If civil commitment is not prison, then why were the voting ballots of Littlefield TX "patients" thrown away?

Interestingly, same article, same author, different headline. Lets face it, most of us understand "civil commitment" is just a euphemism for indefinite detention Abu Ghraib style.

Houston Chronicle | Dec. 6, 2016
Officials leave sex offenders' election ballots uncounted
Sex offenders at treatment center sue for alleged rights violations

Now, the San Antonio Express News's headline:

Prisoners’ ballots tossed out
By Mike Ward, Austin Bureau December 8, 2016

http://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Prisoners-ballots-tossed-out-10784382.php

Prisoners’ ballots tossed out
By Mike Ward, Austin Bureau, December 8, 2016


AUSTIN - Like millions of Americans who wanted to have their say, more than 100 men inside a West Texas treatment center for sexually violent predators registered to vote in last month's presidential election.

Local election officials, however, refused to count their ballots, a decision that attorneys say likely violates federal and state laws.

The tossed-out votes now are the subject of a growing legal fight in the small town that once begged to get the treatment center for the jobs and the multimillion-dollar payroll that it brought, but now appears to be having second thoughts about the more than 200 convicted sex offenders that came with it.

"They didn't want us going out into their community, so they made us vote by mail, and now they're denying us the right to vote at all," said Clarence Brown, 54, one of the men in the Billy Clayton Center whose ballots were rejected. "This place isn't supposed to be a prison, but this run-down, bigoted little town is trying to make it one so we can't exercise our constitutional right to vote. Even if they don't like us, what they have done is not legal."

Brown said he and 65 other men at the center have filed a challenge to the decision to reject their ballots by Early Voting Ballot Board Judge Steve Busby. They said they plan to ask the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the case as a violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which makes it a federal crime to prevent a qualified voter from casting a ballot.

Officials with the Texas Civil Commitment Office that operates the sex offender program and top elections officials at the Texas Secretary of State Office acknowledged the problem but said there is little they can do.

Lamb County elections officials contend it was not their decision and referred questions to Busby. He did not return repeated phone calls.

Documents obtained by the Chronicle show the state laws that Busby cited in rejecting the ballots were the same ones state officials used to allow the men to vote by mail: They were disabled, they were confined and could not get to a polling place to vote and that they had fully discharged their prison sentences.

"It sounds like a pretty clear violation," said Buck Wood, an Austin lawyer and expert on Texas elections law. "If they completed their sentences, they should have been allowed to vote."

'There was grumbling'

Under Texas law, felons who have completed their prison sentences are entitled to vote.

State files show the fight began earlier this year when Brown and as many as a dozen other men at the Clayton Center registered to vote in the March primaries. County officials advised them to vote by mail, records show, but none were counted.

"There was grumbling, and I asked the county how they could vote, to resolve this in the future," said Marsha McLane, executive director of the Texas Civil Commitment Office. "There were three options: They could either go a polling place on Election Day or they could bring a polling place to the center to let them vote there or they could do it by absentee ballot."

Officials confirmed that before all the men in the state's civil-commitment program were moved to Littlefield in September 2015, many had voted in Houston, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and other locations where they were housed in jails and halfway houses.

Because many of the men at the Littlefield facility did not have proper identification cards to cast ballots in person, the civil commitment agency transported the prospective voters - about 50 of them - to a Texas Department of Public Safety office in Lubbock to get state-approved ID cards. Each man paid the $21 cost for the cards, McLane said.

Internal state emails show Lamb County officials in May nixed in-person voting as an option and again urged absentee ballots to avoid problems with local residents, including the possibility of violence.

"I will assure you that if the ballot by mail does not work, I will not intentionally violate anyone's constitutional right to vote," County Judge Mike DeLoach wrote in a May 24 email to McLane. "I am gravely concerned if you bring your residents into town to vote, it is going to cause problems - in fact, it is not a 'maybe' or a possibility' - it is going to My concern is not only for the public and their safety, but also for your facility/staff and your residents' safety; neither the county nor the city maintain resources to provide security at polling places."

DeLoach also noted that while 30 men wanted to vote at the time, up to 300 eventually may want to vote in the future, a number that could impact local election races.

As of Monday, the center housed about 240 men.

DeLoach did not return calls requesting comment.

'Disabled' option OK'd
By late May, DeLoach said he had asked County Attorney Scott Say to request a legal ruling from Attorney General Ken Paxton on whether the men could vote absentee by claiming the "disabled" exemption. The Secretary of State's Office soon signed off on the mail ballots for the men.

"It can reasonably be argued that a person who has been clinically assessed ... to the point where the individual civilly committed and is unable to leave the commitment facility without being accompanied is disabled for purposes of voting by mail," Caroline Geppert, a staff attorney in the Elections Division, wrote in a May 31 email to the civil commitment agency. "Such an individual may credibly claim to have a sickness or condition that prevents the person from voting in person without the need for personal assistance."

Alicia Pierce, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Carlos Cascos, confirmed that election officials had approved mail ballots for the men. In a message to the agency, DeLoach said that was good enough to resolve the issue for county officials.

Then, Nov. 17, Brown and 65 other men received notice that the ballot each had mailed was rejected by the Early Voting Ballot Board and was not counted.

Three state laws were listed: Those covering disability, confinement in jail and the qualifications to be a voter.

Defining coercion
Privately, several local and state officials said they disagree with the decision, noting that Early Ballot Voting Boards in most counties only compare signatures on mail ballots to validate their authenticity, as well as other record-keeping details, and do not disqualify ballots for other reasons.

The state handbook for those boards confirms that.

Ten days after the election and a day after Busby officially rejected the ballots, Say, who serves as both the district and county attorney in the community of 6,300 residents, asked the attorney general to determine whether the men who voted can claim a "disability," a ruling that could block future voting if that option is nixed.

If that happens, McLane said she plans to transport eligible voters from the center to a local polling place despite the objection of local officials. "The law appears to be clear. I don't want to get sued," she said.

While advocates insist Texas law makes it a misdemeanor for anyone who "influences or attempts to influence a voter not to vote or to vote in a particular manner," state election officials said they do not believe that law covers the Littlefield situation.

"It seems to be applicable to bribery or coercing someone to vote or not to vote, not specifically relayed to counting the vote," Pierce said.

Wood disagreed.

"Taking a person's ballot and throwing it out is coercion," he said.

Bill Marshall, a Houston attorney who represents Brown and other men at the treatment center, said the case appears to be a clear denial of voting rights, especially since some of the men's ballots were counted and others were not.

"The feds should go after this," he said.

Alt-Right Trump- and gun-loving conspiracy nut puts the MAD in Maddison

Well, for all you you who isn't familiar with the ridiculous Alt-Right conspiracy theory known as "#PizzaGate" (stupid hashtags), here is a brief summary by Vox:

"The totally false conspiracy theory claims that Hillary Clinton and her former campaign manager, John Podesta, ran a child sex ring at a pizzeria in DC, Comet Ping Pong. Over the past few weeks, Donald Trump supporters and white supremacists on social media have pushed the conspiracy theory — leading to headlines like “Pizzagate: How 4Chan Uncovered the Sick World of Washington’s Occult Elite” on fake news websites."

"Like many ridiculous things on the internet, Pizzagate appears to have begun on the troll haven and message board 4chan. After Podesta’s emails were hacked (likely by Russian agents) and WikiLeaks published them, 4chan users in October found emails between Podesta and Alefantis about a Clinton fundraiser that happened early in the campaign.

From there, people began speculating without any evidence that the restaurant was part of a broader child trafficking ring run by the Democratic Party — a popular but entirely false conspiracy theory on the fringes of conservative media. And the conspiracy theories jumped over to Reddit, where the popular Trump subreddit r/The_Donald championed it; Twitter, where pro-Trump tweeters have continued to promote it; and Facebook, where fake news outlets have written and shared articles about it."

As the story goes, this nut named Edgar Maddison Welch walks into the pizza joint with a loaded assault rifle and a determination of rescuing these non-existent child sex slaves and fires a warning shot. After searching the pizza parlor for nearly an hour, he found absolutely no evidence at all of this non-existent pedo ring. No underground tunnels (What is this? The McMartin Trial?), no kids chained up in meat lockers, no ANYTHING.

PizzaGate has been proven to be fake, apparently confirmed by Welch himself by his actions. Yet, the Alt-Right conspiracy nutballs are already claiming this asshat is a "crisis actor," but honestly, how much roof does on need to prove something is false?

Here are more details about Welch, according to Heavy.com:

1. His father Harry was elected President of the North Carolina Crime Stoppers Association (two terms). Served as Executive Director for Protect-A-Child, a national, non-profit organization to prevent abuse and abduction of children. Appointed by Governor Jim Martin to the Governor’s Commission on Child Victimization.” (In other words, a victim industry blowhard)
2. Edgar has been a registered Republican since 2006;
3. On his Facebook page, Welch “likes” conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and his website, Infowars, and has posted anti-Muslim videos in the past.In 2014, Welch shared a Youtube video on his Facebook page titled “Bible prophecy and the Coming Muslim anti-Christ,” writing, “great, please watch,” along with two quotes from the Bible. In 2015, he shared a video called “A Message to President Obama from a former Muslim,” in which a man explains that ISIS is representative of the entire Muslim religion, and says stopping Islam will stop terrorism. He also shared several videos and posts about how the “end of times” is coming soon.
4. Welch has a criminal record, including a conviction for driving under the influence in 2013, which led to a sentence of 60 days in jail, according to court records. He was previously convicted in 2007 of driving after consuming alcohol while under 21. He is also under investigation for an incident involving Welch hitting a pedestrian in October. 
5. One of his guns confiscated after his arrest was unlicensed. 

If it is on the Internet it MUST be true, right? It seems to be a common thread among vigilante scumbags, be it Jessica Lessley or Laura Ahearn. Look, if you think 4chan is a website for truthful information, then you are likely clinically braindead. I expect things to get worse as the Alt-Right gains power under Trump. I know I'm already going to piss off Trumpophiles so I'll just leave this from soon-to-be National Insecurity Advisor Gen. Flynn and his spawn. Like father, like son...

Zany Zink: Donna Zink of 109 N. Rowell Ave. Mesa WA 99343 publishes previously private list of 23,000 registrants, putting their lives in danger

In honor of the WA Sup Ct's decision in favor of Donna Zink, I've decided to share her personal info. Cheers:

Donna Zink
PO Box 263
Mesa, WA 99343
509-265-4417
dzink@centurytel.net
https://www.facebook.com/JandDZink
https://plus.google.com/107910801786883046416 (where she is posting her list)

Last Known Home Address (as of 02/16):

109 N. Rowell Ave.
Mesa, WA 99343

Donna Zink a former mayor and councilwoman of Mesa, a small "blink and you miss it" town is SE Washington state. That was a long time ago, so these days, she makes her living by abusing public records requests. She won a quarter-million-dollar lawsuit against the city for a public records request flub, so now, she is looking to make a quick buck elsewhere.

So now, she's found a way to make news again. Since Washington's Level 1 registrants are not available online, Donna Zink is looking to change that. Despite her claims to the contrary, she is abusing registry info. In short, she used this angle for money and attention.

The Tri-City Herald is noted for being somewhat of an ally to Donna Zink, posting her zany antics numerous times over the years.

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article117320733.html

Former Mesa mayor posts 21,000 sex offender names after long legal battle
Nov 16, 2016

BY WENDY CULVERWELL
wculverwell@tricityherald.com

This fall, Donna Zink posted a spreadsheet with the names of 21,000 registered sex offenders in Washington, two-thirds of whom had not been previously identified on public registries.

Zink spent three years battling in court to release the information under Washington’s Public Records Act, during which she was frequently vilified as a would-be vigilante.

To date, the Mesa-based public records advocate has received just one phone call, and law enforcement sources say they don’t know of any incidents stemming from convicted offenders whose information was previously treated as confidential.

Sex offender lists are readily available online. The one Zink posted includes Level 1 offenders, those considered the least likely to re-offend.

Although Level 1 offenders account for well over half of all sex offenses, their names were routinely excluded from public disclosure.

Washington’s 1972 voter-approved records act mandates broad disclosure of public records with few exemptions.

The list includes 586 offenders of all levels in Benton County and 273 in Franklin County.

Zink received the database after the Washington Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in April that she had a right to the Level 1 offender information held by the Washington State Patrol, which maintains the database.

This fall, she followed through on her pledge to post the information to the Google Plus page where she documents her legal battles.

(DONNA ZINK IS ONE OF THE SIX STATE) HEROES OF OPEN GOVERNMENT.
Ramsey Ramerman, Washington Association of Public Records Officers (and a dumbass)

In addition to fighting for the release of Level 1 sex offender data, Zink is involved in several public records cases. In many of them, the nurse with psychiatric training represents herself without an attorney.

Most notable is her decade-plus battle with the city of Mesa over violations of the public records act and its companion, the Open Public Meetings Act.

Mesa was ordered to pay Zink and her husband, Jeff, a $175,000 fine for public records violations dating back to 2003. She was the town’s mayor for four years, starting in 1990.

Zink’s campaign for public records drew praise from an unusual source: Ramsey Ramerman.

Ramerman, an attorney for the city of Everett, runs the nonprofit Washington Association of Public Records Officers and periodically represents jurisdictions facing records suits, including the city of Mesa.

Despite opposing Zink in court and being regularly criticized on her blog, Ramerman named Zink one of the six “heroes of open government” in Washington.

“I’m a big fan of Donna,” he said, noting she helped expose problems with some agencies that weren’t taking the release of public documents seriously.

Fears unfounded

Zink said fears posting sex offender data online would jeopardize sex offenders appear unfounded.

Her website has attracted many visitors, but Zink has received just a single call, from a woman who unexpectedly discovered her grandchildren’s other grandfather on the list.

Zink’s caller wasn’t sure how to proceed or how to share the news with her own child before the grandfather joined the family for a holiday meal.

Zink said she advised civility.

I WANT PEOPLE TO START PAYING ATTENTION TO THEIR COURT SYSTEM. THIS IS A LOT BIGGER THAN SEX OFFENDERS. THE PUBLIC RECORDS ASPECT IS WHAT GETS ME.
Donna Zink, Mesa public records advocate

“They’re going to have to work it out,” she said. “I don’t want everyone turning against each other.”

The list is current to 2013, the date of Zink’s initial request. She has requested updated information to cover the past three years.

A spokesman for the state patrol said there have been no other requests for the entire database, and he knew of no reports of incidents resulting from making Level 1 offenders’ names public.

Franklin County Sheriff Jim Raymond said there have been no incidents reported. The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs confirmed that it too has received no feedback since Zink posted the information.

Why she fought

Zink first pressed for Level 1 offender information in 2013, when she could not find in a public sex offender database the name of someone she knew was convicted of a sex crime.

“I’ve had quite a few sexual offenses in my family, many involving children,” she explained. That’s when she learned Level 1 offenses were being excluded from public release, in her opinion, illegally.

She asked for — and received — Level 1 information from Franklin County, where she lives.

She made a similar request to Benton County in July 2013. Benton County processed a similar request a year earlier from school officials in Prosser.

The county agreed the information was public, but notified more than 400 offenders of the request first. Three “John Does” sued and received an injunction to stop the release.

Zink ultimately requested the state patrol’s statewide “Sex and Kidnapping Offender Database,”and related records.

According to court records, both the patrol and the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs intended to grant her request.

Again, offenders were notified in advance. And again, “John Does” who were classified as Level 1 offenders sued, saying the records were exempt and they feared harassment by Zink and others.

A lower court agreed with the John Does, but Zink and the state patrol appealed.

In its decision in John Does v. Washington State Patrol and Donna Zink, the court recalled it had previously interpreted the records act to imply a general personal privacy exemption.

The ruling was promptly overruled by the state Legislature, which amended state code to strengthen the act. It explicitly linked releasing sex offender data to public safety.

The court ruled in favor of disclosing the database, but denied Zink’s request for attorney fees and penalties.

“Nothing in (state law) indicates a legislative intent to protect Level I sex offenders or their victims,” the court said in an opinion.

Zink, who is married with four grown children, said she will be watching if the 2017 Legislature attempts to restrict public records.

“I want people to start paying attention to their court system. This is a lot bigger than sex offenders. The public records aspect is what gets me,” she said.

Jessica Lessley of Birmingham is violating Alabama harassment law, but is getting a free pass by the police

The Alabama sex offender website states the following:

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THIS SITE IS INTENDED FOR COMMUNITY SAFETY PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE USED TO THREATEN, INTIMIDATE, OR HARASS.  MISUSE OF THIS INFORMATION MAY RESULT IN CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

Yet, the police is not going after Jesica Lassley of 400 10th St. Birmingham AL 35217-1433. She That is an injustice. This is why the registry needs to be taken offline.

Now, before  lets look at Jessica Lessley's Facebook page. Upon seeing the posts on her Facebook page, I find it hard to believe that she didn't start this war. 

http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2016/11/sex_offender_billboard_raised.html

Sex offender billboard raised in 'Hatfield and McCoy' neighborhood feud

By Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.com 

Email the author | Follow on Twitter 

on November 10, 2016 at 2:53 PM, updated November 10, 2016 at 3:01 PM

A feud worthy of the Hatfields and McCoys is brewing in one Jefferson County neighborhood, where a giant billboard now stands as the latest volley in a battle between a mother of six and a convicted sex offender who lives across the street.

On one side of 10th Street in Robinwood is Jessica Lessley, her husband Jeb and their half dozen children who range in age from 14 years old to just 2 weeks. Across the way, and one house over, is 27-year-old Raymond Kyle Martin. who lives with his mother, Tammy McCullers.

On Wednesday, Lessley and her husband erected the banner in their yard, on the side of the house that faces Martin's. It bears his photo, his address and notes his 2013 convictions for the second-degree rape and second-degree sodomy of a 15-year-old girl.

The Lessleys have lived in their home for 11 years, and said they had no problems until Martin moved in across the street about a year ago. Since then, they've said, Martin has terrorized the neighborhood children and their parents, threatening to call the cops, call DHR and even skin their cat. "It's just a nightmare,'' Lessley said.

Martin's mother, however, said they're not the problem. Their neighbors are the ones stirring the pot, all in an effort to get them to leave Robinwood. "They want us to move so bad,'' McCullers said. "I will see them mother (expletives) in hell before I move."

The Jefferson County sheriff's office was called to 10th Street Thursday morning. McCullers said someone flattened the tire on her car, and she complained about the billboard. "It's shouldn't be there,'' she said. "Robinwood has 50 sex offenders and my son is the only one they put up a sign for."

Martin was arrested in 2012, then 24, and accused of having sex with a 15-year-old girl. His mother said the sex was consensual and that the girl told her son she was 18. "He was set up,'' McCullers said.

In 2013, he pleaded guilty to the charges and received a 10-year suspended sentence in each case. It's not his only brushes with the law. Court records show he has other convictions for criminal trespass, harassing communications, probation violation, violation of the state's sex offender notification laws, domestic violence and multiple counts of cruelty to animals. In one of those cases, authorities noted, he left one of his dogs without food and water, and the dog ended up hanging herself and dying while she was trying to get to her puppies.

A warrant for his arrest was issued Oct. 6 after Lessley filed a harassment charge against him. In that complaint, she said her neighbor yells nasty things to her when she walks her kids to the bus stop, threatens to burn down her house and kill her pets. She said she's found hotdogs in her yard that she fears have been poisoned and meant to harm her three dogs.

"I'm not the only family with kids he's messing with,'' she said. "It's an ongoing battle. We've talked to the landlord. We've offered to buy that house. I've put up a camera system and I can't let my kids play in the yard unless we're outside with them. I do a perimeter check when they do go out, and they know not to go close to the gate."

"We're trying to do everything we can the legal way,'' she said. "We don't know what else to do."

McCullers said deputies told her the billboard with her son's photo on it is legal because it's public information. She said she is furious about it. There are nine convicted sex offenders living in the neighborhood, and she said her son is the only one being singled out. "It's wrong for it to be broadcast like that,'' she said. "I want to get all of the sex offenders together and march to City Hall."

She said she's ready to take matters into her own hands. "I'll spray paint that son of a (expletive) sign even if it means I'll go to jail,'' she said. "We're having problems. Somebody's going to get hurt."

Both Tarrant police and sheriff's deputies are familiar with the problem. "We have responded to 23 calls related to Martin this year from different complainants, including one where he threatened his own family member,'' said Jefferson County sheriff's Chief Deputy Randy Christian. "It seems that other convicted sex offenders in the area have no issues so it's hard to buy that he is being singled out for that."

"It sounds more like he is purposely acting out, being a menace and provoking his neighbors,'' Christian said. "Hopefully when he gets to court on this latest arrest the judge will note that."

Richard Hartian wants you to boycott Target because there are registered citizens living within 10 miles of Target, which has something to do with transgendered people urinating there

Whatever your stance on whether transgendered folks should be allowed to use whatever bathroom they feel comfortable using, only an idiot would actually agree with the faulty logic of Richard Hartian. He is saying that because Target allows transgender folks to use bathrooms that correspond to their perceived gender, "sexual predators" now congregate around Target stores, because he found a few dozen living within 10 MILES of his local Target store in Wheaton. If he expanded his search a few more miles to Evanston, he might have found THIS GUY, who shouldn't even be on the registry at all. But hey, why let facts get in the ray of promoting your ultra-conservative sky-is-falling views? 

(Personally, my sexual identity is Attack Helicopter, but I like to pee standing up so I just use the men's room.)

https://illinoisfamily.org/homosexuality/boycotting-target-shouldnt-stop-can/

"Here is the very real and for anyone with women in your lives that you care about, frightening, reality of the implications of what Target did. I chose a Target near me; 601 S. County Farm Rd. Wheaton, IL 60187. I then searched both the state and federal online registered sex offenders data base (I am including links below for you to do a similar search near your Target).

I found a staggering 97 registered sex offenders within a 10-mile radius of this Target. Keep in mind, this is only registered sex offenders, meaning people who have been caught. Likely, there are hundreds more within that 10-mile radius.

These 97 individuals have now been given a invocation from Target Corporation to enter the women’s bathrooms or fitting rooms and dis-robe, expose themselves, watch, comment, and fulfill their deviant sexual predator desires, including video recording. This will lead to my and your daughters, wives, and female family and friends being sexually exploited, harassed, and even, potentially, raped.

Take a look at the map below and know that each circle represents a registered sexual predator that now has been given free access by Target to your wives and children’s fitting rooms and bathrooms."

Anonymous Jewish Muslim BLM Anarchist open-carry gun-nut Micah David Naziri protests to make a militant feminist statement. Did you get all that?

Here is Micah David Naziri. Today, he's a militant feminist. Kek. 

“I can tell the different types of people at a protest. There are pure bigots full of hate, and there’s nothing you can do to change them, but there are also other people who get manipulated by hate groups and preachers and teachers of hate." These are the hypocritical words for today's featured nominee.

I've never seen a guy with a worse identity crisis than Micah David Naziri, aka "Mikhah ben David." In one protest he claims to be a Jewish American. On another he's claiming to be a Muslim. I suppose his identity is just whatever is convenient at the time. MadWorldNews reported, "One of his favorite books is The Secret Relationship between Blacks and Jews, which is a Nation of Islam favorite, and Louis Farrakhan talks all about it as he spews anti-Semitism." He's also a Black Lives Matter Movement supporter and an Open Carry gun nut, when he's not acting as a martial arts instructor. Okay then. Naziri is married to Shante Naziri, who professes to be the CEO of CounterCurrent News, a site so ridiculous that even Snopes has a hard time convincing folks it is a "real" news site.

So for his next identity crisis, during the protest in front of Brock Turner's house, an event he reportedly staged, according to media reports, he told the following to reporters:

“The number one reason why we had this armed protest was to make a militant feminist statement in favor of self-defense of would-be rape victims,” said Micah Naziri, a 39-year-old who organized the rally. “It was very much a political statement,” added Naziri, who carried a .300 Blackout rifle. “It wasn’t a death threat to Brock Turner.”

Then he proceeds to hold a sign with a rape joke. I'm sure the Feminuts will appreciate that one.

A dishonorable mention goes to Naziri's sidekick, Jaimes William Reed Campbell. This clown is pretty stupid in his own right. This is from Campbell's FB page:

"...just recently the cause of Blacks was linked with the cause of gays. The ship brought no gays. They brought all men with their manhood, and women with their womanhood, and men who knew what to do with their manhood with no confusion. When Nature or God, or whoever you want to call it, designed man and woman, he purposefully designed them to go together. He did not design man to romance man. By design here's not only a perfect fit with the lady, it is a glorious fit." — Dr. John Henrik Clarke, Ph.D.

Still, I chose Naziri over Campbell for the nomination because it seems that Naziri is the leader of this outfit. You know, like how Butthead was the leader and Beavis was the follower. These nuts should be in jail themselves, as far as I'm concerned.

NY state senator Terrance Murphy confuses "common sense" with nonsense

The NY Senate has gone to the dogs.

How many times do we have to hear the same tired rhetoric from lazy pols?

Residency restrictions have been proven ineffective time and time again.

Every time pols use idiotic terms like "no-brainer" and "common sense," I can't help but facepalm. It is a "no-brainer" alright, because those pushing this agenda lacks brains,

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/yorktown/articles/murphy-stronger-sex-offender-legislation-is-com

Murphy: Stronger Sex Offender Legislation Is ‘Common Sense’

Despite passing in the Republican-controlled Senate, Murphy said the bills have repeatedly died in the Democrat-controlled Assembly.

“The New York State Assembly is playing politics with our kids. Kids that have been victims,” Murphy said. “These are common sense measures that would be absolutely pertinent to make sure that we can protect all of our kids.”

Somers Town Supervisor Rick Morrissey agreed, saying the state legislature should be doing everything it can to protect its “most precious resources.”

“This is very important legislation and we here in Somers welcome it,” Morrissey said.

Murphy, who represents the 40th Senate District, introduced the legislation in February 2015 after a level three sex offender in Putnam County was permitted to move back next door to one of his victims, following his release from prison in 2011. The sex offender was released from prison after serving approximately 16 months in jail. Following his release, the offender, whose victims were eight and nine years old at the time the abuse took place, was permitted to reside next door to one of his victims. Murphy said the bill continues to fail because too much consideration is being given to the criminals rather than the victims.

Yorktown Town Supervisor Michael Grace called the laws a “no-brainer” and said the issue should be non-partisan.

“The number one role of government at every level is public safety, and public safety often requires a minor infringement on somebody's otherwise protected rights,” Grace said. “This type of legislation is not a huge burden on anyone's rights.”

The 2016 legislative session wrapped up in June. It will resume in January 2017.

Australian Senator Derryn Hinch proclaims "100,000 sex offenders" travel to Indonesia annually to rape kids. BTW, he wants to strip SOs of passports, too

Foster's could make another "How to Speak Australian" ad. In Australia, Derryn Hinch means "assclown."

This clown is talking International Megan's Law's bad idea and enhancing it by pushing to strip passports from registered citizens.

What i'd like to know is how far up his ass did he dig to pull out this stat. There is no way Australia even has 100,000 registrants. Australia's population is less than a tenth of the US population (29 MILLION people). Texas has a population of 26,000 folks and has less than a hundred thousand, and even if Australia had 100,000 registrants, they'd pretty much ALL have to be traveling to Indonesia just to match this outlandish claim.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-05/hinch-push-to-strip-convicted-sex-offenders-of-their-passports/7694534

Derryn Hinch in push to strip convicted sex offenders of their passports
Updated 5 Aug 2016, 9:59am

Newly elected Victorian Senator Derryn Hinch says he will push to strip convicted sex offenders of their passports.

Mr Hinch, who has long called for a national public register for sex offenders, read out a letter from actress Rachel Griffiths during a Melbourne Press Club address which asked for his support to help prevent child sex tourism.

"100,000 convicted sex offenders on the register ... the private register, go to Indonesia every year," he said in response to the letter.

"They're not going there for the sun, they're going there for the sons and the daughters.

"That's [an issue] that I can get involved in, and they are the sort of thing I want to do."

Mr Hinch also hinted that candidates from his Justice Party may run in upcoming state elections to campaign on law and order issues.

"Watch this space, and that's not just Victoria," he said.

But he said on principle, he would remove state governments altogether.

"I don't think we need them, we've got a federal system, we've got a federalised government," he said.

mASSachussets State Rep Shaunna O'Connell at it again

The facts are not her priority. 

This woman hates both registered citizens and immigrants. She reminds me of a younger Valigator. This is her second appearance just this year on this blog.

I really love that the Boston Globe called Shaunna out FOR BEING WRONG. LOL.

Even funnier is the Governor's councilors slammed the bimbo, and even her fellow Repub proclaimed Shaunna "didn't do her homework." Brutal!

http://reason.com/blog/2016/08/10/judge-budd-confirmed

Judge Critical of Sex-Offender Registry Confirmed to Massachusetts High Court
Critics had argued that Kimberly Budd's criticism of sex-offender registries "render her unfit to serve as a justice."
Elizabeth Nolan Brown|Aug. 10, 2016 2:00 pm

Making a mild criticism of sex offender registries looked like it could have hurt a Massachusetts judge in her bid to serve on the state's Supreme Judicial Court. But on Wednesday the Governor's Council, an eight-member elected body responsible for approving judicial nominees, voted unanimously in favor of Superior Court Judge Kimberly Budd's nomination to serve as an associate justice.

During a grilling by the Governor's Council last week, Budd had said the state Sex Offender Registry is too expansive, ensnaring people who are far from a threat to anyone. She added that this opinion stemmed not from her "professional experience, but just hearing about people who wind up on the registry that don't necessarily need to be there and aren't really sex offenders."

As anyone who reads Reason editor Jacob Sullum or "Free Range Kids" empress Lenore Skenazy on this topic knows, Budd's is an entirely accurate statement. While registry rules vary from state to state, a growing array of offenses can land someone on the registry, leaving all sorts of non-predators on a list that people think of and lawmakers treat like a compendium of rapists and child molesters.

Budd stopped short of criticizing the registry more broadly, although the logical foundations of the registry as a whole are shaky, as there's scant evidence that perpetrators of sex crimes are more likely to re-offend than other types of offenders. Still, even the judge's suggestion that we should purge people who "aren't really sex offenders" from the list drew loud objections from some.

Going with the government-fellating, tautological tack, Rep. Shaunna O'Connell (R-Taunton) argued that "if you are on the Sex Offender Registry, you have committed a sex crime," and "it is imperative that we have justices that will defend and protect the registry." Budd's statements, said O'Connell, "render her unfit to serve as a justice." She took to talk radio and her own online platforms urging Massachusetts residents to write Governor's Council members and encourage them to reject Budd's nomination.

"The public has a right to know what dangerous sex offenders live and work in their communities," continued O'Connell, missing or intentionally obscuring Judge Budd's whole point: that the registry, in its current manifestation, represents nothing like a list of "dangerous sex offenders."

But Gov. Charlie Baker, who had nominated Budd (along with recently-approved Justices Frank Gaziano and David Lowy) to serve on the state's high court, defended Budd Tuesday. The Republican govenor said Budd would make a "terrific" justice who understands it's a judge's role to interpret the law, not legislate from the bench.

Calling all registrants! Conservative blogger Larry Huss reminds us Oregon is a great place to live

I'll have to add the KATU article later, but just look at this wonderful advertisement for Oregon, courtesy of this Conservative blogger. See folks, this is why I can't take Conservatives seriously.

http://oregoncatalyst.com/34187-calling-sex-offenders-oregon-awaits.html

Calling All Sex Offenders: Oregon Awaits
by Larry Huss Wednesday, August 10. 2016
Right From the Start

Are you a sexual deviant?  Are you a serial rapist?  A child molester?  A sexual predator?  Well welcome to Oregon, the government has got your back.

Have you repeatedly raped a thirteen year old child over a three year period?  Well you could be Oregon’s governor.  Have you pursued teenage boys in the public restrooms of City Hall?  Well you could be Portland’s mayor.  Have you been accused of unwanted sexual aggression, touching, fondling, or kissing?  You could be a congressman or senator from Oregon.  Do you insist on placing your paramours on the public payroll and using taxpayer money for sexual liaisons across the country?  You could be a Multnomah county commissioner, or for that matter any number of state legislators.

Hey, don’t worry about those pesky registration requirements as a sex offender.  It’s just a formality and Oregon government will bury your registration in a data base that no one from the public ever sees – that is if they even ask you to register.

A recent report by KATU’s Joe Douglass noted:

“Oregon now has the most sex offenders per capita in the U.S. according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which in June released a map showing the state had 713 sex offenders per 100,000 residents. Nationwide it showed there were 262 offenders per 100,000 people.”
Oregon, at 713 sex offenders per 100,000, is nearly three times the national average of sex offenders per 100,000 residents.  When Mr. Douglass notes that Oregon is in first place, it’s not by a little, rather it is by a lot.  The next closest state is Arkansas, home of former President Bill Clinton (naturally) with 515 per 100,000.

Mr. Douglass continues:

“KATU’s On Your Side Investigators discovered more than 98 percent of Oregon’s sex offenders are not listed publicly and thousands are not complying with the law.

“Oregon State Police (OSP), the agency that oversees sex offenders, also admitted in July the state isn’t following several federal requirements.

“’Our sex offender laws are very weak compared to most states,’ Portland Police Officer Bridget Sickon told KATU Thursday.”

The story continues that a search of the publicly accessible data bases showed there were nine sex offenders within a mile of the KATU building.  However, a search of the data bases not available to the public indicated that there were in fact 159 deviants within a mile radius of KATU – over seventeen times as many as the public is allowed to know.

Yes, despite resistance by the current governor while she was a state senator, Oregon does have a version of Jessica’s Law (mandatory minimum sentences for sex offenders).  It also has a version of Megan’s Law (registration by sex offenders) although, according to the KATU story, that registration is kept from the public for whom it was designed to protect.  Go figure.

With a population of over 4 million people, Oregon is home to over 28,500 sex offenders.  Where do they all live?  Well, other than the ones who populate state and local government, it is probable that one or more of them live in your neighborhood – one lives in our neighborhood.  But given the fact that the average citizen cannot access a large part of the information on sex offenders, you will probably never know.  I suppose we are fortunate because our sex offender is publicly identified and the Clackamas Sheriff’s Office has, on more than one occasion, alerted the neighborhood to his presence.

So if you are a sexual predator, a pervert, or a serial rapist, pack your bags and move on out to Oregon – Portland in particular – where you will be met with open arms and a decided government effort to shield your crimes from the public.  After you are here for a short while, you just as well run for public office – others have and successfully.

There are a lot of things that a state can strive to be.  But when you are number one in sex offenders and number 43 in education maybe it is time to get rid of the loons who run Oregon.

NY pols are falling all over themselves to be the first to ban registered citizens from Pokemon Go

A wild 'Tardmander appears....

I have never seen a social panic spread faster than the amount of fearmongering over Pokemon Go. It hasn't even been a full month (Pokemon Go was released on July 6 and I'm writing this piece a mere 27 days later). I've already said my share of Pokemon related puns and quite frankly, I think these NY legislatures should be kicked in their Pokeballs. 

First, Senators Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) and Diane Savino (in the most sickening love story known to man) wrote a hilariously bad report called Pokemon NO that essentially states some spots in the augmented reality game were within a half block of a registered citizen. They followed up by making the following statements:

https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/jeffrey-d-klein/pokemon-no-disturbing-investigation-finds-pokemon-popping

While children believe they are out to catch a pokémon, what might really be lurking could be a predator instead of a Pikachu. We want our children to have safe fun, but it makes no sense at all to give dangerous sexual predators a virtual road map to where our children congregate. We must update our law that already prohibits high level predators from using social media and we must make sure that gamers scrub these addresses from this game and future ones,” said Senator Klein.

“It’s dangerous to let our children linger in front of a sex offender’s home to play a game, and it’s absurd that a high-level predator should be allowed to have this map at his or her fingertips in the first place. We devised simple solutions in light of this alarming investigation to keep our laws up-to-date as technology advances,” said Senator Savino.

It is worth noting the press release equates registered citizen with pedophile, which is always grounds for nomination. 

"Because i'm this close to getting re-elected"

Then we have NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is trying to force the state to ban Pokemon Go from those on supervision. 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2016/08/02/new_york_governor_andrew_cuomo_bans_sex_offenders_from_playing_pokemon_go.html

Registered sex offenders in the state of New York will no longer be able to download and play Pokémon Go thanks to an order Governor Andrew Cuomo sent to the state’s Department of Corrections on Monday. In addition to prohibiting sex offenders on parole from playing Pokémon Go and other “internet-enabled gaming activities,” Cuomo sent a letter to Niantic, the game’s developer, to ask for help in keeping sex offenders out of the software.

He has also instructed the Division of Criminal Justice Services to send a database of information about New York’s registered sex offenders to Niantic in hopes that the company will prohibit those people from signing up, as Facebook has done. The governor’s directive, a new parole condition, will affect about 3,000 people. “These actions will provide safeguards for the players of these augmented reality games and help take one more tool away from those seeking to do harm to our children,” Cuomo said in a statement.

This Pokemon Go fear and hysteria has gotten way out of hand. 

Gotta Scare Them All! Media and victim industry blowhards sound the Predator Panic alarm over Pokemon Go app

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past two decades, at some point you've heard of Pokemon. You may have heard of this new app called "Pokemon Go," which uses "augmented reality" to search for those little critters in the real world.

Yes, there was a random incident where folks were getting robbed at a spot where the Pokemon appears (you are an idiot if you are wandering around secluded locations late at night), so now Team Fearmonger warns to prepare for trouble and make it double.

What kind of Pokemon would you find at the Suffolk County Legislative/ PFML and Fox 10 Phoenix regions? How about Clefucktards, Machumps, Pidgidiots, and 'Tardmanders.

Seriously, I think whoever came up with this deserves a swift kick in the Pokeballs. We need to erRATICATE all this fearmongering. (Okay okay, I'll stop with the Pokemon puns.)

http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-news/173079163-story

Pokemon Go has location at sex offender residence

Marc Martinez
POSTED:JUL 11 2016 09:02PM MST
UPDATED:JUL 12 2016 09:50AM MST

It's a game that has everyone talking, and everyone playing, even adults.

Pokemon Go has become an overnight phenomenon, and while it's meant to be all fun and games, it has put some players in danger. The game which mixes fantasy with reality gets people out and about, looking for and capturing Pokemon characters and other prizes using their phones.

But since the game's release, it's been linked to robberies and the discovery of a dead body. Now there is a new risk closer to home which could have unsuspecting players walking right into what could be a dangerous situation. One of the locations is a hotel turned halfway house for dozens of registered sex offenders.

One of the beacons used in the game is the New Windsor Hotel. It's on the list of historic places which is why it may be on the Pokemon Go app. But when you search Arizona's DPS Sex Offender Registry, you'll see 546 W Adams Street is home to 43 registered sex offenders.

That was news to one Pokemon Go player, Kyle Costello.

"It's a little bit concerning, but when you're walking around you don't have to be there, you only have to be like 100 feet to get the rewards from the location," said Costello.

It's a good reminder for parents with kids playing the game to find out where exactly they're going.

"Look at it as you would Halloween and trick or treating. Just make sure that if you have young children that you're the chaperon. That you accompany them," said Daphne Young.

Young is with Childhelp Children's Center of Arizona. She says it's a good idea to keep location tracking on your kids' phones when they're out searching for Pokemon.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/07/12/pokemon-go-crime-worries/

Pokémon Go Craze Sparks Worries About Sex Offenders, Cybercriminals
July 12, 2016 6:48 PM
Filed Under: Cybercriminals, Jennifer McLogan, Pokemon Go, Sex Offenders

4
BABYLON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — The Pokémon Go app has been all the rage in recent days, but new concerns have mounted about criminals abusing the game.

As CBS2’s Jennifer McLogan reported, there are worries that sex offenders might use the app to lure children, and cybercriminals might steal people’s information.

Sulma Rivas is part of a Pokémon Go scavenger hunt adventure craze. So are her three children.

Rivas keeps a watchful eye.

“I don’t want to do it when my mom’s not around, because I could get hurt,” said Mylie Rivas, 10.

Pokémon Go is exploding in popularity, and Babylon town officials have been monitoring hundreds of people of all ages circling the lake in Argyle Park – with their heads down and their smartphones in hand.

When asked if he was playing unsupervised, Ethan Fortaleza, 12, smiled and said, “Maybe.”

Ethan said his parents dropped him off in a safe area. But county officials are worried about the luring component of the game.

With 38,000 registered sex offenders in New York state, police fear that it might be easy for someone to fake a Pokémon Go ID and stalk a child player.

“The people who are the quickest to adapt to new trends in social media technology are criminals and predators,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.

Bellone wants Pokémon developer Niantic to install e-stop technology, making it tougher for predators to sign on and demanding more checks and balances.

After downloading the app, players are asked to sign up with their Google accounts, using existing credentials to ensure the process is fast and simple. But that can put at risk users’ emails, cameras, photos, and storage.

That pool of data could be a boon for cybercriminals.

“I haven’t heard anything about that. That would be unfortunate,” said Samara Katini, 21. “I probably wouldn’t play the game if that was a real problem.”

One computer crimes expert asked whether the possibility of privacy invasion was worth the tradeoff for the experience of Pokémon Go

Ninatic said it is working closely with authorities to keep all players safe. The company said it has no plans to share the data it collects with third parties.

http://longisland.news12.com/news/officials-pok%C3%A9mon-go-could-be-used-to-lure-crime-victims-1.12035312

Officials: 'Pokemon Go' could be used to lure crime victims
Updated July 12, 2016 5:24 PM

HAUPPAGUE - The "Pokemon Go" craze that is sweeping across America has some parents and officials in Suffolk County worried about potential predators.

Parents for Megan's Law and Suffolk County officials met Tuesday in an effort to warn parents about the dangers behind the virtual scavenger hunt app.

They say an option in the app allows users to "lure" people to a location to get points in the game.

Suffolk Police Commissioner Tim Sini says criminals will see the option as an opportunity.

"They could be lying in the wait to do a robbery, or it could be worse in terms of a sexual predator situation," says Sini.

Suffolk Executive Steve Bellone is calling on the Pokemon company to check its users against those on the E-Stop registry – the online registry of sex offender emails and social media accounts.

Another issue that has been raised is the app automatically granting full access to Google accounts. The app requires a Gmail account to sign in.

A spokesman for Pokemon Go issued a statement saying once they became aware of what they call an "error," they began working on a fix to only request basic google profile information.

The company had "no information to share" on the sex offender concerns.

Jefferey Crowder, the Blooming(ton) idiot, throws a pipe wrench into his wannabe vigilante plans

Jefferey Crowder tries to go after a registrant he believes failed to register and gets arrested. Well, what did he think would happen? If he came to MY door with a wrench, he'd be shitting metal for a month.

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/grandfather-confronts-sex-offender-with-pipe-wrench

Grandfather confronts sex offender with pipe wrench
Was upset because offender hadn't registered

Jack Rinehart
9:08 PM, Jul 1, 2016

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A 62-year-old man was arrested after he confronted a sex offender he knew was in violation of his registration orders.

Jeffrey Crowder said he snapped and went after Timothy Sylvester, 45, with a pipe wrench at a bus shelter outside IU Bloomington Hospital on June 24.

Sylvester has been convicted of molesting a child and Crowder has tracked Sylvester's case for the past four years. Crowder said he knew that Sylvester was in violation of Monroe County's Sex Offender Registry. 

"I just put my truck in park, left it running and jumped out and I had a pipe wrench," Crowder said.

Crowder's menacing threats drew the attention of police, and he was arrested on a felony charge of intimidation and misdemeanor disorderly conduct. He appeared in court Friday.

"I said I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving until you arrest him. I told them 'either your arrest him or you take me to jail,'" Crowder said.

Sylvester, who is listed as homeless on the sex offender registry and is required to register weekly with the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, has not reported since May 13.

On May 20, Sylvester was listed as non-compliant, but it wasn't until more than a month later, the day of the confrontation, that an arrest warrant was issued, only to go active this past Wednesday, June 29.

Detective Shawn Karr with the Monroe County Sheriff's Department said those registered as homeless usually get some leeway. 

"What we've done in the past is if they go past their seven days, because they're homeless, we'll usually let it go another week or so to see if we can contact them or they have contact with another police agency in the area," said Detective Karr.

Bloomington police, who had no knowledge of Sylvester's pending warrant, said Crowder was given several chances to de-escalate the confrontation.

"Our officers checked all of the warrants on the victim on this case and he was not wanted at the time, so there was no action the officers could take in regards to that. That was all explained to him but it was unacceptable to (Crowder)," said Bloomington Police Department Captain Steve Kellams.

Sylvester was allowed to go free because the system wasn't up to date. 

"I realize this much now, I'm hurting my family. It wasn't worth it." said Crowder.

Crowder went to court Friday and Sylvester, free somewhere in Bloomington, remains a wanted fugitive.

"If they're going to let a pedophile run the streets and here I am trying to do the right thing, what do I have to do, call every week to make sure he's registered?" Crowder said.

Sylvester's warrant for failing to register as a sex offender has been entered into statewide and national databases. If he's stopped by police, he will be arrested.

Want to sell books and scare the public? Just make up a scary stat. No one fact checks anyways, right?

There are NOT one MILLION annual sex trafficking victims in the US. The actual stats are barely a hundred, not a million. But hey, why let facts and figures get in the way of peddling a book full of fear? (I guess the old Goldilocks number of 50,000 wasn't enough for Sarnoff.)

Addendum: I contacted her today about hr false stat and this was her response:

Re: Conchita Sarnoff "Sex trafficking myth"
Thursday, June 23, 2016 9:34 AM Mark as Unread

From: 
"Conchita Sarnoff" <sarnoff.conchita@gmail.com>
To: 
iamthefallen1@yahoo.com

Dear Sir,

You might want to research the issue and statistics further in order to debate the figures.

The numbers you refer to as Myth #14 i.e. "The Child Trafficking Myth: “It's between 100,000 and 300,000 child sex slaves in the United States today,” Ashton Kutcher," are outdated 2012 figures.

Best wishes,
Conchita Sarnoff

Executive Director
Alliance to Rescue Victims of Trafficking

My response:

Derek Logue <iamthefallen1@yahoo.com> wrote:

Wow, that I the best response you can conjure up? So sometime between 2012 and today, we somehow jumped from one hundred to one million sex trafficking victims? I cite my sources. Where are your sources? Or did you just pull this out your rear end?

And her reply:

Dear Sir,

One child trafficked for sex is one too many. 


Conchita Sarnoff
Executive Director
Alliance to Rescue Victims of Trafficking

She can't cite a SINGLE stat to verify her ludicrous claims.

http://dailycaller.com/2016/06/21/is-there-an-end-to-child-sex-trafficking/

Is There An End To Child Sex Trafficking?

Photo of Conchita Sarnoff
CONCHITA SARNOFF
Executive Director, Alliance to Rescue Victims of Trafficking
10:54 AM 06/21/2016

The first human trafficking guilty verdict in Sarasota Florida was handed down last week, to Ronald McBride III, 22, for six felony counts, one of which was human trafficking. After the jury’s conviction, McBride could face up to life in prison. It is a milestone case for the Sarasota Police Department.

According to news reports the trafficker began “grooming the victim in November 2015, on how to trade her body for drugs and money.” The young woman was in her twenties receiving counseling for drug addiction at the time she met McBride. Instead, McBride got the victim hooked on heroine and crack cocaine.

The girl told the Sarasota police, “If she didn’t make a certain amount of money for a sexual act, McBride would beat her or have another girl beat her. I have to give all the money I make to McBride because he says he owns me.” On the day she escaped, December 29, 2015, McBride beat her with a gun and told her he would come back to kill her. After the beating, she managed to run away nearby U.S. 41. A passerby found her crouched in a fetal position on the ground and called the police. This is a victory for the Sarasota Police Department and the State Attorney’s Office in the 12th Judicial Circuit given the difficulty in convicting a street level pimp. McBride will be sentenced September 16, 2016.  

In the United States more than one million children are trafficked every year.

The global figure is far higher surpassing the 20 million mark according to most recent statistics. Why? After a decade researching the issue of human trafficking, I published a book to help explain the problem.  

TrafficKing tells the story of the most protracted child sex trafficking case in U.S. legal history. Jeffrey E. Epstein, a Wall Street billionaire, was arrested in 2005.  More than two-dozen victims testified against him. After a two-year federal investigation he received a Non Prosecution Agreement in 2007 for two counts of solicitation of prostitution with a minor. Why did he receive such a sweetheart deal given the number of victims who testified? Why wasn’t Mr. Epstein prosecuted under the federal law, Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) like most sex traffickers? Irrespective of the Non Prosecution Agreement, Mr. Epstein remains a registered level three sex offender for life.

Epstein’s human trafficking case set a precedent. Since 2007, a handful of traffickers arrested in Florida for perpetrating the same or similar crimes have attempted to benefit from Epstein’s defense. Their defense in court has been to claim the court was prejudicial based on their different ethnicity, lack of economic resources, and nonexistent political connections. It appears the punishment applied to these men has been far more stringent than Epstein’s Non Prosecution Agreement. This raises an important legal question. Are there two separate systems of justice in the United States? One for the rich and powerful, for men such as Epstein who can afford to live on a private island and rub shoulders with former presidents; and one for the common people who can barely eke out a living?

If you are following the Epstein case it seems that way. Perhaps the system needs an overhaul and Epstein’s case might just be the one to pave the way. For more than eleven years, several Epstein related cases have continued to grace the U.S. courts. Since 2007, multiple civil cases and related cases were filed. Today, three Epstein related cases are pending, two in Florida and one in New York. Epstein’s criminal case implicated several high profile personalities and international leaders in the fields of politics, business, academia, including a British Prince.

Since “TrafficKing” was published several victims have reached out asking for help. Others have offered support to help our organization, Alliance to Rescue Victims of Trafficking www.atrvt.org, stop human trafficking. Every day, in every state across the country heinous human trafficking stories appear in newspapers, on-line journals, television, radio and other digital outlets.

Human trafficking has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Why? Perhaps one reason is the overwhelming demand and powerful industry of pornography — child pornography specifically. Another could be the rise and power of the pedophile networks in the United States.

The issue of human trafficking has many layers and is complex. Human traffickers can be individuals working for large trafficking networks such as the: Chinese, Colombian, Mexican, Russian, Ukrainian, and the United States’ own MS (Mara Salvatrucha) Cartels, or they can be small, one man, ‘mom and pop’ operators or inner city pimps. There are hundreds if not thousands of operators trafficking children across state lines. A number of traffickers have gone as far as tattooing a victim’s neck in order to claim the girl as property. The average age of entry for a trafficked child in the U.S. is 12. The reason is simple: It is a moneymaking enterprise that has a finite expiry date. That is one reason why traffickers target young children. Another reason is, the younger the child the greater the profit.

One of the biggest impediments for law enforcement remains identification and tracking. Most traffickers hide behind a veil of secrecy called the Internet while others disappear behind the lesser-known “dark net.” Behind this curtain traffickers and perpetrators buy, sell and trade children for sex via the better known social media spaces including: Backpage, Craigslist, Facebook and other platforms that cater to pedophile networks.  

According to Telecrunch, “On any 18 minute period there are 11 million viewers on Facebook on average.” Social Bakers, another forecasting company, claims, “Facebook earns $2.5 billion a quarter from mobile advertising.” The reason the sites are popular with traffickers is because social media companies and advertisers know everything about their targeted audience and in many instances have decided to “turn the other way.”

For example, an ad on Facebook can sell for as low as five cents while the average cost of a Facebook ad is approximately five dollars per 1000-targeted viewers. All social media platforms are after the same thing: likes and shares which is exactly what a human trafficker wants. Unlike Facebook, “most of Craigslist’s revenue comes from job ads, adult service ads, and New York real estate listings, enabling the remainder of Craigslist’s services … to be available to users for free.” While Craigslist charges $75 for a job listing, approximately $10 an ad for ‘therapeutic services’ in the U.S., reposts of live ads are $5 dollars. MasterCard and Visa are accepted.  

There is no doubt the cost of advertising, accessibility to a wide audience, and low risk operation continue to attract and drive traffickers to online platform sites to prostitute children. Law enforcement confronts ever-greater challenges today. These include, how to identify and track victims and human traffickers online and on the street. It is a fact that most traffickers continuously move their victims from one state to another to prevent detection and prosecution. Secondly, how to protect at-risk victims and thirdly, where to house survivors after they have been rescued. There is a tremendous dearth of short and long term housing for survivors in every city of the United States. This situation prevents many victims from attempting to escape the clutches of their predators and lands them right back in their hands.

Another important challenge is data collection. If you can’t measure a problem you can’t solve the problem. Most law enforcement officials and congressional leaders do not have accurate statistics reflecting the increase in demand of trafficked victims. As a result, it is easier for them to sweep the problem under the rug, not lobby Congress for state and federal funding and be free of the responsibility and accountability to the court of public opinion. Some government officials even claim the problem is vastly exaggerated or does not exist at all.

One thing is certain, human trafficking exists. It exists on a massive scale in the United States, across all levels of the socio economic ladder and for several reasons: lust, money, power, and influence. It is time to shine a spotlight on human trafficking and put an end to child sex slavery. The book, TrafficKing and the Alliance to Rescue Victims of Trafficking hope to accomplish just that.