’s stuffed toy truck she nearly threw up. The souvenir recently purchased at a Monster Jam event held a sick secret; a disgusting calling card for creeps. The heart on the toy was a symbol for pedophiles.

“This is pink,” O’Kelly said. “This is for little girls, especially at a predominately male event.”truck-symbol1

The more News Channel 8 investigated this case, the worse it got. This toy, we learned, wasn’t made far away. It was designed in the Tampa Bay area, at Feld, Inc.

Here’s what the heart means. When a pedophile sees children with the heart symbol, it’s a code. It means this child is ready to be traded for sex.

Pasco Detective Anthony Bassone has been with the agency for more than 16 years. He has one tough job every day. And, what he encounters, he can’t forget. He has to see the worst of the worst. He picks out pedophiles online and busts them, along with two other detectives in the cyber crimes unit at the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

These investigators have to deal with the most horrendous, gut-wrenching, heartbreaking material. Sadly, they see children tortured and raped on a daily basis.

The alleged "pedophile" symbol what this reporter claims is shorthand is the
little girl is available to be sold into sex trafficking, with NO proof this is true.

These crime-fighters make it through with their motivation to protect children and keep them safe. What drives these detectives to do their jobs and face another day, they told us, is to put the bad guys away.

The company, Feld Inc, admits they are shocked and did not realize this was going on. They have since pulled the toys from the shelves. Anyone who attended the Monster Jam event on January 16th or February 6th should contact detectives.

A company spokesperson released the following statement:

“We’re shocked. We had no idea. We reacted immediately. We wanted to do the right thing as quickly as possible. Clearly we’re in the business with providing high quality family entertainment. This was really obscure. Until yesterday, I had no idea there was an underlying meaning of these symbols and the deplorable behavior. We just don’t know if a crime was committed here. We have not been contacted by LEOs. We just want to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Stephen Payne, with Feld Inc.

Aw, Melanie is all butthurt over being blasted on the Internet. 

Attorney General Hector Balderas puts both the "bald" and the "ass" in the New Mexico Attorney General's Office

If there was ever a man who helps the state keep the spirit of the derisive slogan "Land of Entrapment," it is Attorney General Hector Balderas. He and his staff walked out of a legislative session in protest over a bill allowing teen sexters to get off the registry, citing that the NM ICAC would lose funding. At least he admitted it is all about the money!

http://www.alamogordonews.com/story/news/politics/new-mexico/2016/02/17/ag-opposes-teen-sexting-exception-amended-child-porn-bill/80530946/

AG opposes teen sexting exception in amended child porn bill
Milan Simonich, The New Mexican 6:46 p.m. MST February 17, 2016

SANTA FE – In a cantankerous hearing Tuesday night, a Senate committee approved a bill to increase penalties for those who manufacture, distribute and possess child pornography, but not until adding an exception for consensual cases of teenage "sexting."

The amendment so upset members of Democratic state Attorney General Hector Balderas' staff that they walked out in protest.

I bet being an asshole is also part of who he is. 

Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, called the behavior by Balderas' staff "a joke" and told the bill's sponsor, Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes, "It's an embarrassment that they did that to you."

A spokesman for Balderas later said in an email: The "attorney general staff walked out of committee in support of stronger protections for New Mexico children." Then Balderas himself sent a statement that said in part: "I cannot support an amendment that weakens protections for teenagers from predatory activity, creates a dangerous new child exploitation loophole, and places New Mexico's federal Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force funding in jeopardy."

Maestas Barnes, R-Albuquerque, originally sought to allow prosecution of defendants for every individual image of child pornography that they possessed. She said some defendants with large numbers of pictures have drawn sentences from no prison time to 18 months. Her bill got out of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives intact, but it has been heavily amended in the Senate and criticized by a senator from her own party.

Sen. Lisa Torraco, R-Albuquerque, in a previous hearing, said Maestas Barnes' bill was flawed because it wasn't tough enough on manufacturers of child porn, and because cases of teens texting explicit pictures to a boyfriend or girlfriend could have been subject to prosecution.

Maestas Barnes reluctantly accepted Senate rewrites of the bill. It now calls for a 10-year prison term for possession, 11 years for distribution and 12 years for "manufacturing" lewd images of children. Those producing child porn often molest the children as well.

Maestas Barnes on Tuesday night gave halfhearted support to Muñoz's amendment in the Senate Finance Committee, so that teens ages 14 through 17 in consensual boyfriend-girlfriend relationships would not be prosecuted for texting photos that might be construed under other circumstances as child exploitation.

Clara Moran, a prosecutor on the attorney general's staff, testified that her office opposed the amendment. She said the Children, Youth and Families Department had no cases in the last three years in which texting byplay between teenagers had led to criminal offenses. But a spokeswoman for defense attorneys countered that those sorts of prosecutions of teenagers had occurred.

Muñoz at one point talked of withdrawing his amendment. But Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort, R-Sandia Park, said she would filibuster the bill unless it contained a provision to head off prosecutions of teens who did something stupid but without criminal intent.

Beffort said she feared teenage boys would end up being prosecuted because of a complaining parent with clout. "It strikes a terrible nerve with me. It is a fairness issue," Beffort said.

Senators on the Finance Committee approved the amendment 9-1. Sen. Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, dissented.

After that, Moran and other members of the attorney general's staff walked out, leaving Maestas Barnes to answer any other questions from the committee.

Attorney General Balderas for two days had sent news releases calling on the committee to approve the bill without amending it. But he didn't attend the hearing, prompting Muñoz to criticize Balderas. "If he cared so much, why isn't he here? He sends his little henchmen."

Balderas' spokesman, James Hallinan, said Balderas did not attend the hearing "because he sent his staff."

With less than two days remaining in the session, the amended bill next goes to the full Senate.

Alabama Republican State Rep Steve Hurst wants your 'wurst in the worst kind of way

Steve Hurst has been trying to get a mandatory SURGICAL castration bill passed since 2007. I think the legislature should pass a mandatory surgical lobotomy bill for people like Hurst.

I think this guy is pretty perverted, quite frankly. ecause this guy is completely obsessed with cutting penises.

http://wiat.com/2016/03/04/alabama-lawmaker-introduces-sex-offender-castration-bill/

Alabama lawmaker introduces sex offender castration bill
By Matt Fernandez
Published: March 4, 2016, 10:26 pm  Updated: March 4, 2016, 10:29 pm

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — An Alabama lawmaker has a plan to permanently and physically punish someone convicted of certain sex offenses against children.

The bill, known as HB 365, would make those sex offenders have to get surgically castrated before they leave prison.

HB 365 was introduced by State Representative Steve Hurst, R-Calhoun County.

He said the bill will be for sex offenders over the age of 21 that committed sex offenses against children 12 years old and younger.

“They have marked this child for life and the punishment should fit the crime,” said Hurst.

This is not Hurst’s first time introducing the bill.

“I had people call me in the past when I introduced it and said don’t you think this is inhumane? I asked them what’s more inhumane than when you take a little infant child, and you sexually molest that infant child when the child cannot defend themselves or get away, and they have to go through all the things they have to go through. If you want to talk about inhumane–that’s inhumane,” said Hurst.

Hurst is hoping this would make sex offenders think twice.

“If we do something of this nature it would deter something like this happening again in Alabama and maybe reduce the numbers,” said Hurst.

Residents have some mixed emotions about it.

“Somebody that wants to mess with a little girl or little boy that age should be castrated, and they should not be able to mess with any other kids,” said Keith Dison.

“I understand prison and going to prison for a long time for some kind of crime like that, but to physical mutilate someone…that’s a little out there…it’s crazy,” Jessica George said.

The bill will have to pass the judiciary committee before it’s heard by the Alabama House and Senate.

Oh, look, now Virginia has their own 666 bill! I see a trend here

When I reported on Wisconsin's SB 666, I said that ALL sex offender bills should have a similar designation. Coincidentally, it seems the state with the slogan that implies they are the state for losers also have a 666 bill. Maybe this RSO laws are 666 is finally catching on. (Okay, so the House version is HB1190, but c'mon, SB 666 just stays with you.)

So what is Virginia's SB 666? Apparently, it will ban registered citizens from buying those obnoxious "specialty license plates" that benefit children's programs. I personally can't see why a registered citizen would bother buying one, especially one that benefits a children's charity. I wouldn't buy a Lauren Book license place, for example, much less subject a car to having such a tacky piece of pressed metal. But, different strokes for different folks.

It seems another activist has already done a very detailed analysis on this stupid bill. Check out the following link

http://restoringintegritytovirginiaregistry.blogspot.com/2016/02/legislative-predator-hysteria-continues.html

Pasco County FL keystone cop Carlos Ocasio admits to us what his county's residency laws are REALLY for

I believe this guy spells his own name. I think his last name is spelled with two S's, not just one. Pasco County Florida detective Carlos OcASSio was kind enough to admit to us what we already know -- the intent of all these residency laws and compliance check operations is to encourage registrants to leave the county. Quite frankly, I'd like to see OcASSio's papers.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pasco/deputies-go-door-to-door-for-operation-predator

“We are just trying to keep the neighborhoods safe and our kids safe. Ocasio said. "If they have to go to another county, so be it, but they committed the crime.” 

In trying to find a picture of this cop, I stumbled on an older articles with MORE quotes from Ocasio.

http://m.baynews9.com/content/news/articles/bn9/2013/7/13/monitoring_pasco_s_r.html

One member of the task force, Det. Carlos Ocasio, logs hundreds of hours on the road.

His beat is the west side of Pasco County, where he knows all 260 registered sex offenders by name.

"We know them," Ocasio said. "If they're married, we know their spouse's name, their kids' names."
...
It's his business to know their business.

"The average neighbor knows that we are out there, keeping an eye on them," Ocasio said. "They have nothing to fear.

"Big brother is watching."

Finally, a SO-related bill gets the proper number it deserves-- WI's newest paedonymic bill is AB 666

Another year, another paedonymic law ("Alicia's Law) comes out of the woodwork to erode the rights of the accused even more. At least this bill gets the number all bills like this one deserve-- the MARK OF THE BEAST.

666

So anyways, this bill will allow the AG's office to issue "administrative subpoenas" against you under the guise of searching for internet predators under a lower standard of "reasonable cause."

From WisconsinWatchdog.org

http://watchdog.org/254433/constitutional-law-online/

‘Alicia’s Law’ raises serious constitutional concerns

By M.D. Kittle  /   January 19, 2016  /   News  / 

MADISON, Wis. — Alicia Kozakiewicz’s story is horrifying, heartbreaking.

A 13-year-old girl lured from her Pittsburgh home by an online predator, who kidnapped her, then raped and photographed her for four days. That is, until law enforcement was able to track the perpetrator online, crash into his home and rescue Kozakiewicz.

But the model legislation that bears her name and has been on a fast-track to passage in the Legislature raises some deep constitutional questions about how far cops and prosecutors can go in the name of protecting children from Internet criminals.

Critics of the unfortunately numbered Assembly Bill 666 fear the legislation as written would bypass judicial oversight to give law enforcement an extraordinarily powerful search and seizure tool.

“Alicia’s Law,” pushed by Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel and co-authored by state Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, and Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, would authorize the attorney general “or his or her designee” the power to issue an administrative subpoena. The new authority, Schimel and the bill’s advocates insist, would help the state Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force more quickly and nimbly go after predators and other online criminals in “real time.”

As the law was originally written, an Internet service provider would be compelled to “produce documents or records helpful to an investigation of an Internet crime against a child.”

And administrative subpoenas would be issued without any judicial oversight, based on the wider standard of “reasonable cause,” not probable cause.

The Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office has raised concerns about the potentially far-reaching nature of the subpoena power, asserting at a hearing last week before the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice & Public Safety that, “no matter the worthiness of the goal,” such investigative tools would expand the “government’s ability to obtain information on people, who, at that moment, are still presumed innocent by law.”

The bill does include an amendment that removes language compelling ISPs to hand over a customer’s “records, information and documentary evidence,” but discretion on when to issue the subpoena remains in the hands of the Attorney General’s office.

That power doesn’t sit well with state Rep. Fred Kessler, D-Milwaukee. Kessler, a member of the Criminal Justice Committee, said he could not understand why Internet crime investigators need to bypass the current and effective judicial oversight-based procedure.

“Why do we need an administrative subpoena when we can just walk down the hall to the duty judge and swear a witness and have an actually constitutionally protected search warrant issued?” Kessler asked Schimel at the Jan. 13 hearing.

The attorney general said what investigators seek are subpoenas, not warrants, and they would be used to track the computer addresses of those suspected of engaging in Internet crimes.

“It takes days before we have a subpoena signed and shipped to Internet service providers,” Schimel said.

The most powerful testimony came from the model legislation’s namesake, Alicia Kozakiewicz.

Now 27, Kozakiewicz described how a teen who came from a protective, supportive family met a “friend” online who turned out to be a predator.

“I was that terrified little girl who was lured from my home, taken across state lines, chained by my neck, forced into a disgusting basement dungeon and tortured, raped and photographed by a sadistic pedophile for four days and nights,” she told the committee. “I was that little 90-pound girl who cried for my mommy and daddy, who prayed for somebody, anybody to come find and save me from this hell.”

Kozakiewicz said she turned out to be that “lucky girl” because a child rescue team was able to track the predator’s online whereabouts.

“There was no other way to find me. No trail, no footprints in the snow,” she said.

But while Kozakiewicz’s case may illustrate the need for rapid law enforcement action, does such power come at the cost of civil rights?

In 2014, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes discontinued the office’s use of administrative subpoenas because of the potential for abuse, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. His investigators, in most cases, have to get clearance from a judge.

“The wholesale writing yourself a note to go after that stuff without any check is too dangerous and the potential for abuse becomes too dangerous,” Reyes told the publication. “I think we can still win, but winning the right way is more important.”

He said the only time an administrative subpoena may be in order is an “emergency situation, like an Amber Alert with a predator whose information we absolutely had to access.”

Schimel said the number of referrals to Wisconsin’s DOJ from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has jumped from 266 in 2005 to 1,300 in 2015. Meanwhile, the resources to fight online predators hasn’t kept up, the attorney general said.

“Many child sex offenders go undetected because they cloak themselves in the anonymity of the Internet. Alicia’s law would give law enforcement and prosecutors tools to catch predators more quickly without compromising constitutional rights,” he said.

But Schimel and other supporters of the bill attempt to make their case by arguing Internet addresses and other online information don’t belong to the individual, but to the ISPs. That’s kind of like saying a homeowner who has a mortgage on her house has to open up the contents of her home to the bank anytime it wishes.

The bill also raises some questions of basic fairness.

To pay for the increased costs to administer the initiative, anyone convicted of a misdemeanor — any misdemeanor — would be assessed a $20 surcharge. Those convicted of a felony would be assessed a $40 surcharge.

A 2012 report by the Legislative Audit Bureau found the addition of surcharges and increasing court costs and fines decreased the likelihood the state would collect the full bill.

“More recent examination of this example of the law of diminishing returns has confirmed that as the monetary penalties levied as part of a sentence increase, the amount collected decreases,” the Public Defender’s Office wrote in testimony before the Criminal Justice Committee. “Surcharge revenue is proven to be an unstable funding source for important programs such as crime victim services or court operations at the county level.”

Another amendment would assess surcharges only on those convicted of Internet and child-related crimes.

Some also have expressed concern about the speed of “Alicia’s Law” moving through the Assembly. The bill was submitted for co-sponsorship Jan. 4, introduced Jan. 11, and two days later the Criminal Justice Committee held a hearing.

A vote on the bill could have come up for Assembly debate as early as Tuesday, but it was not on the calendar as of Tuesday morning.

Adam Plotkin, legislative liaison for the Public Defender’s Office, said it has been hard to get answers on the rapidity of the legislation. Kleefisch last week said he would like to pass the bill and have the governor sign it into law quickly because it “will save people like Alecia.”

The Public Defender’s Office has not taken a public position on the bill, only testifying in an information capacity.

But Plotkin said caution on the part of lawmakers is highly recommended.

“We thank the bill’s authors for addressing some of our concerns (through the amendments),” Plotkin said. “We want to make sure the Legislature is aware of those constitutional issues.”

He added that the goal of the bill is worthwhile, but “people need to make sure constitutional rights aren’t eroded over time.”

Paul Adkison uses Predator Panic to hock Cyber-security software, assumes we are "lurking"

Paul Adkinson associates registrants with terrorists, then tells people to assume we are always lurking and trolling for kids online. Can we assume this clown is always lurking and trolling for your money?

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/special-reports/9-investigates-sex-offenders-still-social-media/nqQ9Q/

Posted: 3:23 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016
9 Investigates sex offenders still on social media

By Joe Bruno

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — More than 1,000 sex offenders live in Mecklenburg County, and the sheriff's office is responsible for keeping track of them all.

"It's an enormous job, but it is something we embrace," Maj. Dan Johnson said.
But it's more than just keeping track of where sex offenders live.

North Carolina law bans sex offenders from social media. It's the sheriff's office's job to make sure they stay off.

The law has faced legal challenges since it was enacted in 2008. It was struck down by an appeals court in 2013, then re-enacted by the state's Supreme Court last November.

"We have to rely on is information coming from outside," Johnson said.

Channel 9 learned the sheriff's office doesn't actively check to make sure sex offenders are off social media websites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Johnson said there are too many websites and too many offenders to track.

"There is just no way to be able to look at each and every one of these offenders and make sure sites aren't being operated," Johnson said.

Channel 9 searched the names of random sex offenders from Mecklenburg County. Among the findings was the profile of Sadiq Abdullah.

He was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual contact in New Jersey while working at a psychiatric hospital. He went by the name Carl Ambrose at the time.

Channel 9 went to his house to ask him about his account. His most recent public post was just last month. Abdullah said he created the account for social networking.

Abdullah deleted his Facebook account after Channel 9 started investigating and said he wasn't aware that North Carolina law banned him from using one.

Cyber safety experts said it is a problem with no easy solution.

"All of these different applications are popping up from everywhere," cyber-safety expert Paul Adkison said. "Whether it is a sexual predator or teens or terrorists, all of them use these messages of communication because they are all point-to-point communications offered by private companies across the world, and they are really difficult to track."

Adkison developed software, Zabra, that allows parents to track their children's communication online.

His software monitors what children are saying and to whom, flagging conversations that may be of concern.

He said that with social media websites gaining popularity every day, keeping sex offenders off social media is only going to get more difficult.

"You have to make the assumption they are lurking," Adkison said. "You have to make the assumption that they are trying to approach kids."

According to Adkison, parents must remain engaged and warn children to use good judgment by not talking to strangers online.

Residency restrictions were restricted in Cali, so Sharon Runner wants to restrict the restrictions on the restrictions

I'm not surprised by this woman's actions, seeing as how she has drank the "sex trafficking" kool-aid.

http://runner.cssrc.us/content/sharon-runner-introduces-legislation-requiring-department-corrections-obey-jessicas-law

Sharon Runner Introduces Legislation Requiring Department of Corrections to Obey Jessica's Law
Friday, February 12, 2016

SACRAMENTO – Senator Sharon Runner (R-Antelope Valley) announced today she is authoring legislation that will stop the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) from allowing convicted sex offenders to live near parks and grade schools. Senate Bill 1021 will require CDCR to enforce the voter approved sex offender residency restriction under Jessica’s Law in all counties except San Diego.

Last year the California Supreme Court held that the restriction preventing registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park could not be upheld in San Diego County because of a severe lack of compliant housing. While the Supreme Court made it abundantly clear that the ruling applied only in San Diego County, CDCR immediately refused to enforce the law in any of the other 57 counties.

“The Corrections Department’s sweeping decision to allow convicted sex offenders to live next to where our children learn and play is unacceptable,” said Runner. “Under the department’s new policy, only 24% of sex offenders are still required to live within the limits set by Jessica’s Law. This means that 76% of paroled registered sex offenders are free to live next door to parks and grade schools, even before they complete parole.”

Equally as disturbing, the Department justifies its refusal to enforce Jessica’s Law upon the advice of the California Attorney General, but has refused to release the Attorney General opinion, despite repeated requests from legislators and the press.

Specifically, SB 1021 requires CDCR to enforce the 2,000 foot residency restriction unless the law is amended by the voters or Legislature, or it is found unenforceable by courts within individual counties.

SB 1021 also gives the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of each county primary jurisdiction to hear petitions challenging the 2,000 foot residency restriction as laid out in Jessica’s Law. The Court could grant relief if it is established that there was a pervasive lack of compliant housing in the subject county.

“State agencies are not exempt from following the rule of law,” said Runner. “Jessica’s Law was approved by over 70% of California voters. SB 1021 makes it clear that California’s bureaucracy cannot just ignore statues and voter initiatives it finds inconvenient.”

Runner authored voter-approved Jessica’s Law along with her husband, Board of Equalization Vice Chair George Runner, in 2006. In addition to mandatory residency restrictions for sex offenders, the comprehensive law increased penalties for the most egregious sex offenses and provides law enforcement with more tools to impede, apprehend and incarcerate sex offenders.

Well, if IML only applies to "registered pedophiles," then this law applies to no one, because...

...because obviously there is NO SUCH THING as a "registered pedophile."

Anyone who uses the P word so lackadaisically is nominated by default. Expect to see more International Megan's Law posts in the coming days.

It seems Senator "Mark the Jerk" Kirk has a chronic case of foot-in-mouth disease.

http://www.kirk.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=1619

Senators Kirk, Shelby, Mikulski, & Representative Chris Smith Applaud Passage of International Megan’s Law
Tuesday, Feb 2, 2016
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WASHINGTON –  U.S. Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), and U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (R-N.J.-04) today applauded House passage of H.R. 515, introduced by Congressman Chris Smith, which puts International Megan’s Law on the President’s desk for signature. H.R. 515 passed the Senate in December 2015. S.1867, the Senate companion bill, was introduced by Senators Kirk, Shelby and Mikulski. 

“Last year in Illinois there were 120 reported cases of human trafficking. This abuse of children must end.  International Megan’s Law will increase communication throughout law enforcement to help identify and apprehend pedophiles who prey on children for sex," said Senator Kirk.  “There is still more to do if we want to combat trafficking internationally and here at home, and as the author of the SAVE Act I will continue to lead the fight on behalf of those who are victimized.”

“It is great news for all Americans that the House passed International Megan’s Law today,”said Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL). “Crimes against children are a horrible plague on our society, and this legislation takes crucial steps to eradicate them.  In addition to streamlining domestic and international communication, International Megan’s law creates new procedures to advance ongoing efforts that will help us achieve one critically important goal: preventing horrific crimes against innocent children.  I urge the President to quickly sign this legislation into law so that we can begin to proactively protect families in the U.S. and around the world.”

“We have made some amazing progress over the years, starting out with billboards and milk cartons. But as crimes have grown more sophisticated, we’ve had to become more sophisticated,” said Senator Mikulski, Vice Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee which funds the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice. “This legislation will give the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice the tools they need to protect children at home and abroad.”

“I applaud Congress, under the leadership of Senators Richard Shelby and Barbara Mikulski and Congressman Chris Smith, on the final passage of International Megan’s Law which will help ensure the effective monitoring and compliance of sex offenders who have harmed children and may pose a risk to children in the United States and abroad,”  said John F. Clark, President and CEO, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

“It is imperative that we take the lessons learned from Megan’s Law on how to protect our children from known child sex predators within our borders and expand those protections globally to prevent convicted U.S. sex offenders from harming children abroad,” said Congressman Smith, who first introduced the bill in 2008, naming it for Megan Kanka, a seven-year-old from his district who was sexually assaulted and killed in 1994 by a previously convicted sexual predator. “The reinforcing provisions of this carefully crafted legislation—advance notice of travel to countries of destination and the passport provisions championed by Sen. Shelby—will help stop those seeking to end run the registry and notification programs. This legislation is a product of effective bipartisan teamwork in both the House and Senate and we call on all agencies of the Administration for swift and faithful implementation.” 

International Megan’s Law:

Requires registered pedophiles to have a unique passport identifier to ensure that they can be identified at the border as they travel internationally in the event that advanced notification was not sent by the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Justice. 
Establishes the “Angel Watch Center” at the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that all destination countries receive a notification that a convicted child sex predator is traveling to their country.  The Department of Homeland Security’s responsibilities at the border and their unique relationships with border officials around the world will enable Angel Watch’s charge.
 Formalizes the process for the United States Marshal’s Service Sex Offender Targeting Center to provide advanced notice of travel by all registered sex offenders to destination countries using the Interpol notification system.
Coordinates communication between the newly established Angel Watch Center and the well-established United States Marshal’s Service Sex Offender Targeting Center and streamlines the international notification system to ensure that no registered sex predators are lost in the system when leaving the United States.
Designates the Angel Watch Center as responsible for receiving notifications of convicted sex offenders entering the United States.

It isn't kiddie porn distribution when the FBI does it, apparently

So apparently the FBI is short for the Feds Bestowing Illegal images. They also distribute malware, so not only does the FBI distribute child porn pictures, they peddle computer viruses as well.

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/01/28/how-the-fbi-became-the-worlds-largest-distributor-of-child-sex-abuse-imagery/

How the FBI became the world’s largest distributor of child sex abuse imagery

Bryan Clark by BRYAN CLARK   Tweet — 5d ago in INSIDER

For 12 days between February and March, 2014, the FBI was the world’s largest peddler of images and video depicting child sexual abuse on the internet.

In an attempt to catch criminals uploading, viewing, sharing and downloading these files, the US government authorized members of the FBI to run an operation — ‘Operation Pacifier’ — of dubious legality to catch pedophiles visiting Playpen, the world’s largest child sexual abuse site.

“There is something tawdry and sick about FBI agents peddling porn,” says famed civil rights trial attorney Norm Pattis.

In speaking with attorneys about Operation Pacifier, I heard words like: “shocking,” “disgusting,” and “vile”; they weren’t talking about the pedophiles. 

Playpen
Playpen launched in August of 2014 as a dark web site only accessible by ‘The Onion Router’, commonly known as TOR. Through use of TOR, users are able to access the Deep Web while routing web traffic around the world in an attempt to anonymize their browsing.

It’s not foolproof, but it’s the best weapon a Web user has to remain anonymous online. And anonymity, when peeking into the darkest corners of the web, is paramount.

Due to the nature of the site in question, I didn’t want to dig too far, but from FBI testimony on the topic, it contained files — mainly images and video — of some of the most extreme child abuse imagery one could imagine as well as advice on how sexual abusers could perpetrate their crimes without being caught.

For all intents and purposes, Playpen was amongst the darkest of the dark corners of the web.

Operation Pacifier
February 20, 2015 was an unremarkable day for Playpen’s users. At the surface, the site was operating as usual, but behind the scenes its server had been seized by FBI agents at a web host in North Carolina and moved to a secure government-controlled facility in Virgina.

No one noticed. And really, how could they?

For fear of raising suspicions amongst Playpen’s users, the FBI left the site fully operational while they sought a warrant to track users through what it refers to as “network investigative techniques” or NIT.

NIT, is a vague term for an exploit the FBI uses to gain access to a network or device. In this case, malware.

To be clear, ‘fully operational’ means just that. For two weeks, users had the ability to upload new files, view existing images or video and communicate with other pedophiles. Basically, it was business as usual, only the FBI was piloting the ship.

From February 20 until March 4, 2015, the FBI continued to operate Playpen while infecting users computers with malware in hopes that it would lead to identifying information, such as an internet protocol (IP) address.

During its 12 day reign as the king of all child sexual abuse sites, the FBI garnered some 1,300 of these IP addresses.

Sting operations featuring Deep Web honeypots aren’t new to the FBI.

In 2011, the bureau used NIT — albeit a different type of exploit — on three hidden services (Deep Web websites) hosting lewd images of minors. Users of these services were targeted through a Flash application that would ping a users real IP address back to an FBI-controlled server rather than routing the traffic through TOR, as intended.

But this operation, in comparison, was small potatoes in comparison to Pacifier. The FBI was only able to collect 25 IP addresses.

With Pacifier, the FBI went bigger. To catch a criminal, it seems, you have to become one. And that’s exactly what the FBI did, at least according to the legal professionals involved in the case.

Was the operation legal?
First, it’s important to understand that what the FBI did resides very much in the grey area of our legal system. As much as I tried, securing a conclusive and concrete answer to the legality of the FBI running this type of site proved elusive.

New York attorney Joseph Potashnik informed me that in federal cases this kind of conduct by law enforcment is legal. He wasn’t alone.

An attorney who preferred not to be named remarked that it was not only legal, but it was “abused by the government on a regular basis” in other cases he’s tried, citing an officer that committed a sex act with a prostitute and then charged her with prostitution.

Oddly enough, he wasn’t the only attorney to use that reference.

Others, like attorneys Mark McBride and Norm Pattis disagreed. According to McBride, who has defended these types of cases before, “It’s definitely not legal.”

Attorney Christopher Eskew noted that it wasn’t legal, but it wouldn’t be a case the US government would prosecute.

In short, there isn’t a clear answer as to the legality of what the FBI did. The agency did secure a warrant, but the warrant was strictly for the usage of the NIT, not running a lewd site disseminating explicit images and video of children.

It’s not even clear if the federal judge that signed the warrant understood the scope of what he was authorizing.

A Motherboard piece detailed this exchange between Judge Robert J. Bryan and defense attorney Colin Fieman, who is representing one of the accused, Jay Michaud:

“Do the FBI experts have any way to look at the NIT information other than going to the server?” Judge Bryan asked.

“Your Honor, they don’t go to the server,” Colin Fieman, replied.

“Where do they go? How do they get the information?”

“They get it from Mr. Michaud’s computer.”

“They don’t have his computer.”

“That’s what the NIT is for,” Fieman explained.

While Judge Bryan didn’t sign the warrant used to charge Michaud, it speaks to the complicated nature of understanding the scope of the malware under broad and vauge guidelines within its request.

There are several additional pages of transcripts that show Judge Bryan attempting to figure out just what this NIT is, and how it was going to be used.

All told, the court spent more than two hours on definitions and descriptions of NIT.

Lack of understanding aside, there are also issues with the warrant itself, most notably, jurisdiction.

Fieman, and Michaud’s other attorney, Linda Sullivan, argue that the warrant “is limited to persons and property in the Eastern District of Virginia.”

Keith Becker, an attorney for the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a hearing, that the warrant, “clearly requested the authorities to deploy to computers wherever located.”

Michaud’s attorneys then proceeded to call into question the legality of the sting operation itself, stating:

There is no law enforcement exemption, or statutory exemption for the distribution of child pornography.

In this case, it’s easy to see that the need to catch a criminal overshadowed the FBI’s desire to stop the flow of information, which arguably, is more important.  Sullivan and Fieman argued that the harm caused by the dissemination of child sexual abuse images is summed up on the DOJs own website:

Once an image is on the Internet, it is irretrievable and can continue to circulate forever

The defense used these arguments in a motion to dismiss and a motion to suppress the government’s evidence that they feel was illegally gathered.

Update: Both motions were denied. 

At this point, the only thing we can be clear about in terms of legality was that we’re really not sure, but it doesn’t seem as if it matters whether the FBI broke any laws.

As Eskew put it, it’s highly unlikely the government would prosecute FBI agents.

Do the ends justify the means?
Leaving the attorneys and judges to decide legality, it’s much easier to debate whether the methods the FBI used to catch pedophiles justified the means.

No one would argue the benefit of apprehending those that are creating and distributing child sexual abuse images and video, but is it ever appropriate to display these images to pedophiles in an attempt to catch them?

Pattis eloquently states:

They claim they do so to draw out defendants, and defeat the market for prohibited images, yet the demand for the images remains the same. Lawmen can’t stamp out desire; they can only join the fray, becoming as twisted as the folks they prosecute.

I spoke with both the FBI and DOJ regarding this matter. According to DOJ spokesperson, Peter Carr:

While [shutting Playpen down] would end the trafficking of child pornography taking place on that one website, it would do nothing to prevent those same users from disseminating child pornography through other means … At no time in an operation like this does the FBI post any images, videos, or links to images of child pornography. Any posting of child pornography images and links are done by users of the website, not by the FBI.

While it wasn’t actively contributing to the cache of images, videos or links, the FBI was facilitating the practice for others who were doing just that. No matter where you stand on legality, this has to bring questions of morality to the table. Is “not actively contributing” enough to negate government responsibility in Operation Pacifier?

McBride doesn’t think so, “taking down 10 perverts does not outweigh the damages of even one image being disseminated.”

It’s hard to argue his logic. If capturing and releasing a sexually explicit image of a child is a crime against the victim, every time it’s viewed and passed on is akin to recommitting the crime, only this time with a new offender. McBride was unwavering in this belief.

In other sting operations, investigations have revolved around enticing users into registration through use of suggestive, but not explicit, images of minors.

Let’s attempt to quantify the success of this operation.

Playpen had a total of 215,000 members. Operation Pacifier collected 1,300 unique IP addresses and led to 137 users charged, meaning, nearly 90 percent of those tracked were never charged with a crime nearly a year after the investigation concluded.

What’s not quantifiable is the reach of these images and just how much the government’s operation, or the facilitation of pedophilia, did to benefit — or damage — child sexual abuse rings.

At the end of the day, you have to weigh the ends, 137 men charged, against the means, being complicit in the dissemination of sexually explicit imagery, and attempt to make a judgement call as to whether becoming a criminal is worth catching one.

You've already gotten an 825 year sentence. Why not tack on five more years, just in case?

It's FloriDUH. Need I say more?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jan/27/judge-tacks-5-more-years-on-florida-sex-offenders-/

Judge tacks 5 more years on Florida sex offender’s sentence

By - Associated Press - Wednesday, January 27, 2016
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A judge sentenced a central Florida man to five years in prison for failure to register as a sex offender.

But the Daytona Beach News-Journal (http://bit.ly/1lRwYRL ) reports 41-year-old David Allan Hall has bigger problems. He was already sentenced last summer to 825 years after being found guilty of 55 counts of possession of child pornography.

Prosecutors sought to have the additional five years tacked onto the 825 years because there’s always the chance that a sentence could be overturned on appeal. Hall has already appealed the longer sentence.

It took jurors just 10 minutes to find Hall guilty after a three-hour trial.

State Attorney R.J. Larizza called Hall a “dangerous sexual predator with a history of targeting children.”