Any pol who brags about his stance on sex offenders as his primary platform is suspect to say the list. Kansas, usually a level-headed state, is now falling to the new SO law propaganda machine thanks in part to this guy. He is exploiting his daughter's tragic death to get elected, and is passing laws Kansas knows is bad legislation by their own admission. Now he asks for re-election? The Shiitake Awards should be his only election this year.
http://www.gregsmith4kansas.com/
The event that dramatically changed my life was the kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder of my daughter, Kelsey. Nothing I can do will bring Kelsey back but what I can do is use that event as the impetus to make a difference in the lives of my other children, my grandchildren, and in the lives of members of my community.
I feel my service in the Legislature is a calling. My first term as the representative for District 22 was one that allowed me to answer that call. My life experiences placed me in a unique position to respond. My law enforcement career allowed me to co-sponsor legislation that safeguards our youth and young adults (Penn State Law),provides invaluable protections for our children (Caylee's Law), and provides strict penalties to those that would harm our kids (Compliance with the Adam Walsh Act).
Blogroll of nominees for the Annual Shiitake Awards, which spotlights the dumbest "sex offender-related stories of the year." The Shiitake Awards is a project of Once Fallen. For a full description of the Shiitake Awards and its mission, or to learn how to submit a nominee, click on the "About the Shiitake Awards" tab. Articles on this site fall under Fair Use Doctrine (Copyright Act of 1976, 17 USC 107) for purposes related to news, information, and social commentary.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
New York Post reminds us why newspapers are dying
What shoddy, lazy reporting from the rag known more for their silly front page graphics than their actual writing, as evidenced by the following:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/no_shelter_from_city_perv_storm_1Ptm2w7Z9Q21h4j5fFoH9O
Updated: Mon., Aug. 13, 2012, 8:53 AM
No shelter from city perv storm
By BETH DEFALCO and FRANK ROSARIO
Last Updated: 8:53 AM, August 13, 2012
Posted: 12:41 AM, August 13, 2012
As if being homeless weren’t frightening enough, desperate families staying in the city’s homeless shelters must contend with a growing number of sex offenders in their midst, a shocking new report obtained by The Post reveals.
At least a dozen Level 2 and 3 offenders — those have who committed the most heinous acts — lived in family shelters this year and last, according to the report by state Sen. Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx).
Two of the sex fiends were sent back to prison for parole violations.
In 2007, Klein found all of six in family shelters.
Among those cited in the new report are Charles Brown, convicted of raping a 9-year-old girl he was baby-sitting; Fred Scott, convicted of sodomizing an 8-year-old girl; and Angel Rios, who raped 5- and 7-year-old girls.
“Ex-cons come right out of jail and think they can hide out in here,” said a dad of two little girls who were staying with him at a Bronx shelter — the same shelter where Landell Ellis, who was convicted of sexual abuse, lived with his family.
“[Sex offenders] don’t see people; they see targets,” said the concerned father.
Legislators have refused to close legal loopholes that let convicted predators live among families with kids. The report says those seeking shelter are not even subject to criminal background checks. Nor are shelters required to check the sex-offender registry when a new family or an adult couple is admitted.
Klein promised to make a new push for a bill to keep sickos out of such shelters, saying, “It’s time that we stop sweeping this problem under the rug.’’
The Department of Homeless Services denied that Brown, Scott or Rios had been housed in family shelters. It had no immediate comment on the other nine.
“I have to look over my shoulder every second to see if someone is eyeing my daughter,” said Pedro Galarza, 48.
His 10-year-old lived with him at a shelter in Bushwick, where their neighbors included Randolph Holton, a convicted sex offender.
Homeless Services said the city's hands are tied when it comes to offering offenders shelter.
“Pursuant to court orders, Homeless Services is under legal mandate to provide shelter to all homeless individuals or eligible families regardless of their criminal background, including sex offender status," the department said in a statement.
Julio de Jesus, who manages a Brooklyn shelter, said, “What do you do with a man who was once a sex offender but now has a family that is homeless? Once they come to my facility, I can’t deny them services.’’
And privacy laws prohibit shelter officials from alerting their residents to the predators among them.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/no_shelter_from_city_perv_storm_1Ptm2w7Z9Q21h4j5fFoH9O
Updated: Mon., Aug. 13, 2012, 8:53 AM
No shelter from city perv storm
By BETH DEFALCO and FRANK ROSARIO
Last Updated: 8:53 AM, August 13, 2012
Posted: 12:41 AM, August 13, 2012
As if being homeless weren’t frightening enough, desperate families staying in the city’s homeless shelters must contend with a growing number of sex offenders in their midst, a shocking new report obtained by The Post reveals.
At least a dozen Level 2 and 3 offenders — those have who committed the most heinous acts — lived in family shelters this year and last, according to the report by state Sen. Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx).
Two of the sex fiends were sent back to prison for parole violations.
In 2007, Klein found all of six in family shelters.
Among those cited in the new report are Charles Brown, convicted of raping a 9-year-old girl he was baby-sitting; Fred Scott, convicted of sodomizing an 8-year-old girl; and Angel Rios, who raped 5- and 7-year-old girls.
“Ex-cons come right out of jail and think they can hide out in here,” said a dad of two little girls who were staying with him at a Bronx shelter — the same shelter where Landell Ellis, who was convicted of sexual abuse, lived with his family.
“[Sex offenders] don’t see people; they see targets,” said the concerned father.
Legislators have refused to close legal loopholes that let convicted predators live among families with kids. The report says those seeking shelter are not even subject to criminal background checks. Nor are shelters required to check the sex-offender registry when a new family or an adult couple is admitted.
Klein promised to make a new push for a bill to keep sickos out of such shelters, saying, “It’s time that we stop sweeping this problem under the rug.’’
The Department of Homeless Services denied that Brown, Scott or Rios had been housed in family shelters. It had no immediate comment on the other nine.
“I have to look over my shoulder every second to see if someone is eyeing my daughter,” said Pedro Galarza, 48.
His 10-year-old lived with him at a shelter in Bushwick, where their neighbors included Randolph Holton, a convicted sex offender.
Homeless Services said the city's hands are tied when it comes to offering offenders shelter.
“Pursuant to court orders, Homeless Services is under legal mandate to provide shelter to all homeless individuals or eligible families regardless of their criminal background, including sex offender status," the department said in a statement.
Julio de Jesus, who manages a Brooklyn shelter, said, “What do you do with a man who was once a sex offender but now has a family that is homeless? Once they come to my facility, I can’t deny them services.’’
And privacy laws prohibit shelter officials from alerting their residents to the predators among them.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Only in America where a girl can go to a party, get drunk, pass out, an have sex, and be a "victim"
![]() |
| I only had this much alcohol. Yes, I was only 16 but I could drink you under the table. |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/21/savannah-dietrich-faces-charges_n_1692374.html
Savannah Dietrich, 17-Year-Old ****, Faces Charge For Naming (Alleged) Attackers
07/21/12 03:56 PM ET 
The Huffington Post doesn't usually identify sexual assault victims, but Savannah Dietrich's parents want her case to be public.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A 17-year-old Kentucky girl who was upset by the plea deal reached by a pair of teenagers who ALLEGEDLY sexually assaulted her is now facing a contempt charge for tweeting their names in violation of a court order.
The Associated Press does not normally report the names of sexual assault victims, but Dietrich and her parents say they do not want to shield her identity and want her case to be public.
The boys' attorneys have asked a judge to hold Dietrich in contempt for violating the confidentiality of a juvenile hearing and the judge's order not to speak about it.
Dietrich told the paper she was assaulted in August 2011 by two boys she knew when she passed out after drinking at a gathering. She learned months later that pictures of the assault were taken and shared with others.
"For months, I cried myself to sleep. I couldn't go out in public places," she told the newspaper, as her father and attorneys sat nearby. "You just sit there and wonder, who saw (the pictures), who knows?"
Dietrich's attorneys want her contempt hearing open to the media, arguing she has a First Amendment right to speak about her case and to a public hearing.
The boys' attorneys, however, have asked to keep the hearing closed.
The contempt charge carries a possible sentence of 180 days in jail and a $500 fine.
The boys pleaded guilty on June 26 to first-degree sexual abuse and misdemeanor voyeurism. Dietrich says she was unaware of a plea agreement until just before it was announced in court.
She could not say what the proposed punishment was because of the court order, but said she feels like it was a slap on the wrist.
The teens are to be sentenced next month, and the judge could reject or modify the terms of the proposed agreement.
When Judge Dee McDonald admonished everyone at the hearing not to speak about what happened in court or about the crime, Dietrich said she cried.
"They got off very easy ... and they tell me to be quiet, just silencing me at the end," she said.
Afterwards Dietrich tweeted, "They said I can't talk about it or I'll be locked up. ....Protect rapist is more important than getting justice for the victim in Louisville."
David Marburger, an Ohio media law specialist, said Dietrich should have tried to get the courts to vacate the gag order rather than simply violating it.
But Gregg Leslie, interim executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said Dietrich should "not be legally barred from talking about what happened to her. That's a wide-ranging restraint on speech."
Leslie said this sort of issue is becoming more common.
"In the past, people would complain to anyone who would listen, but they didn't have a way to publish their comments where there would be a permanent record, like on Facebook and Twitter, for people to see worldwide," he said.
Dietrich said she just needed to stand up for herself. "I'm at the point that if I have to go to jail for my rights, I will do it."
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Give me a break! Kit Kat pulls photo in Pedobear Scare
Pedobear. He's EVERYWHERE. On the Internet, was lurking at Penn State during the Sandusky sex abuse trial, was booted from a Comic-Con and sparked a scare in Oklahoma, and now, he's in a Kit Kat promotion. Give me a break!
latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-pedobear-comparison-nestle-07202012,0,3945990.story
latimes.com
Pedobear comparison prompts Nestle to pull Instagram photo for Kit Kat
By Laura Hautala
5:19 PM PDT, July 20, 2012
advertisement
Nestle took down the inaugural Instagram photo from its Kit Kat Facebook page on Thursday because it featured a person dressed as a bear -- which it soon learned resembled an Internet meme associated with child pornography.
The photograph was supposed to launch Kit Kat’s Instagram page, but users quickly drew a connection between the costumed drummer and the meme known as Pedobear.
Pedobear, depicted on the Internet as a brown cartoon bear striding forward with a goofy grin, became popular in the U.S. on the forum website 4chan around 2005, said Brad Jim, editor of the blog Know Your Meme.
The forum had high-speed traffic and a hard-to-control user base, so posting a drawing of Pedobear on a disturbing thread “began to serve as an early warning sign of child pornography,” Jim said.
Representatives from Nestle Australia, which owns Kit Kat, have said they didn’t know about Pedobear and that the company produced the photo of the costumed drummer itself.
“We had never heard of Pedobear,” a spokeswoman for Nestle told Australia's the Age. “But when the possibility of its similarity to the so-called 'Pedobear' was raised with us, we immediately removed it.”
Representatives from Nestle Australia were not immediately available to comment to the Los Angeles Times on this story.
Twitter users were amused, and some scoffed at Nestle’s naivete. “Listen, Nestle, if you want to use the internet, hire people who understand the internet,” tweeted site user Aaron Howland.
People intentionally dressed up as Pedobear have made real-life appearances, including at a Penn State football game and the Jerry Sandusky trial, according to Know Your Meme.
But since 4chan denizens started using the cartoon to flag illegal postings, its meaning has become less clear. Some people see it as an endorsement of child pornography, and some say it makes light of the issue, Jim said.
“It has reached a different level of meaning, where this is basically a debate starter in the media,” Jim said.
latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-pedobear-comparison-nestle-07202012,0,3945990.story
latimes.com
Pedobear comparison prompts Nestle to pull Instagram photo for Kit Kat
By Laura Hautala
5:19 PM PDT, July 20, 2012
advertisement
Nestle took down the inaugural Instagram photo from its Kit Kat Facebook page on Thursday because it featured a person dressed as a bear -- which it soon learned resembled an Internet meme associated with child pornography.
The photograph was supposed to launch Kit Kat’s Instagram page, but users quickly drew a connection between the costumed drummer and the meme known as Pedobear.
Pedobear, depicted on the Internet as a brown cartoon bear striding forward with a goofy grin, became popular in the U.S. on the forum website 4chan around 2005, said Brad Jim, editor of the blog Know Your Meme.
The forum had high-speed traffic and a hard-to-control user base, so posting a drawing of Pedobear on a disturbing thread “began to serve as an early warning sign of child pornography,” Jim said.
Representatives from Nestle Australia, which owns Kit Kat, have said they didn’t know about Pedobear and that the company produced the photo of the costumed drummer itself.
“We had never heard of Pedobear,” a spokeswoman for Nestle told Australia's the Age. “But when the possibility of its similarity to the so-called 'Pedobear' was raised with us, we immediately removed it.”
Representatives from Nestle Australia were not immediately available to comment to the Los Angeles Times on this story.
Twitter users were amused, and some scoffed at Nestle’s naivete. “Listen, Nestle, if you want to use the internet, hire people who understand the internet,” tweeted site user Aaron Howland.
People intentionally dressed up as Pedobear have made real-life appearances, including at a Penn State football game and the Jerry Sandusky trial, according to Know Your Meme.
But since 4chan denizens started using the cartoon to flag illegal postings, its meaning has become less clear. Some people see it as an endorsement of child pornography, and some say it makes light of the issue, Jim said.
“It has reached a different level of meaning, where this is basically a debate starter in the media,” Jim said.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Jennifer Chase supports vigilante violence and hates the voice of truth
![]() |
| Despite all her rage, she is still just a rat in a cage |
"My inspiration really came about after living next door to a 'real' violent sociopath that threatened my life for more than two years."
I wonder why she used quotation marks around the word "real." Maybe it was all in her head, much like her fictional character.
http://authorjenniferchase.com/2012/06/06/washington-man-targets-sex-offenders-for-murder/
So this brings me to why this nobody is getting publicity here. Well, it isn't what you see, but what you DON'T see. So she posted on her blog about the deranged serial killer Patrick Drum, inviting readers to give their opinions on whether or not the scumbag was a "hero." Only problem is, she's only allowing one side of this debate, her side. The side calling for castration, murder, and ostracism. And I was among the dozens of people with a dissenting opinion were silenced. She allows the cheering of murderers, yet when the victims of this murderer chose to speak, she chose to silence them. Like a killer. The truth hurts, Jennifer Chase.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
PA Lawmakers want people convicted of sex crimes against minors to forfeit public pensions
This is a bad idea because it will actually decrease reporting of sex crimes and ensure MORE cover-ups.
http://www.ydr.com/politics/ci_21001521/lawmakers-want-people-convicted-sex-crimes-against-minors
Lawmakers want people convicted of sex crimes against minors to forfeit public pensions
A York County lawmaker is pushing for changes to state law that would take away former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's pension.
By ED MAHON
Daily Record/Sunday News
Updated: 07/04/2012 07:05:18 AM EDT
York, PA - State Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-West Manchester Township, is pushing for changes to state law that would take away the state pension for former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, as well as for others convicted of sex crimes against minors.
"I just find that outrageous," DePasquale said. "...We've got to find a way to make sure that he is not eligible for that pension. It is an absolute abuse of the public trust."
DePasquale said his planned legislation would apply retroactively, beginning June 1. But he acknowledged that there may be challenges to such a move.
"While I know many are concerned about the constitutionality of a retroactive change to pension laws, I feel that Mr. Sandusky should not be rewarded with a public pension, paid for by the good citizens of this Commonwealth, after committing such heinous crimes," DePasquale wrote in a memo last week, where he asked fellow members of the state House of Representatives to co-sponsor his planned legislation.
He said in the memo that, under current Pennsylvania law, public officials and public employees who are convicted -- or plead guilty or no contest -- to crimes related to their jobs lose their pension rights.
DePasquale said this week that if Sandusky was a public school teacher who abused a student "you could easily take away his pension."
And although DePasquale said he hopes the pension board does find an existing criteria to strip Sandusky's $58,898 annual pension, it appears the board may not be able to, because the children Sandusky was convicted of abusing weren't his students.
DePasquale's planned legislation would guarantee that a state pension would be taken away from anyone convicted of a sex crime involving a minor.
DePasquale said he hopes lawmakers will take action in the fall on his planned legislation to expand the criteria.
Other lawmakers have proposed changes to the state's pension forfeiture law during the past year.
In October, before Sandusky's arrest, state Sen. Larry Farnese, a Democrat from Philadelphia, introduced legislation that would stop state and municipal workers convicted of sex crimes against minors from collecting public pensions.
After Sandusky was charged, state Sen. Pat Vance, R-Camp Hill, introduced legislation that would expand the pension forfeiture criteria to include people convicted of an "infamous crime" -- which she has said the courts have ruled to mean felonies.
She said that's already a threshold for judges.
"It certainly makes sense to me to have it all the same," Vance said.
Her legislation, Senate Bill 1408, was referred to the Senate finance committee in the winter, but it hasn't been voted out. She said she believes that if her law is passed before a person's sentencing, then the changes would apply.
State Sen. Mike Waugh, R- Shrewsbury Township, is one of the co-sponsors on Vance's legislation.
"Just in principle ... I believe that if an individual is convicted of a felonious crime ... there's a penalty that you pay, and this is part of it," Waugh said.
Auditor general opponent
State Rep. John Maher -- a Republican from Allegheny County who is running against state Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-West Manchester Township, in the state auditor general race -- said if he was on the pension board, he would vote to revoke Jerry Sandusky's pension.
"He was a public official when the first assaults occurred," Maher said. "He was using his official capacity to exploit and assault these children. And, in my mind, that is public corruption."
But Maher acknowledged that that argument "would require a rather broad reading of existing law."
http://www.ydr.com/politics/ci_21001521/lawmakers-want-people-convicted-sex-crimes-against-minors
Lawmakers want people convicted of sex crimes against minors to forfeit public pensions
A York County lawmaker is pushing for changes to state law that would take away former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's pension.
By ED MAHON
Daily Record/Sunday News
Updated: 07/04/2012 07:05:18 AM EDT
York, PA - State Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-West Manchester Township, is pushing for changes to state law that would take away the state pension for former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, as well as for others convicted of sex crimes against minors.
"I just find that outrageous," DePasquale said. "...We've got to find a way to make sure that he is not eligible for that pension. It is an absolute abuse of the public trust."
DePasquale said his planned legislation would apply retroactively, beginning June 1. But he acknowledged that there may be challenges to such a move.
"While I know many are concerned about the constitutionality of a retroactive change to pension laws, I feel that Mr. Sandusky should not be rewarded with a public pension, paid for by the good citizens of this Commonwealth, after committing such heinous crimes," DePasquale wrote in a memo last week, where he asked fellow members of the state House of Representatives to co-sponsor his planned legislation.
He said in the memo that, under current Pennsylvania law, public officials and public employees who are convicted -- or plead guilty or no contest -- to crimes related to their jobs lose their pension rights.
DePasquale said this week that if Sandusky was a public school teacher who abused a student "you could easily take away his pension."
And although DePasquale said he hopes the pension board does find an existing criteria to strip Sandusky's $58,898 annual pension, it appears the board may not be able to, because the children Sandusky was convicted of abusing weren't his students.
DePasquale's planned legislation would guarantee that a state pension would be taken away from anyone convicted of a sex crime involving a minor.
DePasquale said he hopes lawmakers will take action in the fall on his planned legislation to expand the criteria.
Other lawmakers have proposed changes to the state's pension forfeiture law during the past year.
In October, before Sandusky's arrest, state Sen. Larry Farnese, a Democrat from Philadelphia, introduced legislation that would stop state and municipal workers convicted of sex crimes against minors from collecting public pensions.
After Sandusky was charged, state Sen. Pat Vance, R-Camp Hill, introduced legislation that would expand the pension forfeiture criteria to include people convicted of an "infamous crime" -- which she has said the courts have ruled to mean felonies.
She said that's already a threshold for judges.
"It certainly makes sense to me to have it all the same," Vance said.
Her legislation, Senate Bill 1408, was referred to the Senate finance committee in the winter, but it hasn't been voted out. She said she believes that if her law is passed before a person's sentencing, then the changes would apply.
State Sen. Mike Waugh, R- Shrewsbury Township, is one of the co-sponsors on Vance's legislation.
"Just in principle ... I believe that if an individual is convicted of a felonious crime ... there's a penalty that you pay, and this is part of it," Waugh said.
Auditor general opponent
State Rep. John Maher -- a Republican from Allegheny County who is running against state Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-West Manchester Township, in the state auditor general race -- said if he was on the pension board, he would vote to revoke Jerry Sandusky's pension.
"He was a public official when the first assaults occurred," Maher said. "He was using his official capacity to exploit and assault these children. And, in my mind, that is public corruption."
But Maher acknowledged that that argument "would require a rather broad reading of existing law."
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Sex offenders prohibited from Harrisburg, Eldorado bike paths
I'm a bit confused by the media article, the reporter says it is an outright ban but the senator he interviewed says it is an anti-loitering law. One of them is lying. Here is what the bill actually says:
(b) It is unlawful for a sexual predator or a child sex
offender to knowingly be present in any public park building or
on real property comprising any public park.
(c) It is unlawful for a sexual predator or a child sex
offender to knowingly loiter on a public way within 500 feet of
a public park building or real property comprising any public
park. For the purposes of this subsection (c), the 500 feet
distance shall be measured from the edge of the property
comprising the public park building or the real property
comprising the public park.
Got it? Senator is full of Shiitake. Now tell me you really believe pols read what they pass. They don't.
http://www.dailyregister.com/news/x1990296122/Sex-offenders-prohibited-from-Harrisburg-Eldorado-bike-paths
Sex offenders prohibited from Harrisburg, Eldorado bike paths
By Jon Musgrave
Daily Register/Daily Journal
Posted Jul 10, 2012 @ 12:49 PM
Bike trails in Harrisburg and Eldorado are now designated as off-limits to
persons on the Illinois Sex Offender Registry thanks to a new law, Senate Bill 3258, passed this
spring and signed by the governor June 22.
Previously , Illinois law designated public parks such as Harrisburg Township Park or state
facilities such as the Tunnel Hill Bike Trail off-limits to sex offenders, but remained vague on the
status of municipal bike trails.
The new law clarifies that among a number of other technical changes.
All of Southern Illinois lawmakers supported the measures.
"We can never do enough to protect our children from the threats posed by sex offenders,"
stressed state Rep. John Bradley , D-Marion, last week. "This new law will effectively ensure that
all registered child sex offenders will be prohibited from loitering around public park bike trails."
Most of the changes in the law updated and clarified technical inconsistencies between the
state's sex offender laws and the requirements of the Illinois Sex Offender Registry which can be
found on the Illinois State Police's website at http://www.isp.state.il.us/sor.
The new law adds the following offenses against minors to the Illinois Criminal Code: forcible
detention; custodial sexual misconduct; sexual misconduct with a person with a disability ;
promoting prostitution; grooming, traveling to meet a minor; and permitting sexual abuse of a
child.
Musgrave receives e-mail at jmusgrave@dailyregist
(b) It is unlawful for a sexual predator or a child sex
offender to knowingly be present in any public park building or
on real property comprising any public park.
(c) It is unlawful for a sexual predator or a child sex
offender to knowingly loiter on a public way within 500 feet of
a public park building or real property comprising any public
park. For the purposes of this subsection (c), the 500 feet
distance shall be measured from the edge of the property
comprising the public park building or the real property
comprising the public park.
Got it? Senator is full of Shiitake. Now tell me you really believe pols read what they pass. They don't.
http://www.dailyregister.com/news/x1990296122/Sex-offenders-prohibited-from-Harrisburg-Eldorado-bike-paths
Sex offenders prohibited from Harrisburg, Eldorado bike paths
By Jon Musgrave
Daily Register/Daily Journal
Posted Jul 10, 2012 @ 12:49 PM
Bike trails in Harrisburg and Eldorado are now designated as off-limits to
persons on the Illinois Sex Offender Registry thanks to a new law, Senate Bill 3258, passed this
spring and signed by the governor June 22.
Previously , Illinois law designated public parks such as Harrisburg Township Park or state
facilities such as the Tunnel Hill Bike Trail off-limits to sex offenders, but remained vague on the
status of municipal bike trails.
The new law clarifies that among a number of other technical changes.
All of Southern Illinois lawmakers supported the measures.
"We can never do enough to protect our children from the threats posed by sex offenders,"
stressed state Rep. John Bradley , D-Marion, last week. "This new law will effectively ensure that
all registered child sex offenders will be prohibited from loitering around public park bike trails."
Most of the changes in the law updated and clarified technical inconsistencies between the
state's sex offender laws and the requirements of the Illinois Sex Offender Registry which can be
found on the Illinois State Police's website at http://www.isp.state.il.us/sor.
The new law adds the following offenses against minors to the Illinois Criminal Code: forcible
detention; custodial sexual misconduct; sexual misconduct with a person with a disability ;
promoting prostitution; grooming, traveling to meet a minor; and permitting sexual abuse of a
child.
Musgrave receives e-mail at jmusgrave@dailyregist
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Lance Armstrong blames his cheating on some sex offender
I'm imagining Barry Bonds sitting at home thinking "Why didn't I think of this?"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2166832/Lance-Armstrong-launches-sex-offender-attack-anti-doping-official-agency-files-charges-him.html

Lance Armstrong launches 'sex offender' attack on anti-doping official as agency files charges against him
By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 00:15 EST, 30 June 2012 | UPDATED: 00:15 EST, 30 June 2012
Angry: Lance Armstrong has launched a blistering attack on anti-doping officials
Cycling legend Lance Armstrong has lashed out at anti-doping officials after they filed formal charges against him accusing him of using performance-enhancing drugs.
The seven-time champion of the Tour de France is charged with being at the centre of a wide-ranging 'doping conspiracy' encompassing a number of other high-profile cycling figures.
But he has responded angrily, with his lawyer arguing that there is 'is not one shred of credible evidence to support the charges'.
Mr Armstrong himself went even further, taking to Twitter to point out that a senior figure in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has been accused of indecent exposure.
Attorney Robert Luskin said about the investigation: 'It is the entirely predictable product of USADA's toxic obsession with Lance Armstrong and a process in which truth is not a priority.
'There is not one shred of credible evidence to support USADA's charges and an unbroken record of more than 500 clean tests over more than a decade and a half to refute it.'
The agency notified Mr Armstrong, former team manager Johan Bruyneel and several other Armstrong team associates of the charges against the cyclist in a letter on Thursday.
The charges came after a USADA review panel examined evidence in the case, which now goes to an arbitration panel to decide.
If found guilty, Mr Armstrong could be stripped of the Tour de France titles he won from 1999-2005. This year's Tour de France begins on Saturday.
Also charged are team doctors Pedro Celaya Lezama and Luis Garcia del Moral, team trainer Pepe Marti, and consulting doctor Michele Ferrari. Because they are so closely linked, USADA rolled all of the charges into a single case.
Armstrong and the others have 'been part of a doping conspiracy involving team officials, employees, doctors and elite cyclists,' said the USADA letter.
The letter accuses Armstrong of using, possessing and trafficking banned substances including the blood-booster EPO, blood transfusions and steroids. The charges date back to 1998, after he had recovered from cancer but before his first Tour de France victory the following summer.
Champion: Mr Armstrong, pictured in 2005, won a record-breaking seven Tour de France titles
USADA says it has at least 10 former Armstrong teammates and associates who will testify against the cyclist, and blood samples from 2009 and 2010 that are 'fully consistent' with blood doping.
The 40-year-old Mr Armstrong retired from cycling last year, and in February a two-year federal investigation centring on alleged drug use by Mr Armstrong and his teams closed with no charges being filed.
The formal charges came after a unanimous recommendation from a three-person USADA review panel that looked at the evidence.
'All respondents will have the opportunity to exercise their right to a full public arbitration hearing, should they so choose, where all evidence would be presented, witness testimony would be given under oath,' USADA said in a statement.
'USADA will continue to follow the established procedures that are compliant with federal law and were approved by athletes, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and all Olympic sports organizations.'
Mr Luskin hinted Mr Armstrong may file a federal lawsuit in an attempt to stop or delay the USADA investigation, saying he was 'exploring all his legal options'.
Claims: The USADA says it has proof the cyclist was involved with doping at the height of his career
Earlier in the day, the former champion went on the attack against one of the review board members, Minneapolis attorney Clark Griffith, using his Twitter account to note that Mr Griffith was charged in a misdemeanour case of indecent exposure earlier this year.
'Wow. @usantidoping can pick em. Here's... 1 of 3 Review Board members studying my case,' Armstrong tweeted, linking to a news story about Mr Griffith.
A 24-year-old student reported Mr Griffith unzipped his pants in front of her on a St Paul street.
Mr Griffith entered an Alford plea on June 13. Under the plea, Griffith did not admit doing anything wrong but acknowledged prosecutors have enough evidence for a jury to convict him.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 26. Mr Griffith insists he is innocent and entered the plea to avoid a trial that would embarrass his family.
Mr Griffith said Mr Armstrong's tweet was 'an effort to get away from the issues that will be dealt with by an arbitration panel. By smearing me, that does nothing. I'm innocent of that.'
USADA has not publicly released most of its evidence against Mr Armstrong.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2166832/Lance-Armstrong-launches-sex-offender-attack-anti-doping-official-agency-files-charges-him.html

Angry: Lance Armstrong has launched a blistering attack on anti-doping officials
Lance Armstrong launches 'sex offender' attack on anti-doping official as agency files charges against him
By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 00:15 EST, 30 June 2012 | UPDATED: 00:15 EST, 30 June 2012
Angry: Lance Armstrong has launched a blistering attack on anti-doping officials
Cycling legend Lance Armstrong has lashed out at anti-doping officials after they filed formal charges against him accusing him of using performance-enhancing drugs.
The seven-time champion of the Tour de France is charged with being at the centre of a wide-ranging 'doping conspiracy' encompassing a number of other high-profile cycling figures.
But he has responded angrily, with his lawyer arguing that there is 'is not one shred of credible evidence to support the charges'.
Mr Armstrong himself went even further, taking to Twitter to point out that a senior figure in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has been accused of indecent exposure.
Attorney Robert Luskin said about the investigation: 'It is the entirely predictable product of USADA's toxic obsession with Lance Armstrong and a process in which truth is not a priority.
'There is not one shred of credible evidence to support USADA's charges and an unbroken record of more than 500 clean tests over more than a decade and a half to refute it.'
The agency notified Mr Armstrong, former team manager Johan Bruyneel and several other Armstrong team associates of the charges against the cyclist in a letter on Thursday.
The charges came after a USADA review panel examined evidence in the case, which now goes to an arbitration panel to decide.
If found guilty, Mr Armstrong could be stripped of the Tour de France titles he won from 1999-2005. This year's Tour de France begins on Saturday.
Also charged are team doctors Pedro Celaya Lezama and Luis Garcia del Moral, team trainer Pepe Marti, and consulting doctor Michele Ferrari. Because they are so closely linked, USADA rolled all of the charges into a single case.
Armstrong and the others have 'been part of a doping conspiracy involving team officials, employees, doctors and elite cyclists,' said the USADA letter.
The letter accuses Armstrong of using, possessing and trafficking banned substances including the blood-booster EPO, blood transfusions and steroids. The charges date back to 1998, after he had recovered from cancer but before his first Tour de France victory the following summer.
Champion: Mr Armstrong, pictured in 2005, won a record-breaking seven Tour de France titles
USADA says it has at least 10 former Armstrong teammates and associates who will testify against the cyclist, and blood samples from 2009 and 2010 that are 'fully consistent' with blood doping.
The 40-year-old Mr Armstrong retired from cycling last year, and in February a two-year federal investigation centring on alleged drug use by Mr Armstrong and his teams closed with no charges being filed.
The formal charges came after a unanimous recommendation from a three-person USADA review panel that looked at the evidence.
'All respondents will have the opportunity to exercise their right to a full public arbitration hearing, should they so choose, where all evidence would be presented, witness testimony would be given under oath,' USADA said in a statement.
'USADA will continue to follow the established procedures that are compliant with federal law and were approved by athletes, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and all Olympic sports organizations.'
Mr Luskin hinted Mr Armstrong may file a federal lawsuit in an attempt to stop or delay the USADA investigation, saying he was 'exploring all his legal options'.
Claims: The USADA says it has proof the cyclist was involved with doping at the height of his career
Earlier in the day, the former champion went on the attack against one of the review board members, Minneapolis attorney Clark Griffith, using his Twitter account to note that Mr Griffith was charged in a misdemeanour case of indecent exposure earlier this year.
'Wow. @usantidoping can pick em. Here's... 1 of 3 Review Board members studying my case,' Armstrong tweeted, linking to a news story about Mr Griffith.
A 24-year-old student reported Mr Griffith unzipped his pants in front of her on a St Paul street.
Mr Griffith entered an Alford plea on June 13. Under the plea, Griffith did not admit doing anything wrong but acknowledged prosecutors have enough evidence for a jury to convict him.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 26. Mr Griffith insists he is innocent and entered the plea to avoid a trial that would embarrass his family.
Mr Griffith said Mr Armstrong's tweet was 'an effort to get away from the issues that will be dealt with by an arbitration panel. By smearing me, that does nothing. I'm innocent of that.'
USADA has not publicly released most of its evidence against Mr Armstrong.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Carlos Bustamante of the OC pimping more than his political Office
It has been a very quiet year for sex scandals. However, since 'The O.C." has been pimping sex offender laws like crazy, you just know there was some hypocrisy just waiting to be uncovered. Just think, this asshat voted for sex offender park bans in Santa Ana, CA just days before his arrest.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/county-361820-sexual-bustamante.html
Ex-county official arrested on sex charges
By VIK JOLLY and ANDREW GALVIN / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Bustamante, a one-time rising county Republican star who has denied wrongdoing, was put on paid administrative leave Sept. 12 after the county received an anonymous letter detailing allegations of a sexual nature against him.
The charges against Bustamante are "a real black eye for the county," said John Moorlach, chairman of the county's board of supervisors. "We will do our best to make sure that management identifies this type of behavior sooner and deals with it, because it's not fair to the female employees of the county. We have to make sure it never happens again."
Specifically, prosecutors have charged Bustamante, who was arrested at 4:30 p.m. Monday by D.A. investigators, with 12 felonies and four misdemeanors, including:
Six felony counts of false imprisonment, three of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense, and one count each of stalking, attempted sexual battery by restraint, and grand theft by false pretense, and one misdemeanor count each of battery, assault, sexual battery, and attempted sexual battery with a sentencing enhancement allegation for committing the offenses as a result of sexual compulsion and for the purpose of sexual gratification, according to a District Attorney's Office news release.
Prosecutors received an investigative report from the county counsel's office regarding allegations of sexual misconduct against Bustamante in March, after the county's internal audit department looked into how county executives handled the allegations and delivered a confidential report to the county's Board of Supervisors.
Bustamante, a Santa Ana councilman since 2004 and a county employee since 2000, told The Orange County Register in an emailed statement Sept. 15:
"I am not at liberty to discuss an ongoing investigation; however, I strongly deny the vicious and hurtful rumors surrounding my employment with the county of Orange. My family and I are confident that the investigation will disprove them, and I am looking forward to returning to work."
A second anonymous letter sent to the county and obtained by the Register gave the names of four current and former female O.C. Public Works employees with whom Bustamante allegedly had sexual encounters in his office over the past several years and provided more graphic detail of the allegations.
All four were subordinate to Bustamante, according to the letter.
Bustamante and one of the women "met more than a dozen times a month for more than a year either in his office or her palatial quarters he built for her," the letter said. The letter writer also promised "steamy, erotic pictures" of the sexual encounters would soon be posted on social media.
"If the truth be told, 100 percent of the planning staff is silently aware of this and more than 60 percent of the OCPW staff is aware and, yes, most OCPW executive management chose to cast a blind eye. Everyone is afraid of retribution in the current difficult job environment," the letter read.
Other women named in the letter were promoted in the department in exchange for sexual favors for Bustamante, the letter alleged.
Of the four women accused of having sexual encounters with Bustamante, one told the Register's OC Watchdog that the allegations were false and a second sent a five-page letter to county supervisors denying having any kind inappropriate relationship with another county official and explaining she couldn't have had sex in her office with Bustamante because one of her office walls was made entirely of glass and sat next to a well-traveled public sidewalk.
After his resignation, the councilman again issued a statement denying any inappropriate sexual encounters with his employees.
"The allegations in the anonymous letters were unsubstantiated because they are not true, however, I have decided to never put my family or me through this horrible experience again, therefore I have decided to resign my position with the county and pursue a career in the private sector," Bustamante wrote to the OC Watchdog. "I am very proud of my twelve years of distinguished county service and will miss working with my friends and colleagues at the county."
In his resignation letter, he said he was not entitled to a 90-day severance package because he is voluntarily resigning but said he had agreed to accept a 90-day severance package in exchange for not suing the county.
"It's tragic," said county Supervisor Bill Campbell on Monday. "It's sad to see somebody with what was a great career having faults that are now causing him to be in a criminal investigation."
The county paid Bustamante $178,277 in 2010, according to county pay data.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/county-361820-sexual-bustamante.html
Ex-county official arrested on sex charges
By VIK JOLLY and ANDREW GALVIN / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Bustamante, a one-time rising county Republican star who has denied wrongdoing, was put on paid administrative leave Sept. 12 after the county received an anonymous letter detailing allegations of a sexual nature against him.
The charges against Bustamante are "a real black eye for the county," said John Moorlach, chairman of the county's board of supervisors. "We will do our best to make sure that management identifies this type of behavior sooner and deals with it, because it's not fair to the female employees of the county. We have to make sure it never happens again."
Specifically, prosecutors have charged Bustamante, who was arrested at 4:30 p.m. Monday by D.A. investigators, with 12 felonies and four misdemeanors, including:
Six felony counts of false imprisonment, three of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense, and one count each of stalking, attempted sexual battery by restraint, and grand theft by false pretense, and one misdemeanor count each of battery, assault, sexual battery, and attempted sexual battery with a sentencing enhancement allegation for committing the offenses as a result of sexual compulsion and for the purpose of sexual gratification, according to a District Attorney's Office news release.
Prosecutors received an investigative report from the county counsel's office regarding allegations of sexual misconduct against Bustamante in March, after the county's internal audit department looked into how county executives handled the allegations and delivered a confidential report to the county's Board of Supervisors.
Bustamante, a Santa Ana councilman since 2004 and a county employee since 2000, told The Orange County Register in an emailed statement Sept. 15:
"I am not at liberty to discuss an ongoing investigation; however, I strongly deny the vicious and hurtful rumors surrounding my employment with the county of Orange. My family and I are confident that the investigation will disprove them, and I am looking forward to returning to work."
A second anonymous letter sent to the county and obtained by the Register gave the names of four current and former female O.C. Public Works employees with whom Bustamante allegedly had sexual encounters in his office over the past several years and provided more graphic detail of the allegations.
All four were subordinate to Bustamante, according to the letter.
Bustamante and one of the women "met more than a dozen times a month for more than a year either in his office or her palatial quarters he built for her," the letter said. The letter writer also promised "steamy, erotic pictures" of the sexual encounters would soon be posted on social media.
"If the truth be told, 100 percent of the planning staff is silently aware of this and more than 60 percent of the OCPW staff is aware and, yes, most OCPW executive management chose to cast a blind eye. Everyone is afraid of retribution in the current difficult job environment," the letter read.
Other women named in the letter were promoted in the department in exchange for sexual favors for Bustamante, the letter alleged.
Of the four women accused of having sexual encounters with Bustamante, one told the Register's OC Watchdog that the allegations were false and a second sent a five-page letter to county supervisors denying having any kind inappropriate relationship with another county official and explaining she couldn't have had sex in her office with Bustamante because one of her office walls was made entirely of glass and sat next to a well-traveled public sidewalk.
After his resignation, the councilman again issued a statement denying any inappropriate sexual encounters with his employees.
"The allegations in the anonymous letters were unsubstantiated because they are not true, however, I have decided to never put my family or me through this horrible experience again, therefore I have decided to resign my position with the county and pursue a career in the private sector," Bustamante wrote to the OC Watchdog. "I am very proud of my twelve years of distinguished county service and will miss working with my friends and colleagues at the county."
In his resignation letter, he said he was not entitled to a 90-day severance package because he is voluntarily resigning but said he had agreed to accept a 90-day severance package in exchange for not suing the county.
"It's tragic," said county Supervisor Bill Campbell on Monday. "It's sad to see somebody with what was a great career having faults that are now causing him to be in a criminal investigation."
The county paid Bustamante $178,277 in 2010, according to county pay data.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Opinion column puts the DOH! in the Dothan Eagle
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| In DOH-than's defense, they ARE this close to Flori-DUH. |
The fact this opinion piece was ever written is so egregious I need a new category just because of it. So now we will have the "Dumbest Media Outlet" category. Thanks, DOH-than Eagle! Geez, only in Alabama.
http://www2.dothaneagle.com/news/2012/jul/01/letter-modest-proposal-ar-4072284/
Letter: A modest proposal
By: Bill DeJournett, Dothan | Dothan Eagle
Published: July 01, 2012
Jerry Sandusky, the convicted child molester, will spend the rest of his life in prison at taxpayers’ expense. Why not just buy a 10-foot rope and toss it into his cell? If he is on a suicide watch, let his own hand execute justice.
Justification can be found in the Bible; see Mark 9:42. Jesus said "And whosoever offends one of these little ones, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and he were cast into the sea."
My interpretation of this Holy Scripture is that suicide is a better option for child molesters, not 40 years in prison.
Let not your heart be troubled about the possible repercussions from the bleeding heart liberals, who would scream "inhumane cruelty." God has specified exact judgment and he is not cruel.
Oh well, I know this is not going to even be considered because of our sin nature and the spiritual disobedience in our society.
Am I wrong?
Bill DeJournett
Dothan
And here is a comment in the message board:
You damn straight you are wrong, Bill. Shame on the Dothan Eagle for even posting this vile filth! And to top it off, the man MISQUOTES SCRIPTURE!
2 Peter 1:20-- Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.
So Bill's private revelation is invalid.
Next time, read the entire chapter.
If you read Matthew 18, which also has the same verse, you'd understand Christ was speaking of any dissent and scandal within the church which led ANY BELIEVER astray, which is EXACTLY what Bill is doing.
Another thing, Johnathan Swift's 'A Modest Proposal' was a satirical discussion of cannibalizing children for the sake of humankind. I can think of no better headline to describe the farce of Bill's entire stupid argument.
And
Nothing like using the Bible to justify hatred and violence. What about the verse in Galatians that says, "a man who says he loves God yet hates his brother is a liar?"
No amount of hate, intolerance, or vile suggestions will help Sandusky's victims (or victims of abuse anywhere) heal. Perpetuating the cycle of pain makes you no better than those you wish death upon.
Well stated.
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| Guess what else passes for news in DOH-than? |
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Judge Tanya Walton Pratt doesn't follow real federal decisions while upholding facebook blanket ban
How did this numbnut even get her job? Hopefully the Indy ACLU will continue the fight beyond this ignorant excuse of a judge.
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/indiana/judge-upholds-sex-offender-facebook-ban
Judge upholds sex offender Facebook ban
Updated: Sunday, 24 Jun 2012, 2:24 PM EDT
Published : Sunday, 24 Jun 2012, 2:24 PM EDT
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- A federal judge has upheld an Indiana law banning registered sex offenders from accessing Facebook and other social networking sites used by children.
Judge Tanya Walton Pratt said in an order Friday that the state has a strong interest in protecting children, and that the rest of the Internet remains open to those who have been convicted.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed the class-action suit on behalf of a man who served three years for child exploitation, along with other sex offenders who are restricted by the ban even though they are no longer on probation.
Federal judges have barred similar laws in Nebraska and Louisiana.
ACLU legal director Ken Falk says he's disappointed by Pratt's ruling and is considering an appeal.
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/indiana/judge-upholds-sex-offender-facebook-ban
Judge upholds sex offender Facebook ban
Updated: Sunday, 24 Jun 2012, 2:24 PM EDT
Published : Sunday, 24 Jun 2012, 2:24 PM EDT
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- A federal judge has upheld an Indiana law banning registered sex offenders from accessing Facebook and other social networking sites used by children.
Judge Tanya Walton Pratt said in an order Friday that the state has a strong interest in protecting children, and that the rest of the Internet remains open to those who have been convicted.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed the class-action suit on behalf of a man who served three years for child exploitation, along with other sex offenders who are restricted by the ban even though they are no longer on probation.
Federal judges have barred similar laws in Nebraska and Louisiana.
ACLU legal director Ken Falk says he's disappointed by Pratt's ruling and is considering an appeal.
Church Mutual says registered citizens are a "liability"
I'm not surprised but of all the places to ban registrants about money woes, it is a church. The company involved is Church Mutual.
http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=347294&type=propertycasualty
Insurer to Pastor: Disclose Sex Offenders To Congregation
By Sanne Specht, Mail Tribune, Medford, Ore.
McClatchy-Tribune Information ServicesJune 24--Officials of a local church are battling their insurance company over demands that sex offenders who come to worship be treated as if they had come to prey, rather than pray.
Chad McComas, pastor at Set Free Christian Fellowship in Medford, said his church disclosed to its insurance company that there were known sex offenders within its congregation. That honesty may spell the end of Set Free, a church he started in 1997.
On May 1, the insurance company, Church Mutual, sent a letter requiring McComas to disclose to his congregation the identity of any and all sex offenders, allow those offenders to attend only one predetermined service each week where they must report in and be assigned an escort who will accompany them at all times, and bar them from participating in any child or youth programs.
"Please respond by June 15, 2012. We will review your procedures. If you have not met all the requirements, we may no longer be able to continue your coverage," the letter states.
McComas is challenging the insurance company rules, which he said will have a chilling effect on disclosure, encourage abusers to go underground, and are the same for an 18-year-old boy who is convicted of sex abuse for having sex with his 17-year-old girlfriend.
"Where does that line go? They're throwing everyone in the same boat," McComas said.
Dave Schmidt, a 66-year-old convicted sex offender who attends Set Free, said he is a devout Christian who attends services to worship God, not to prey on youths.
"Certainly there are people who have not accepted the Lord who come to church (with evil intent)," Schmidt said. "That's not why I'm here."
Patrick Moreland, vice president of marketing for Church Mutual, declined to discuss the specifics of his company's interaction with Set Free. Church Mutual insures more than 100,000 religious organizations. It has covered close to 5,000 sex-related claims since 1984.
The rules, developed by outside legal counsel, are designed not only to protect the organization from the "legal hot water" of sexual misconduct and molestation claims but also to protect potential victims, Moreland said.
"Our No. 1 goal is to protect our churches and our children," Moreland said.
Schmidt abused drugs and alcohol and had a long history of sexually abusing children prior to becoming a Christian, he said, adding he pleaded guilty to first-degree sex abuse and sodomy in 1993 after he succumbed "to temptation" one last time.
Two days after Schmidt was arrested on those charges, he was released on his own recognizance and confessed his crimes to McComas, who was then an assistant pastor at another church.
Schmidt said he tendered his guilty plea in Jackson County Circuit Court to spare the child victim from having to testify. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 10 years of probation and treatment, he said.
"I didn't put the blame on anyone but me," Schmidt said. "I didn't want the minor to have to testify."
McComas is loathe to have his church, which has about 100 members, identified as "the sex-offender church." But this issue is a matter of principle and practicality, he said.
"We deal with a lot of members who have addiction backgrounds. That's part of who we serve. But that's not all of who we serve," McComas said. "We know who our members are. We are being careful and diligent. But how often are we going to have to tell the congregation that someone is a sex offender? The congregation changes all the time."
Sex-based claims and crimes occur in cities big and small, in rural areas and in any denomination, Moreland said. Set Free received the same letter that Church Mutual would send to any church, camp or school that disclosed it had a sex offender in attendance, he said.
"What if you have a known offender who offends again? What's a jury going to say?" Moreland said.
Ashland resident Randy Ellison, board president of Oregon Abuse Advocates and Survivors in Service, is an adult survivor of child sexual abuse. Ellison was 15 when a charismatic youth minister at a popular Portland church began sexually abusing him.
For more than 40 years, Ellison remained silent about the devastation wrought by the trusted leader in his community. Now he is a vocal advocate in the fight to end child sex abuse.
The church and the community at large have a responsibility to protect children, Ellison said. Disclosure to the congregation and restricting offenders from being alone with a child are realistic and necessary provisions, he said.
"If there is a sex offender in my church with my children, I want to know about it," Ellison said.
But the insurance company overreached by requiring Set Free to assign an offender a constant escort and limiting his attendance at worship, Ellison added.
"As a man of faith, I have to say, wouldn't you rather have this person in church?" Ellison said.
Offenders must take responsibility and be accountable for their acts. Church services, addiction recovery meetings and other cognitive and behavioral programs are vital to "rewiring brains," he said.
"We're better off as a society having him go to church with an agreement about what can and cannot happen," Ellison said. "We want them there safely. But we want them there as often as we can get them to go."
As heinous as their crimes are, sex offenders are a part of the community's collective family. In fact, 40 percent of perpetrators are within the victim's immediate family, he said.
"Perpetrators aren't devils in trench coats," Ellison said. "Look at any family photo. Perpetrators look like your father, uncle or grandpa. And that, in fact, is who they are."
If society isolates and excludes perpetrators once they are out of prison, it becomes impossible for them to be a part of a community in a positive way. And the odds of recidivism increase dramatically, Ellison said.
"Humans need to be in relationships," Ellison said. "But we're going to watch and make sure it's a safe and positive relationship."
Schmidt gave up the right to be alone with a child when he molested his first one, Ellison said.
"His past behavior has burned that bridge," Ellison said. "But that doesn't mean that we don't worship with him."
There is no safety in numbers when it comes to these kinds of dangers, McComas said. If offenders have ill intent, they are much more likely to go to a church with a large congregation.
"That's where they want to go, because they can hide and groom these kids," McComas said.
Ellison's minister is the Rev. Pam Shepherd of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Ashland. Shepherd agrees with Ellison that churches have a responsibility to keep children and youth safe. UCC is insured and performs background checks on all Bible school teachers, youth ministers and others who are in positions to deal with minors.
But Shepherd said she has never seen a letter like the one McComas received from Church Mutual. And no one in their membership has disclosed any sex crimes, she said.
"There are no known sex offenders coming to our church," Shepherd said. "But if all sex offenders glowed orange, people might be surprised to see who they are sitting next to."
Schmidt said he has been labeled as a "predatory" child sex abuser. He served additional time in prison during his 10-year probationary period for failing two of six polygraph tests and refusing to participate in therapies he deemed counter to his religious beliefs, he said.
"I was convicted of one offense with one minor," Schmidt said. "But I was open and I disclosed my history of molestation with minors."
Schmidt doesn't believe in "self help," he said. Prayer helps him stay focused on God and not on sin. In addition to attending worship services, Schmidt works in food pantries at Set Free and at his old church, he said.
"We're here to love one another. Not lust after one another, and I was guilty of that," Schmidt said.
Schmidt must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He is used to being watched. Just last week, Oregon State Police were at his door, where he lives with three other men who have been convicted of sex crimes, after a young developmentally challenged man went missing.
"They searched the house, didn't find anything and thanked me for cooperating," Schmidt said.
Schmidt said if he gets driven out of Set Free by Church Mutual's policies, he will simply go to another church, then another. One week at a time, if necessary, he said.
Schmidt was one of seven known sex offenders at a larger church in Medford. Schmidt said policies were put in place and an elder was assigned to watch him. The man sat a few rows behind Schmidt at services. One day he didn't realize Schmidt had gone to the restroom. When the man realized Schmidt was not in his seat, "he got up and he had a look of panic on his face," Schmidt said.
Schmidt was later asked to sign a contract promising not to molest anyone. He opted to leave that church and began attending Set Free, he said.
"You know who I am. If you want to watch me, watch me. But don't ask me to participate in it," Schmidt said. "There are murderers coming into churches. You don't ask them to sign a contract not to kill anyone."
http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=347294&type=propertycasualty
Insurer to Pastor: Disclose Sex Offenders To Congregation
By Sanne Specht, Mail Tribune, Medford, Ore.
McClatchy-Tribune Information ServicesJune 24--Officials of a local church are battling their insurance company over demands that sex offenders who come to worship be treated as if they had come to prey, rather than pray.
Chad McComas, pastor at Set Free Christian Fellowship in Medford, said his church disclosed to its insurance company that there were known sex offenders within its congregation. That honesty may spell the end of Set Free, a church he started in 1997.
On May 1, the insurance company, Church Mutual, sent a letter requiring McComas to disclose to his congregation the identity of any and all sex offenders, allow those offenders to attend only one predetermined service each week where they must report in and be assigned an escort who will accompany them at all times, and bar them from participating in any child or youth programs.
"Please respond by June 15, 2012. We will review your procedures. If you have not met all the requirements, we may no longer be able to continue your coverage," the letter states.
McComas is challenging the insurance company rules, which he said will have a chilling effect on disclosure, encourage abusers to go underground, and are the same for an 18-year-old boy who is convicted of sex abuse for having sex with his 17-year-old girlfriend.
"Where does that line go? They're throwing everyone in the same boat," McComas said.
Dave Schmidt, a 66-year-old convicted sex offender who attends Set Free, said he is a devout Christian who attends services to worship God, not to prey on youths.
"Certainly there are people who have not accepted the Lord who come to church (with evil intent)," Schmidt said. "That's not why I'm here."
Patrick Moreland, vice president of marketing for Church Mutual, declined to discuss the specifics of his company's interaction with Set Free. Church Mutual insures more than 100,000 religious organizations. It has covered close to 5,000 sex-related claims since 1984.
The rules, developed by outside legal counsel, are designed not only to protect the organization from the "legal hot water" of sexual misconduct and molestation claims but also to protect potential victims, Moreland said.
"Our No. 1 goal is to protect our churches and our children," Moreland said.
Schmidt abused drugs and alcohol and had a long history of sexually abusing children prior to becoming a Christian, he said, adding he pleaded guilty to first-degree sex abuse and sodomy in 1993 after he succumbed "to temptation" one last time.
Two days after Schmidt was arrested on those charges, he was released on his own recognizance and confessed his crimes to McComas, who was then an assistant pastor at another church.
Schmidt said he tendered his guilty plea in Jackson County Circuit Court to spare the child victim from having to testify. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 10 years of probation and treatment, he said.
"I didn't put the blame on anyone but me," Schmidt said. "I didn't want the minor to have to testify."
McComas is loathe to have his church, which has about 100 members, identified as "the sex-offender church." But this issue is a matter of principle and practicality, he said.
"We deal with a lot of members who have addiction backgrounds. That's part of who we serve. But that's not all of who we serve," McComas said. "We know who our members are. We are being careful and diligent. But how often are we going to have to tell the congregation that someone is a sex offender? The congregation changes all the time."
Sex-based claims and crimes occur in cities big and small, in rural areas and in any denomination, Moreland said. Set Free received the same letter that Church Mutual would send to any church, camp or school that disclosed it had a sex offender in attendance, he said.
"What if you have a known offender who offends again? What's a jury going to say?" Moreland said.
Ashland resident Randy Ellison, board president of Oregon Abuse Advocates and Survivors in Service, is an adult survivor of child sexual abuse. Ellison was 15 when a charismatic youth minister at a popular Portland church began sexually abusing him.
For more than 40 years, Ellison remained silent about the devastation wrought by the trusted leader in his community. Now he is a vocal advocate in the fight to end child sex abuse.
The church and the community at large have a responsibility to protect children, Ellison said. Disclosure to the congregation and restricting offenders from being alone with a child are realistic and necessary provisions, he said.
"If there is a sex offender in my church with my children, I want to know about it," Ellison said.
But the insurance company overreached by requiring Set Free to assign an offender a constant escort and limiting his attendance at worship, Ellison added.
"As a man of faith, I have to say, wouldn't you rather have this person in church?" Ellison said.
Offenders must take responsibility and be accountable for their acts. Church services, addiction recovery meetings and other cognitive and behavioral programs are vital to "rewiring brains," he said.
"We're better off as a society having him go to church with an agreement about what can and cannot happen," Ellison said. "We want them there safely. But we want them there as often as we can get them to go."
As heinous as their crimes are, sex offenders are a part of the community's collective family. In fact, 40 percent of perpetrators are within the victim's immediate family, he said.
"Perpetrators aren't devils in trench coats," Ellison said. "Look at any family photo. Perpetrators look like your father, uncle or grandpa. And that, in fact, is who they are."
If society isolates and excludes perpetrators once they are out of prison, it becomes impossible for them to be a part of a community in a positive way. And the odds of recidivism increase dramatically, Ellison said.
"Humans need to be in relationships," Ellison said. "But we're going to watch and make sure it's a safe and positive relationship."
Schmidt gave up the right to be alone with a child when he molested his first one, Ellison said.
"His past behavior has burned that bridge," Ellison said. "But that doesn't mean that we don't worship with him."
There is no safety in numbers when it comes to these kinds of dangers, McComas said. If offenders have ill intent, they are much more likely to go to a church with a large congregation.
"That's where they want to go, because they can hide and groom these kids," McComas said.
Ellison's minister is the Rev. Pam Shepherd of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Ashland. Shepherd agrees with Ellison that churches have a responsibility to keep children and youth safe. UCC is insured and performs background checks on all Bible school teachers, youth ministers and others who are in positions to deal with minors.
But Shepherd said she has never seen a letter like the one McComas received from Church Mutual. And no one in their membership has disclosed any sex crimes, she said.
"There are no known sex offenders coming to our church," Shepherd said. "But if all sex offenders glowed orange, people might be surprised to see who they are sitting next to."
Schmidt said he has been labeled as a "predatory" child sex abuser. He served additional time in prison during his 10-year probationary period for failing two of six polygraph tests and refusing to participate in therapies he deemed counter to his religious beliefs, he said.
"I was convicted of one offense with one minor," Schmidt said. "But I was open and I disclosed my history of molestation with minors."
Schmidt doesn't believe in "self help," he said. Prayer helps him stay focused on God and not on sin. In addition to attending worship services, Schmidt works in food pantries at Set Free and at his old church, he said.
"We're here to love one another. Not lust after one another, and I was guilty of that," Schmidt said.
Schmidt must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He is used to being watched. Just last week, Oregon State Police were at his door, where he lives with three other men who have been convicted of sex crimes, after a young developmentally challenged man went missing.
"They searched the house, didn't find anything and thanked me for cooperating," Schmidt said.
Schmidt said if he gets driven out of Set Free by Church Mutual's policies, he will simply go to another church, then another. One week at a time, if necessary, he said.
Schmidt was one of seven known sex offenders at a larger church in Medford. Schmidt said policies were put in place and an elder was assigned to watch him. The man sat a few rows behind Schmidt at services. One day he didn't realize Schmidt had gone to the restroom. When the man realized Schmidt was not in his seat, "he got up and he had a look of panic on his face," Schmidt said.
Schmidt was later asked to sign a contract promising not to molest anyone. He opted to leave that church and began attending Set Free, he said.
"You know who I am. If you want to watch me, watch me. But don't ask me to participate in it," Schmidt said. "There are murderers coming into churches. You don't ask them to sign a contract not to kill anyone."
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Louisiana: If at first you don't succeed
If at first you don't succeed, pass a new law. Jindal reinstates the RSO FB ban under a new guise. Pay CLOSE attention to what is said.
http://www.ksla.com/story/18818685/new-law-for-sex-offenders-on-facebook
New LA law requires sex offender status on Facebook
Posted: Jun 18, 2012 6:16 PM EDT
Updated: June 19, 2012 03:24 AM CDT
By Fred Childers - bio | email
SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) -
Registered sex offenders in Louisiana now have to share their sex offender status on social website like Facebook.
The author of the bill is Representative Jeff Thompson from Bossier City.
He says it's designed to create more accountability for the people who come into your home through your computer.
This law is the latest attempt by legislators to crack down on child sex predators online. But prosecutors say it's purpose is not to prevent those sex crimes, but to prosecute those who commit them and fail to register.
"This is one of those deals that requires a person to say their a sex offender on Facebook, so what can we do if they don't? Same thing we do if they don't have their sex offender id car, we arrest them and prosecute them for it," said Caddo Assistant DA, Hugo Holland.
Holland says Thompson consulted with the DA's Office while crafting the bill, and the DA's Office through offered support.
A law that prohibited sex offenders from using social websites completely was recently struck down by the courts and deemed unconstitutional. Thompson believes his legislation can easily stand up to constitutional scrutiny because it's only requiring those who already register to share that information on social websites.
http://www.ksla.com/story/18818685/new-law-for-sex-offenders-on-facebook
New LA law requires sex offender status on Facebook
Posted: Jun 18, 2012 6:16 PM EDT
Updated: June 19, 2012 03:24 AM CDT
By Fred Childers - bio | email
SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) -
Registered sex offenders in Louisiana now have to share their sex offender status on social website like Facebook.
The author of the bill is Representative Jeff Thompson from Bossier City.
He says it's designed to create more accountability for the people who come into your home through your computer.
This law is the latest attempt by legislators to crack down on child sex predators online. But prosecutors say it's purpose is not to prevent those sex crimes, but to prosecute those who commit them and fail to register.
"This is one of those deals that requires a person to say their a sex offender on Facebook, so what can we do if they don't? Same thing we do if they don't have their sex offender id car, we arrest them and prosecute them for it," said Caddo Assistant DA, Hugo Holland.
Holland says Thompson consulted with the DA's Office while crafting the bill, and the DA's Office through offered support.
A law that prohibited sex offenders from using social websites completely was recently struck down by the courts and deemed unconstitutional. Thompson believes his legislation can easily stand up to constitutional scrutiny because it's only requiring those who already register to share that information on social websites.
Monday, June 18, 2012
The Smoking Gun REALLY needs to fix their banner ads. Really.
So I've been having a fun time laughing at a neighbor caught "stuffing" a teddy bear downtown Cincinnati. That story begs for lots of jokes already. However, when you go to the Smoking Gun website, it sometimes includes a banner ad for the movie "Ted," that talking teddy bear. Sometimes you can't make this crap up.
Here's the link to the article:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/ohio-teddy-bear-lover-678234
Here's the link to the article:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/ohio-teddy-bear-lover-678234
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Girl lies about rape, RSO still held on $150,000 bond
So this girl lies, claiming this homeless registrant raped her. Then she took it back and now says he only told her he wanted to fuck her. So he's being held on a $150,000 bond on the basis of a statement from someone who admitted to lying. Washington should be renamed Hogwashington, a lot of people in this state are full of it.
http://tdn.com/news/local/lpd-transient-sex-offender-approached-young-girl-at-lake-sacajawea/article_94116850-b5e5-11e1-b149-001a4bcf887a.html
LPD: Transient sex offender approached young girl at Lake Sacajawea
By Tony Lystra / The Daily News | Posted: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 8:30 pm | No Comments Posted
Authorities on Tuesday arrested a registered sex offender suspected of trying to persuade a 14-year-old Kelso girl to have sex with him at Lake Sacajawea in May.
A Kelso girl told police in May that she was at Lake Sacajawea in Longview on May 1 when a man began speaking to her inappropriately, according to an affidavit.
The girl told authorities in two separate interviews that the man, later identified as a 42-year-old transient, told her that he "did not see anything wrong with younger girls having sex with older men," according to an affidavit filed Wednesday in Cowlitz Superior Court.
Among other inappropriate comments, the man also said he was dying of cancer and "wanted to have sex with a young girl like her."
The girl initially told a Longview police officer that the man raped her in a bathroom at the park, but later recanted, saying she lied to the officer, according to the affidavit.
The Daily News usually withholds the name of sex crime suspects until they are formally charged.
The suspect is being held in the Cowlitz County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail on suspicion of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Police said he was convicted of first-degree rape of a child and first-degree child molestation in 1997.
New Jersey wants to be the next Miami- Julia Tuttle colony
Here is the backstory-- A few years ago, New Jersey Supreme Court struck down a number of local residency law ordinances as unconstitutional. So now the idiots at Jersey Shore (the legislature, not the reality show) want to pull a Miami and pass 2500 foot residency restrictions. Maybe New Jersey has geographical penis envy? They should look at Iowa instead.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/159001495_Town_wants_tougher_residency_restrictions_for_sex_offenders_.html
West Milford’s town council backs proposed bill that would restore residency restrictions for convicted sex offenders
THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012
BY DAVID M. ZIMMER
STAFF WRITER
SUBURBAN TRENDS
PRINT | E-MAIL
Township officials are backing proposed state legislation that would restore a local law deemed illegal by the state Supreme Court in 2009.
The legislation, state Senate Bill 380 (S380), would make it illegal for convicted sex offenders with a high risk of re-offense to reside within 2,500 feet of an elementary or secondary school, playground, or child care center. Modeled after legislation recently enacted by the State of Florida, S380 was named for Jessica Lunsford, a 9-year-old Florida resident who was sexually assaulted and murdered by a convicted sex offender in 2005.
West Milford officials adopted municipal ordinance 2005-021 later that year. The local law restricted convicted sex offenders (who are four times more likely to be arrested for a new sex crime than released non-sex offenders, according to the federal Bureau of Justice) from residing within 2,500 feet of any school, park, playground, or day-care center in the 80.4-square-mile exurban community until it was repealed begrudgingly by township representatives in the fall of 2009.
Months earlier, in May 2009, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that state municipalities cannot restrict convicted sex offenders' residency rights by barring them from living near libraries, parks, playgrounds, day-care centers, and schools.
As noted by Mayor Bettina Bieri, the state is now just one of eight without residency restrictions for registered sex offenders. Bieri said she is in full support of state legislators crossing New Jersey off that list. Eight registered sex offenders have West Milford addresses, according to the New Jersey State Police database.
While some representatives wanted to keep ordinance 2005-021 on the books in 2009, the threat of potential lawsuits and the loss of liability insurance coverage ultimately led to the ordinance's elimination. Township officials initially refused to support proposed legislation that would create new residency proximity standards for convicted sex offenders, claiming the 500-foot restriction for sex offenders more than 21 years old was too permissive. The council had inquired about drafting its own proposed legislation to deal with its objections. However, Township Attorney Fred Semrau recommended allowing state representatives to take the lead given the legal intricacies and potential expense involved.
In addition to the 2,500-foot limit that has exemptions for those residing in correctional institutions, mental health facilities, or existing residences prior to the construction of a school, playground, or child care center, S380 would increase penalties for harboring or concealing a sex offender and committing sex crimes against minors. The latter would include the requirement to be electronically monitored by the state via global positioning system technology.
Email: zimmer@northjersey.com
http://www.northjersey.com/news/159001495_Town_wants_tougher_residency_restrictions_for_sex_offenders_.html
West Milford’s town council backs proposed bill that would restore residency restrictions for convicted sex offenders
THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012
BY DAVID M. ZIMMER
STAFF WRITER
SUBURBAN TRENDS
PRINT | E-MAIL
Township officials are backing proposed state legislation that would restore a local law deemed illegal by the state Supreme Court in 2009.
The legislation, state Senate Bill 380 (S380), would make it illegal for convicted sex offenders with a high risk of re-offense to reside within 2,500 feet of an elementary or secondary school, playground, or child care center. Modeled after legislation recently enacted by the State of Florida, S380 was named for Jessica Lunsford, a 9-year-old Florida resident who was sexually assaulted and murdered by a convicted sex offender in 2005.
West Milford officials adopted municipal ordinance 2005-021 later that year. The local law restricted convicted sex offenders (who are four times more likely to be arrested for a new sex crime than released non-sex offenders, according to the federal Bureau of Justice) from residing within 2,500 feet of any school, park, playground, or day-care center in the 80.4-square-mile exurban community until it was repealed begrudgingly by township representatives in the fall of 2009.
Months earlier, in May 2009, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that state municipalities cannot restrict convicted sex offenders' residency rights by barring them from living near libraries, parks, playgrounds, day-care centers, and schools.
As noted by Mayor Bettina Bieri, the state is now just one of eight without residency restrictions for registered sex offenders. Bieri said she is in full support of state legislators crossing New Jersey off that list. Eight registered sex offenders have West Milford addresses, according to the New Jersey State Police database.
While some representatives wanted to keep ordinance 2005-021 on the books in 2009, the threat of potential lawsuits and the loss of liability insurance coverage ultimately led to the ordinance's elimination. Township officials initially refused to support proposed legislation that would create new residency proximity standards for convicted sex offenders, claiming the 500-foot restriction for sex offenders more than 21 years old was too permissive. The council had inquired about drafting its own proposed legislation to deal with its objections. However, Township Attorney Fred Semrau recommended allowing state representatives to take the lead given the legal intricacies and potential expense involved.
In addition to the 2,500-foot limit that has exemptions for those residing in correctional institutions, mental health facilities, or existing residences prior to the construction of a school, playground, or child care center, S380 would increase penalties for harboring or concealing a sex offender and committing sex crimes against minors. The latter would include the requirement to be electronically monitored by the state via global positioning system technology.
Email: zimmer@northjersey.com
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| I shudder to think what the NJ Bookville will look like. |
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Colorado Republican Doug Lamborn sees pic of kid in dirty bathtub and immediately thinks sex, accuses opponent of showing CP
So this guy is Doug Lamborn, a Colorado Republican who supports the coal industry. So when he's forced to see a presentation from award-winning West Virginia anti-coal activist Maria Gunnoe on the dangers of coal mining on the environment and on the people who live near coal mines, Lamborn found one way to discredit his opponent-- he accused her of disseminating child pornography. An he's not very apologetic about it, either, unlike that time he called President Obama a racial slur. Well, in the interest of fairness, I make no apologies about who I nominate for Shiitake Awards either:
http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_20800163
Lamborn says no apology needed in child-porn interrogation of activist
POSTED: 06/07/2012 01:00:00 AM MDT
UPDATED: 06/07/2012 10:19:17 AM MDT
By Allison Sherry
The Denver Post
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn said Wednesday that he did not believe he or anyone should apologize to an activist who went through almost an hour of police questioning about child pornography after she brought a professional photo of a child taking a bath in polluted water to a congressional hearing.
"I'm not going to issue an apology, and I don't think the staff members involved are going to issue an apology," said Lamborn, a Colorado Springs Republican. "I think this woman should consider what type of materials she brings to hearings. Maybe that's something she wants to consider. That's for her to think about."
Maria Gunnoe, a West Virginia mountaintop-removal activist who has garnered awards for speaking out on behalf of southern Appalachia, wanted members of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources to see a photo last week of a 5-year-old taking a bath in dirty orange water.
Lamborn is chairman of that subcommittee, which is under the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources.
Gunnoe, who has testified at Lam born's request one other time last fall, said she submitted the photo via e-mail about two hours before the hearing started Friday morning. She believes the photo helps illustrate environmental damage caused by mountaintop-removal coal mining.
U.S. Capitol Police who questioned Gunnoe found no criminal wrongdoing.
Lamborn is in charge of the witnesses and all the proceedings of his committee and said he heard from staffers right before the hearing started that they believed the photo was inappropriate.
He said he decided to pull the photo, though he never saw it and still hasn't seen it. He says he has no desire to view the photograph, shot by a California-based photojournalist.
"I was going by what staff recommended to me," he said Wednesday. "They had a serious question about whether this is appropriate or not, and based on that, the police based in any state ... will be very cautious and they will want to do due diligence to make sure there isn't some problem."
But Lamborn said he was not involved in the Capitol Police's questioning Gunnoe on whether she was a child pornographer.
"That was an attempted assassination on my character," Gunnoe said Wednesday. "I work with families of children often, and many of these children love me. I will not let this define my work in any way."

An apology would certainly help settle that, Gunnoe said.
It isn't the first time a congressional witness has been censored at a hearing, but it is exceedingly rare, Capitol Hill staffers with decades of experience said Wednesday.
In the mid-1980s, Congress, in attempting to define what was "obscene" music, played songs laced with four-letter words and watched racy music videos during a hearing debating the virtues of requiring record labels to print lyrics for parents.
Last Friday's Energy and Mineral Resources hearing was about an Environmental Protection Agency decision to revoke a years-old permit to reopen the Spruce Mines in West Virginia.
Lamborn, with other House Republicans, said the decision cripples the creation of jobs. Gunnoe was testifying that coal jobs are up in West Virginia and that the kind of mining involved pollutes the water supply.
Gunnoe said she would welcome the opportunity to go back to members of Congress to talk again. Lamborn, too, said he would invite Gunnoe again to hear her voice on mountaintop-removal mining.
http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_20800163
Lamborn says no apology needed in child-porn interrogation of activist
POSTED: 06/07/2012 01:00:00 AM MDT
UPDATED: 06/07/2012 10:19:17 AM MDT
By Allison Sherry
The Denver Post
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn said Wednesday that he did not believe he or anyone should apologize to an activist who went through almost an hour of police questioning about child pornography after she brought a professional photo of a child taking a bath in polluted water to a congressional hearing.
"I'm not going to issue an apology, and I don't think the staff members involved are going to issue an apology," said Lamborn, a Colorado Springs Republican. "I think this woman should consider what type of materials she brings to hearings. Maybe that's something she wants to consider. That's for her to think about."
Maria Gunnoe, a West Virginia mountaintop-removal activist who has garnered awards for speaking out on behalf of southern Appalachia, wanted members of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources to see a photo last week of a 5-year-old taking a bath in dirty orange water.
Lamborn is chairman of that subcommittee, which is under the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources.
Gunnoe, who has testified at Lam born's request one other time last fall, said she submitted the photo via e-mail about two hours before the hearing started Friday morning. She believes the photo helps illustrate environmental damage caused by mountaintop-removal coal mining.
U.S. Capitol Police who questioned Gunnoe found no criminal wrongdoing.
Lamborn is in charge of the witnesses and all the proceedings of his committee and said he heard from staffers right before the hearing started that they believed the photo was inappropriate.
He said he decided to pull the photo, though he never saw it and still hasn't seen it. He says he has no desire to view the photograph, shot by a California-based photojournalist.
"I was going by what staff recommended to me," he said Wednesday. "They had a serious question about whether this is appropriate or not, and based on that, the police based in any state ... will be very cautious and they will want to do due diligence to make sure there isn't some problem."
But Lamborn said he was not involved in the Capitol Police's questioning Gunnoe on whether she was a child pornographer.
"That was an attempted assassination on my character," Gunnoe said Wednesday. "I work with families of children often, and many of these children love me. I will not let this define my work in any way."

An apology would certainly help settle that, Gunnoe said.
It isn't the first time a congressional witness has been censored at a hearing, but it is exceedingly rare, Capitol Hill staffers with decades of experience said Wednesday.
In the mid-1980s, Congress, in attempting to define what was "obscene" music, played songs laced with four-letter words and watched racy music videos during a hearing debating the virtues of requiring record labels to print lyrics for parents.
Last Friday's Energy and Mineral Resources hearing was about an Environmental Protection Agency decision to revoke a years-old permit to reopen the Spruce Mines in West Virginia.
Lamborn, with other House Republicans, said the decision cripples the creation of jobs. Gunnoe was testifying that coal jobs are up in West Virginia and that the kind of mining involved pollutes the water supply.
Gunnoe said she would welcome the opportunity to go back to members of Congress to talk again. Lamborn, too, said he would invite Gunnoe again to hear her voice on mountaintop-removal mining.
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