Rachel DePompa and NBC12 Virginia is seriously doing their readers "hard" with their sweeps week scare story

This sweeps-week article in itself is Shiitake -worthy, but that typo "do them HARD" is the best screw-up I've seen for a while. To make matters worse, the article was updated two days later and the typo is still there!

http://www.nbc12.com/2018/12/12/sex-offenders-find-ways-skirt-facebooks-ban/

Sex offenders find ways to ‘skirt’ Facebook’s ban
Social network launches investigation, responds to findings

By Rachel DePompa | December 12, 2018 at 4:00 PM EST - Updated December 14 at 7:57 AM

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - One-and-a-half billion users are on Facebook every day. And among those profiles are people who are not allowed to be on the platform, according to Facebook.

Those are people like 56-year-old Robert Gale Wojda, of Richmond’s Northside. Wojda has been convicted of child exploitation offenses in Florida, Ohio and Virginia.

“Part of his probation was that he was no supposed to be on social media of any kinds, whatsoever," said Richmond Police detective Mary Gary Ford. And yet there he was using Facebook to engage in sexually explicit conversations with minors. “Thankfully his probation officer just checked and she found a Facebook profile for him with his photo and you could tell he was actively like posts."

According to Ford, court filings and the Virginia Attorney General’s office, Wojda admitted to sending explicit photographs through Facebook. Ford actually spoke with Wojda and got his consent to search his phone. On it she found sexual conversations with a 14-year-old girl in Georgia.

“It was a very traumatic experience for her and she was isolated and alone and kind of containing all this inside herself for along time,” added Ford. She says Wodja is far from the only predator using social media.

“The frightening part is the number of people doing what they’re doing and that’s just what’s being reported,” said Ford.

Facebook has a specific policy that bans convicted sex offenders, but in less than two hours NBC12′s investigation easily tracked down 16 different registered sex offenders in Virginia with what appeared to be active Facebook profiles. NBC12 only searched halfway through the letter "c" in the alphabet on the sex offender registry.

NBC12 found offenders of all races and of varying ages all with profiles active within the last year. Some of their criminal records included labels like “sexually violent offender.”

The investigation found offenders convicted of “rape” in Henrico County. Others convicted of “carnal knowledge of children as young as 13” and even a person accused of “enticing a minor to perform in pornography.”

Facebook immediately launched an investigation and disabled the accounts after NBC12 reported the findings.

A spokesperson said, “Facebook’s Terms of Service explain that we prohibit convicted sex offenders from using Facebook and disable accounts that violate this policy as soon as we’re aware. We respond to reports from our community but also take action and disable these accounts when we identify them ourselves. We disabled the accounts you shared as soon as we confirmed they were in violation of our terms of service.”

“You never know who you’re talking to on the other side of the computer,” said Briana Valentino, a forensic interviewer with Greater Richmond SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now). “Kids are very accessible to people who mean do them hard.”

She often interviews the children abused by predators. And more often than ever before, she finds the abuse started online.

“What we tend to see for kids who’s experienced trauma online, it’s a lot of internalized behavior. Feelings of guilt, feelings of shame. That they are the one’s that have done something wrong,” said Valentino.

Ford often works with SCAN and is investigating multiple active cases in Central Virginia. She has the unenviable job of talking to child predators like Wojda.

“He indicated that looking at adult pornography just doesn’t do it for him," Ford said.

Wodja ultimately pleaded no contest to electronic solicitation of a minor and is now serving 20 years in a Virginia prison. His capture is a victory for investigators like Detective Ford.

But she knows there are more predators out there. That’s why she needs parents to help and have age-appropriate, non-judgmental conversations with their children and teens.

“They this is something that could happen. If it does, just stop what you’re doing, come to me. Talk to me. we’ll work it out together. You’re not in trouble," said Ford.

Ford says there are steps you can take to be proactive.

First, don’t let children have their phones in their bedrooms at night. And consider this rule: tablets and computers should only be used in open areas of the house.

Also parents should research and know the apps that are out there and what’s currently popular with teens.

To report a sex offender on Facebook click on this link. The site says you’ll need to provide one of the following types of information with your report:

A link to a listing in a national or state sex offender registry.
A link to an online news article.
A link to a court document. 

Cyrano's Theatre Co. in Anchorage AK set to fire RC after Internet trolls stir up controversy

It is a shame to see anyone give a second chance to someone but then buckle to social media backlash. Social media is a mental illness.

https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Cyranos-Theatre-drops-actor-who-is-a-registered-sex-offender-social-media-backlash-502520071.html

Cyrano's Theatre Co. will drop an actor who is a registered sex offender after social media backlash

By Rebecca Palsha | Posted: Tue 3:52 PM, Dec 11, 2018  |  Updated: Tue 4:48 PM, Dec 11, 2018
         
ANCHORAGE (KTUU) - A registered sex offender who performs with Cyrano's Theatre Co. will no longer be acting with the company.

Jenson Seifert lists Cyrano's as his employer on the state's sex offender registry.

He is a former teacher at Birchwood Christian School who was charged, and later served time, for sexually abusing a minor.

At the time, police accused him of molesting a 14-year-old boy repeatedly, including while he was a chaperoning a youth outing.

Cyrano's says Seifert has been a performer with the company for about a year and that it was encouraged to work with him after he successfully performed at other places in Anchorage.

"He was doing all that was asked of him, which does not negate or condone his crime in any way, and we were very clear in our communications with him, and he also with us, but he has made all of the steps to work toward rehabilitation and second chances," Teresa Pond, the Producing Artistic Director at Cyrano's said. "And we felt that warranted an opportunity, again based on the fact that he had already had success working in theaters and being successful, with a second chance."

But on the theatre's Facebook page a debate ignited about how transparent Cyrano's was and if Seifert should be able to perform with the company.

Alaska Theater of Youth, which had a pop-up camp last week at Cyrano's, says it was unaware of his involvement. ATY says it was assured that Seifert had no contact with any of the children at the camp.

"That was my main concern. The children's safety, was my first priority," Hanna Bankston with ATY said.

Tuesday afternoon, Cyrano's updated its Facebook page and said registered sex offenders will be prevented from working at Cyrano's in any capacity.

"We know the community would prefer that we don't have someone who is on the sexual offender registry in our shows, and that is absolutely fine," Pond said. "We support all of those people those who have been victims, anybody who has found this to be difficult and upsetting, and that's far more important to us."

Seifert is in a production with Cryano's that will run two more weeks. Pond said he will continue in those plays but they will be his final performances.

If you want to post your disapproval of the Theater's decision, the link is here:

https://www.facebook.com/cyranosAK/posts/10156969629078658

Thank you to the many community members who have reached out to engage with us in direct dialogue over the past few days. The voices we have heard from our community of artists makes it clear that a change going forward is warranted.

We remain committed to our mission, which includes ensuring that we provide a safe and trusting place for our community to create and experience art. We neglected to communicate clearly to some members of our Cyrano’s community and their families, that an individual, previously convicted of a sex offense, was serving as an actor in a Cyrano’s production. Of the voices we heard during this process, some had concerns for the safety of their families, and the ability of Cyrano’s to maintain that safe and trusting environment. We are deeply sorry.

After a thorough review, we have identified a need for change. For future productions, the Board has implemented a policy which will prevent anyone listed on Alaska’s sex offender registry from working at Cyrano’s in any capacity. This is not the end of our work on this matter, and we will continue to engage in dialogue on the best ways to forward our mission and serve the community we all love.

Cyrano’s Theatre Company

Floridiot Edward Bowman wants legislation to ban registrants from hospitals

What is it with Floridiots talking long walks to pass bad legislation. You want to take a long walk? Take it on a short pier.

https://floridaactioncommittee.org/man-pushes-for-laws-to-keep-sexual-predators-out-of-hospitals/

Man pushes for laws to keep sexual predators out of hospitals
Dec 7, 2018 | 31 comments

75-year-old Edward Bowman is pushing legislators to create a law, “Clara’s Law”, to be named after his late wife Clara Mae, that would ban sexual predators (not sure whether the term “predator” is used to distinguish the different classification or if it’s used by him synonymously with “offender”) from nursing homes, hospitals and medical facilities all over the country.

In 2006, Edward’s late wife was sexually assaulted by a male nurse and he has been on a crusade since to get a law passed in her memory. This year, he is going to walk 237 miles from Mount Dora to Tallahassee, to meet with Florida lawmakers.

While Mr. Bowman has a sad and compelling story, he’s missing the mark on some facts.

Firstly, the nurse who assaulted his wife was not on the registry. Therefore, “Clara’s Law”, had a version been in effect back then, would have done nothing to protect Clara.

Secondly, the overwhelming majority of sexual assaults are committed by first time offenders. If another patient is assaulted by a healthcare worker, there’s a 97% base chance that it would be by someone not on the registry, further reduced by the fact that it’s unlikely that a hospital worker with such a criminal history would be working in a capacity where they could assault a patient, making the odds negligible.

Third, the unintended negative consequences of a law that would ban registrants from hospitals, would be that they would be prevented from visiting with loved ones, including their own children (see: https://floridaactioncommittee.org/wi-registrant-father-wins-right-to-visit-sick-son-in-hospital/, https://floridaactioncommittee.org/registrant-denied-access-to-hospital-for-sons-surgery/, https://floridaactioncommittee.org/sex-offenders-banned-from-florida-hospital/).

Bowman has been pushing for a “Clara’s Law”, in one form or another, for over a decade. Prior versions would have required healthcare facilities to report incidents of sexual misconduct (not convictions, but reports) to the state Health Department and potentially a national clearinghouse, but those measures failed.

We can understand Mr. Bowman’s desire to memorialize his wife, but banning an entire class of former offenders from hospitals – the effect of which could be to prevent children facing scary medical procedures from the comfort of their parent – is not going to do Clara any justice.

Al­le­gheny Co PA Com­mon Pleas Judge Donna Jo McDaniel gets booted from resentencing hearing of SO

An appeals courts rules against your court ruling and remands the case for resentencing. What do you do? If you're Donna Jo McDaniel, you respond by making the same ruling in defiance. This worthless excuse of a judge needs to be removed from the bench.

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2018/11/28/allegheny-county-judge-donna-jo-mcdaniel-sex-offender-superior-court-remand/stories/201811280162

Superior Court removes Allegheny County judge from sex offender's resentencing 

PAULA REED WARD
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
pward@post-gazette.com
 NOV 28, 2018

The state Su­pe­rior Court, in a rare move Wed­nes­day, or­dered Al­le­gheny County Com­mon Pleas Judge Donna Jo McDaniel to be re­moved from a case, find­ing that there was “sub­stan­tial ev­i­dence” that she “demon­strated bias and per­sonal an­i­mus” against both the de­fen­dant and the pub­lic de­fender’s of­fice rep­re­sent­ing him.

The three-judge panel of the ap­pel­late court wrote a blis­ter­ing 13-page opin­ion that also or­dered that An­thony McCau­ley be sen­tenced again by a new judge. It is one of a se­ries of opin­ions by the Su­pe­rior Court dat­ing to Jan­u­ary 2017 in which Judge McDaniel has been ques­tioned for her sen­tenc­ing of sex of­fend­ers.

“The trial court’s an­i­mus and hos­til­ity to ap­pel­lant’s coun­sel and the [Al­le­gheny County] Pub­lic De­fender’s of­fice ap­pears to be deep, un­wav­er­ing and dem­on­strates an un­jus­ti­fied bias against the Pub­lic De­fender’s of­fice,” wrote Su­pe­rior Court Judge Alice Beck Dubow.

The Su­pe­rior Court also crit­i­cized Judge McDaniel for us­ing in­ap­pro­pri­ate sar­casm in her writ­ten opin­ion; for de­ny­ing McCau­ley a fair and con­sti­tu­tional sen­tenc­ing hear­ing; and for fail­ing to fol­low pre­vi­ous Su­pe­rior Court or­ders, there­fore wast­ing ju­di­cial re­sources.

Ordered to redo an 'unreasonable' sentence, judge responds by imposing the exact same punishment. In a foot­note, the ap­pel­late court also chas­tised her for in­clud­ing the full name of the child vic­tim in McCau­ley’s case in her opin­ion.

“Not only do we dis­ap­prove of this prac­tice, but it is also con­trary to [Penn­syl­va­nia law], which makes it a crim­i­nal of­fense for an of­fi­cer or em­ployee of the court to re­veal the name of a mi­nor vic­tim of sex­ual abuse in doc­u­ments avail­able to the pub­lic,” Judge Dubow wrote.

Although the pros­pect of re­fer­ring Judge McDaniel to the Ju­di­cial Con­duct Board was raised by the pros­e­cu­tion dur­ing oral ar­gu­ment on McCau­ley’s case in April, the Su­pe­rior Court opin­ion does not men­tion the dis­ci­plin­ary or­ga­ni­za­tion.

Judge McDaniel could not be reached for com­ment.

Amie Downs, the county’s spokes­woman, de­clined com­ment on be­half of the pub­lic de­fender’s of­fice.

The most re­cent case to bring scorn from the Su­pe­rior Court was an ap­peal of a sec­ond sen­tenc­ing pro­ceed­ing for McCau­ley, 45. He was con­victed in 2014 of rape and years-long abuse of a girl.

Ini­tially, Judge McDaniel sen­tenced McCau­ley to 20 to 40 years in prison. On ap­peal, McCau­ley’s de­fense at­tor­ney ques­tioned whether that pen­alty was man­da­tory or dis­cre­tion­ary.

The Su­pe­rior Court sent the case back to Judge McDaniel in Oc­to­ber 2016 and told her to clar­ify that ques­tion.
At re­sen­tenc­ing in Decem­ber 2016, she did not ad­dress that is­sue, the court found, and in­stead changed the pen­alty only slightly — to 20 years less two days to 40 years less four days.

Judge McDaniel did not al­low McCau­ley to speak, did not re­view a new pre-sen­tence re­port for him, and did not pro­vide any of the due pro­cess that is re­quired for a crim­i­nal sen­tenc­ing, the Su­pe­rior Court con­cluded.

That prompted new ap­peals from the pub­lic de­fender’s of­fice, which rep­re­sented McCau­ley, and a re­quest that Judge McDaniel re­cuse her­self.

She re­fused.

In its opin­ion Wed­nes­day, Su­pe­rior Court wrote that it did not like Judge McDaniel’s be­hav­ior in the case.

“In par­tic­u­lar, the trial court’s opin­ion is filled with gra­tu­itous com­ments den­i­grat­ing ap­pel­lant’s coun­sel and the Pub­lic De­fender’s of­fice,” the panel wrote.

The three judges said they be­lieve she made a “veiled threat” ques­tion­ing the at­tor­ney’s and of­fice’s cred­i­bil­ity and im­plied that their con­tin­ued ap­peal of her sen­tence could be “harm­ful to other crim­i­nal de­fen­dants who may ac­tu­ally have mer­i­to­ri­ous claims.”

The panel also crit­i­cized Judge McDaniel for sar­casm it said she used in her opin­ion.

“This sar­casm is dis­re­spect­ful to ap­pel­lant, coun­sel and the se­ri­ous­ness of the sen­tenc­ing pro­cess,” they wrote.

Four times in the opin­ion, the panel said it was ei­ther “trou­bled” by Judge McDaniel’s ac­tions or found them “trou­bling.”

The court cited her fail­ure to fol­low its in­struc­tions on re­mand, in­clud­ing on two sex of­fender cases in which she was or­dered to re­sen­tence the de­fen­dants and gave them the same pen­al­ties she’d pre­vi­ously im­posed.

“This has re­sulted in an ex­ten­sive de­ploy­ment of ju­di­cial re­sources to re­view, an­a­lyze, and rec­tify the court’s de­fi­cient sen­tenc­ing hear­ings,” the panel wrote.

In both of those cases, Judge McDaniel sen­tenced the de­fen­dants to twice what guide­lines rec­om­mended.

At both hear­ings, Judge McDaniel said from the bench that she con­ducted a statis­ti­cal anal­y­sis of her cases from 2012 to 2016, claim­ing that her sen­tences for sex of­fend­ers were com­pa­ra­ble to those of other judges.

In its opin­ion Wed­nes­day, the Su­pe­rior Court noted that Judge McDaniel did not in­clude any of her anal­y­ses in the cer­ti­fied record, mak­ing it im­pos­sible for the panel to con­sider her con­clu­sions.

Still, it con­tin­ued, “a statis­ti­cal anal­y­sis would not com­pel a dif­fer­ent re­sult.”

Pres­i­dent Judge Jef­frey A. Man­ning said late Wed­nes­day that he had not seen the opin­ion and could not com­ment on it.

“Judge McDaniel is an ex­tremely bright and ded­i­cated judge who has for many years pro­tected the rights of the ac­cused and at the same time guarded the rights of the vic­tims and wit­nesses in very se­ri­ous, of­ten vi­cious, sex of­fender cases which can spark sig­nifi­cant dis­agree­ment be­tween coun­sel and the court,” Judge Man­ning said.

“I will re­view the opin­ion and abide by the law­ful or­ders of the ap­pel­late court.”

Enough is Enough! Donna Rice Hughes needs to stop exploiting Predator Panic to push a personal agenda

Donna Rice Hughes's big claim to fame was getting caught in a sex scandal with Presidential candidate Gary Hart back in the 1980s, so I'm not surprised to see such an idiotic statement to promote internet censorship, something she's done since the mid-1990s.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/28/18116576/starbucks-public-wi-fi-porn-block

Starbucks says it’ll block porn on its public Wi-Fi next year

Following in the footsteps of McDonald’s
By Shannon Liao@Shannon_Liao  Nov 28, 2018, 3:28pm EST
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Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

For years, Starbucks has caught flak for not preventing its customers from watching porn on its in-store Wi-Fi. Now the coffee retailer says that next year it will introduce a filter that prevents customers from viewing porn and other explicit material in stores, as first reported by Business Insider.

Starbucks said to The Verge, “While it rarely occurs, the use of Starbucks public Wi-Fi to view illegal or egregious content is not, nor has it ever been permitted...We have identified a solution to prevent this content from being viewed within our stores and we will begin introducing it to our US locations in 2019.” While there aren’t details on what the content filter is, Starbucks did say it had tested multiple methods.

As spotted by BI, an internet safety organization called Enough Is Enough has been pressuring Starbucks and other franchises with in-store internet access to put up content filters for years. Back in 2016, McDonald’s, which was one of the franchises being pressured, began to block porn on its public Wi-Fi networks. This put the onus on Starbucks to do the same. At the time, Starbucks said it would implement filters if it found a content blocker that wouldn’t block unintended sites as well. It had yet to find one.

This week, Enough Is Enough CEO Donna Rice Hughes said Starbucks had failed to protect its customers and follow through with its plan to block explicit content. “By breaking its commitment, Starbucks is keeping the doors wide open for convicted sex offenders and others to fly under the radar from law enforcement and use free, public Wi-Fi services to access illegal child porn and hard-core pornography,” she said.

A petition from Enough Is Enough said that public Wi-Fi networks “are attracting pedophiles and sex offenders” and put children at risk.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton the Rotten uses Predator Panic to attack the First Step Act

Someone just had to be the idiot to exploit Predator Panic to derail the First Steps Act.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/26/tom-cotton-criminal-justice-reform-senate-republicans-trump-1015149

Cotton wields sex offender report to tank prisons bill
The senator is seizing on a new DOJ analysis in his fight against fellow Republicans.

By BURGESS EVERETT and ELANA SCHOR 11/26/2018 01:26 PM EST Updated 11/26/2018 09:19 PM EST

GOP Sen. Tom Cotton is locked in an awkward fight with fellow Republicans over their push to change federal prison sentencing guidelines. And now he has a new attack line intended to make his rivals squirm: warnings that sex offenders could get off easy.

A new Justice Department analysis — conducted at Cotton's request — found that the Senate’s bipartisan sentencing and prison reform bill could make people convicted of some sex crimes eligible for early release. And though President Donald Trump supports the bill, Cotton says the DOJ confirmation underpins his argument that convicts of certain sex-related crimes could accrue credits making them eligible for supervised release or “pre-release” to a halfway house.

While GOP leaders are beginning to assess the prospects of the bill on the Senate floor, the Arkansas Republican argues that the latest version of the bill has been rushed and contains significant flaws, and he hopes to sway undecided Republicans to join him.

Cotton and Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) have been battling over the specifics of the bill since it was released in mid-November, exactly the type of intraparty firefight Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been hoping to avoid.

The argument over the bill's treatment of sex offenders took center stage on Monday, prompting the latest public shots between the warring Republican senators.

“Now that the Department of Justice has confirmed that the Senate FIRST STEP Act offers early release to multiple categories of sex offenders in several provisions of the bill, Congress should fix these problems instead of ramming this bill through. There is no such thing as a ‘low-risk violent sex offender’ who deserves earlier release than under current law," Cotton wrote in an emailed statement.

Conn Carroll, a spokesman for Lee, defended the legislation in response to the DOJ analysis on Monday and accused the bill’s opponents of “spreading fake news” about the bill.

“Just because a federal offense is not on the specific list of ineligible offenses doesn’t mean inmates who committed [a] non-specified offense will earn early release," Carroll wrote in an email. "All inmates must first pass a DOJ risk assessment before they can even begin earning good time credits. And then they must secure certification from their warden that they are not a threat to safety before they can be released.”

Carroll added that Lee is open to revising the bill if it turns opponents into supporters: “If adding to the list of specifically forbidden offenses would get some senators to yes, we would love to help them do that on the Senate floor.”

Their colleagues are watching closely.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said a Cotton op-ed panning the bill made a "compelling argument" and indicated his vote is in play. A number of Trump's Senate allies, including Grassley, Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), are behind the bill, but in the Senate even a small band of opposed senators can make a floor debate stretch out for a week — all while lobbing attacks at fellow Republicans for being soft on crime.

"I'd like to get it through, but we still have a few problems that we ought to work out," said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). "I'm for doing it if we can. We have a shot at it, but we're going to have to have a lot of cooperation."

Senior Senate Republicans said Monday they could not predict what McConnell would do.

“The leader wants a bill that doesn’t divide or fracture the conference,” said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 3 GOP leader. “He believes from a timing standpoint it’s better next year in light of all we have to finish up.”

The president has lobbied McConnell to bring up the bill, but the GOP leader has told Trump the Senate's schedule is crowded over the next month. McConnell has emphasized that funding the federal government by the Dec. 7 deadline and finishing a farm bill are his top priorities. And the House would probably have to vote on whatever the Senate passes on criminal justice reform, and ousted House Republicans might want to head home as soon as the funding bill is finished.

Known as the First Step Act, the criminal justice legislation is a key priority for dozens of Republican and Democratic senators in the lame-duck session, including some who have fought for years to get floor time for criminal justice reform. McConnell's chief deputy, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, said the GOP must ascertain whether the bill can come to the floor quickly before committing to considering the legislation.

"We're going to start whipping that," Cornyn said. "Part of the discussion is whether there's going to be an amendment process. That takes time. ... That's really the question: Can we build consensus or come up with an agreement that would allow us to do it on a limited time basis? I don't know the answer yet, but we're going to find out."

Right now, there's little guarantee of cooperation with Cotton calling for Republicans to go back to the drawing board over the bill's treatment of sex crimes.

In a copy of the DOJ correspondence obtained by POLITICO, Cotton’s office asked whether the bill would extend eligibility for credits to individuals convicted of four crimes: failure to register as a sex offender, importing aliens for prostitution, female genital mutilation and first-time assault with intent to commit rape or sexual abuse. The bill currently excludes those convicted of assault with intent to commit rape or sexual abuse from earning the time credits, but only if they’ve served a year or more in prison for a previous conviction.

A DOJ analyst responded that the measure contains no exclusions for people convicted of those crimes and that “all offenders would be eligible to receive more good time credits as a result of the bill.” DOJ referred a request for comment to the White House, which declined to respond to the DOJ analysis.

A spokesman for Grassley, who's shepherded criminal justice talks as Judiciary Committee chairman, drew a bright line between the bill's treatment of "good time" credits and "earned time" credits.

The four sex-related crimes on which Cotton sought information are already eligible for the former category of credits under current law, which the new criminal justice bill would expand to a minor degree in order to fix "a flawed interpretation of existing law," Grassley spokesman Taylor Foy said.

When it comes to the second category of credits, the current version of the billempowers the Bureau of Prisons to determine which prisoners at a “minimum or low risk” of recidivism would be eligible if they complete training programs aimed at reducing the risk of further offenses.

The bill's long list of offenses for which extra credits cannot be earned bars certain types of prisoners "regardless of their risk assessment," Foy added. Nonetheless, the exclusion of Cotton's four categories of offenses could hand ammunition to him and other hard-liners who want to see the bill’s sponsors start over again next year.

Supporters of the current push argue that delay would kill the effort outright, given the fragile bipartisan compromise struck during the lame duck. The new House Democratic majority, they note, could insist on more expansive reforms than just the bill's limited sentencing components.

Trump himself is continuing his campaign for the bill. He held an event on it during his Monday trip to Mississippi to campaign for Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.).


It’s also possible that new categories of offenses could be added to the bill’s exemptions list as an amendment during Senate floor debate. Such tweaks are a relatively common occurrence on sensitive legislation, but opponents of the bill are likely to use any changes to the bill as a reason to stall it on the floor.

Floridiot State Senator Lauren "The Bimbo" Book creates a false flag story for cheap publicity

The Florida Politics blog is deeply in bed with FloriDUH Senator Lauren Book. They are the only media outlet to publish this obvious attempt to claim victimhood by the premier professional victim of South Florida.

Bimbo Book claims the FBI showed up at her door and that she was a potential target. By now, these bombs have all been found. Obviously, if this idiot had been a target of the #MAGAbomber, then how is it no bomb ever showed up? After all, the bombs were sent from her own town. Cesar Sayoc was arrested in Plantation. Lauren Book's claims are nothing more than an attempt to attract sympathy, something this professional victim does for a living. This claim is a false flag.

Be greateful, my fellow Floridians-- you dodged a worse bomb in having this Democrat version of Sarah Palin miss out on being Andrew Gillim's running mate. We can all breathe a sign of relief knowing that the state could've been controlled by this complete fucktard. 

It must really irk her knowing that most people outside of those in the Florida Legislature, her dad, his cronies, her cronies, and the Florida Politics blog couldn't give two shits about her. She simply wants to feel important, and her cronies at the Florida Politics blog are quick to play the enabler role.

http://floridapolitics.com/archives/279954-lauren-book-mail-bomber

Lauren Book among potential targets for accused mail bomber

JACOB OGLES

23 hours ago

A man accused of sending pipe bombs to liberal leaders across the country also scoured the internet for information on Democratic state Sen. Lauren Book of South Florida.

FBI agents came to Book’s home to inform her of concerns that a pipe bomb may yet be sent to her, the Plantation Democrat said.

“When I went into this, I knew politics could be messy,” Book said, “but not somebody sending you a pipe bomb filled with glass to blow you and your kids up.”

Book wasn’t home when agents arrived. She was at the airport about to fly to Tallahassee for a United Way Women’s Leadership Breakfast to hear CNN host and author Lisa Ling speak.

But husband Blair Byrnes and her two infants were at home. As she sat at an airport ready to board a plane, Book listened to FBI agents brief her from her living room while her children napped upstairs.

The agents told Book that Cesar Sayoc, the man investigators believe sent explosive materials to more than a dozen left-leaning public figures in American politics, had also done research on Book’s record of public service.

FBI Director Christopher Wray announced Oct. 26 that agents arrested Sayoc in connection to pipe bombs sent to billionaire George Soros, former President Barack Obama and individuals at CNN, among others.

But authorities told NBC News that Sayoc kept a list of more than 100 possible targets, and potential victims would be notified individually.

Authorities arrested Sayoc in Plantation, in the heart of Book’s own district, though they now say he lived in Aventura. His mother Madeline Giardello is president of an area condo association.

In searching Sayoc’s personal computer, the FBI told Book, investigators found significant research into Book’s career, including votes on various pieces of legislation in Tallahassee.

“It’s hard to believe because I had only been there two years,” Book says.

Indeed, when news of a threat to political figures first broke days earlier, police set up in Book’s office, but her husband joked no one targeting major political figures and national news personalities would care about a state senator.

He was wrong.

At the time, it did raise concerns for Book when one of the bomber’s packages was returned to the Sunrise office of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Book previously used that same space for a temporary district office, which filled her thoughts as she watched news footage of authorities sweeping the office.

But while that seemed eerie, news Book actually could be the target of a local terrorist proved shocking.

FBI officials told Book she needed to take alternate routes when she drove to work, and call authorities in the event any unfamiliar packages showed up on her doorstep, even though the suspect was already in custody.

To date, it’s only been anticipated packages from Amazon and other retailers that showed up on Book’s doorstep, she jokes, but as she tries to keep the topic light, she says it’s only because of the terrifying truth of the threat to her life.

But when Book got involved fighting sex trafficking, she knew which groups would be angry and upset, she says. She could anticipate trouble from a known realm of unsavory and identified individuals.

In this case, she seems to have been targeted by a right-wing lunatic for no other reason than being a Democrat.

“This won’t stop you from doing your work,” she says, “but it does make me more aware, and it makes me want to be more protective of myself and my kids.”

Butts Co GA Sheriff Gary Long is misinterpreting notification laws to place harassment signs in registrant yards

While O.C.G.A. 42-1-12-i(5) covers some form of notification, I am sure that this was not the intent of notification. This filthy pig simply wants attention as well as cause harm to registered persons and their loved ones. If you have Facebook, educate this fool.

https://fox11online.com/news/nation-world/georgia-sheriffs-office-places-no-trick-or-treat-signs-in-sex-offenders-yards

Georgia sheriff's office places 'No Trick-or-Treat' signs in sex offenders' yards

by Chris White

A Georgia sheriff's office is placing signs that read, "WARNING! NO TRICK-OR-TREAT AT THIS ADDRESS!!" in registered sex offenders' yards. (Courtesy: Butts County Sheriff's Office)

JACKSON, Georgia (WSYX/WTTE) —
A Georgia sheriff's office is placing "No Trick-or-Treat" signs in sex offenders' yards in an effort to keep children safe.

"As Sheriff, there is nothing more important to me than the safety of your children," said Butts County Sheriff Gary Long. "This Halloween, my office has placed signs in front of every registered sex offender's house to notify the public that it's a house to avoid."

Long said Georgia law forbids registered sex offenders from participating in Halloween. That includes decorating their property or handing out candy.

The sheriff told residents to keep an eye out for signs marking the sex offenders' houses.

The sign reads, "WARNING! NO TRICK-OR-TREAT AT THIS ADDRESS!!'

Long says the signs were placed in accordance with Georgia Law O.C.G.A. 42-1-12-i(5), which states the sheriff shall inform the public of the presence of sexual offenders in each community.

https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/georgia-sheriffs-office-placing-no-trick-or-treat-signs-in-yards-of-registered-sex-offenders/275-609453487

Georgia sheriff's office placing 'No Trick Or Treat' signs in yards of registered sex offenders
Georgia state law prohibits registered sex offenders from placing Halloween decorations on their property.
Author: Michael King, Nick Sturdivant
Published: 2:21 PM EDT October 29, 2018
Updated: 3:59 AM EDT October 30, 2018
JACKSON, Ga. -- Thousands of kids will hit the streets for trick or treat in just days.

In Butts County, Sheriff Gary Long said deputies in his county are putting preventative measures in place to keep kids safe. They have started placing 'No Trick Or Treat' yard signs in front of registered sex offenders homes in their county.

"This Halloween, my office has placed signs in front of every registered sex offender's house to notify the public that it's a house to avoid," Long said in a Facebook post.

Georgia state law prohibits registered sex offenders from placing Halloween decorations on their property. The signs have the universal "no" symbol over a trick or treat bag underneath the message "NO TRICK-OR-TREAT AT THIS ADDRESS!!"

"Georgia law is very, very clear," he said. "It doesn’t say that the sheriff can or the sheriff may. It says the sheriff shall and it says that the sheriff shall in fact notify each community of the presence of sex offenders."

The idea to put yard signs in front of registered sex offenders homes came after organizers decided not to have an annual trick-or-treating event.

"The big challenge that we face here in Butts County, for years and years and years and years they’ve always done Halloween on the square and on Halloween night we would have anywhere from 2,500 to 4,000 children," he said.

With no central place to go, the sheriff said he knows more kids will be going door-to-door to trick-or-treat. Instead of putting signs on offenders doors like the sheriff's office has done in years past, Sheriff Long said he decided to place them in the yard where everyone can see them.

"The activity in our neighborhoods is really going to increase," he said. "We actually launched the signs out Saturday."

There are more than 50 sex offenders in Butts County, according to Sheriff Long. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations' website shows close to 31,500 registered sex offenders in the state.

In Gwinnett County authorities will be doing compliance checks. They also plan to post their offenders watch page as well. A few years ago, The Bartow County Sheriff's Office did a similar initiative, posting "No trick-or-treat" signs on the homes and apartments of sex offenders.

‘There are some sex offenders that are not happy, "Long said. "But I’m not in the business of making them happy. I’m in the business of keeping safe communities and making sure that our children are protected."

Each county has an offender watch page on its website and a link to the statewide sex offender registry.

Misguided New York advocate Michael Carey also trying to oust registrants from homes for the disabled

Notice that this story could not even provide an anecdotal example of someone ob the registry abusing those in homes for the disabled. Why? Because they are extremely rare, that's why! I've already debunked the myth of "sex offenders running wild in nursing homes." Feel free to tell Michael Carey that his campaign is misguided and based on lies.

Just look at his press release. He uses a case to try to prove his point:

https://bbg.einnews.com/pr_news/465034409/gov-andrew-cuomo-is-secretly-moving-convicted-sex-offenders-from-prisons-into-group-homes

Here is what a convicted sexual predator and pedophile said of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s system, it is “a predators dream.”

"The lack of supervision there made it easy to do what I did," DeProspero said in a handwritten affidavit obtained by The Associated Press. "I could have stayed in that house for years and abused him every day without anybody even noticing at all. It was a predator's dream."

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/new-york-pay-3m-family-boy-molested-group-home-article-1.2977392

There's just one problem-- the person he is using as an example WAS NOT A RESIDENT of the nursing home-- he was a a staff worker who passed a background because, like most in NY state arrested for a sex offense, had no prior sex offense record.

https://www.whec.com/news/advocate-fights-to-remove-sex-offenders-from-group-homes-for-the-disabled/5086313/#.W9CyFjqsDXE

Advocate fights to remove sex offenders from group homes for the disabled

September 26, 2018 11:11 PM

There are more than two dozen sex offenders living side-by-side with our most vulnerable in Monroe County, according to the Jonathan Carey Foundation.

The foundation was started in 2007 in memory of Jonathan Carey, a 13-year-old with autism who died in a group home after being suffocated by staff who improperly restrained him.

"I've been doing this for 11 and a half years and it's absolutely wearisome because I'm fighting a system that does not want to change," said Michael Carey, Jonathan's father.

According to the state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), privacy laws prohibit agencies from letting families know if, or when this happens, leaving many in the dark when special needs loved ones are living under the same roof with sexual predators.

Carey also claims incidents that do occur aren't reported and aren't prosecuted. Instead, Carey says many incidents are dealt with internally and kept quiet.

"They discriminate against the disabled and deny them equal access to 911 medical and police services," said Carey.

Federal law requires state & federal Medicaid-funded facilities to be free of abuse and neglect, human rights violations and sexual exploitation.

That is hard to guarantee when the most vulnerable are roommates with sex offenders.

According to the Disabled Rights Protection Commission, only three percent of sexual abuse cases get reported.

The DRPC also estimates about 90 percent of people with developmental disabilities will experience sexual abuse at some point in their lives.

"Right now around 8,000 calls a month go into the state abuse hotline a month," said Carey.

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, R-NY, is calling on the New York State Attorney General’s Office to investigate saying, “Placing convicted sex offenders in the same state-run homes as the developmentally disabled is a new low, even for Governor Cuomo.”

Sharon Ashe of Kingsbury NY already forced one registrant out of a home for the disabled and is now pushing to make this statewide

This is Sharon Ashe, and she wants registrants in need of nursing homes or homes for the disabled segregated into forensic homes concentration camps. Feel free to contact her Facebook page and tell her how you feel.

https://wnyt.com/news/plans-to-move-sex-offender-into-group-home-delayed/5056470/?cat=10114

Plans to move sex offender into group home delayed

September 03, 2018 06:37 PM

GANSEVOORT - Plans to move a two time convicted sex offender into a group home in Gansevoort have been delayed.

James Becker, 33, won't be moving in on Tuesday, but the concerned mother who reached out to NewsChannel 13 last week said the fight isn't over yet.

"It's got to stop,” Sharon Ashe said. “It has got to stop now, we cannot keep turning our backs on this."

Late Sunday night Ashe learned Becker won't be moving into a group home for people with developmental disabilities on Route 50.

Ashe's 47-year-old son Scott lives in that home. She said Scott functions at about an 8-year-old level. He lives in the home with three other 40 to 50-year-old men who have also been diagnosed with a developmental disability.

Ashe said the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, the state agency that runs the facility, delayed the move over the weekend.

Ashe said it's a step in the right direction, but it's not a solution.

"A postponement is not the answer,” she said. “There are other homes within New York State under OMRDD [OPWDD] they're called Forensic homes. They are filled with other sex offenders. That is where this man belongs."

Becker spent three years in jail after he pleaded guilty to having sex with two underage girls.

Since Ashe spoke out last week, a number of people have stepped in to try and stop the move.

Activist Michael Carey wrote an email to the Justice Center, which read in part:

"This act is illegal and in direct violation of NYS Penal Law 260.25, Endangering the welfare of incompetent and physically disabled people."

New York State Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner said she's concerned by the lack of official notice the group home gave resident's families.

In addition to formal notification, Woerner believes there should be meetings scheduled to ensure transparency.

"I would like to see OPWDD have a process so it's not just sending them a letter sending, the parents a letter but sitting down with the parents and talking through what their staffing plan is and what their concerns might be,” Woerner said.

In a statement the Department of Corrections and Community Services said Becker “would be under close supervision in Saratoga County.”

OPWDD released a statement about their placement process last week, it said in part,

"OPWDD provides supports for people with developmental disabilities in the most appropriate environment based upon their needs, we do not deny needed services based on incidents that occurred in an individual's past."

Woerner said the situation presents significant challenges for everyone involved.

“I understand that this is a difficult situation but we need to balance the rights of the residence of the group home with the rights of the individual being released from prison and find a solution that doesn't put anybody in danger,” she said.

In the meantime, Ashe said she'll continue to fight.

"I have to keep going on this until we know that this is permanently gone around New York State,” Ashe said.

A representative from OPWDD said privacy laws protect Becker's information in this case. The representative said OPWDD only works with people who have a documented developmental disability.

Stay tuned to NewsChannel 13 for updates on this developing story.

Providence RI's Luis Aponte wants to make his city the Miami of the North. Guess what else he has in common with MIami?

I guess Providence RI wants to be the Miami FL of the north. I guess Luis Aponte wants RI'ers to forget about the fact he is facing prison time himself. Interestingly, Ron Book, the guy responsible for the mess in Miami was also convicted of crimes related to campaign contributions, just like Aponte is facing now. Obviously Aponte's pending conviction is the reason for this Hail Mary tactic.

https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/providence/councilman-aponte-seeks-to-ban-sex-offenders-from-child-safety-zones/1534342549

Councilman Aponte seeks to ban sex offenders from ‘child safety zones'
By:  Dan McGowan
Posted: Oct 18, 2018 08:00 PM EDT

Updated: Oct 18, 2018 08:00 PM EDT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – As Washington Park residents continue their efforts to drive a convicted child rapist out of their neighborhood, their councilman has put forward a proposal that would ban registered sex offenders from residing near schools or other facilities frequently visited by kids.

Councilman Luis Aponte, a Democrat from Ward 10, introduced an ordinance Thursday that would prohibit registered sex offenders from living within a 500-foot radius of a “child safety zones,” which would include schools, daycares or recreational areas.

The ordinance would also ban the ex-cons from “entering upon or loitering” within 500 feet of the same facilities. Violators would be subject to fines of $250 on the first offense, $350 on the second offense and $500 for all subsequent violations.

“This is an immediate reaction given some of the things I heard last night,” Aponte told Eyewitness News, referring to a contentious neighborhood meeting attended by more than 200 residents Wednesday after they learned a man convicted of sexually assaulting children in Warwick and Massachusetts in the late 1980s was released from prison and moved to Washington Park last week.

Aponte said he modeled his proposal after other ordinances approved in communities across the country, including Lincoln.

“This is not a foreign concept,” Aponte said. The ordinance was co-sponsored by 11 of Aponte’s Democratic colleagues and referred to the Ordinance Committee. (Three councilors were absent.)

Residents were outraged this week to learn ex-con Richard Gardner moved to a home in Washington Park. After Wednesday’s community meeting, they rallied outside his residence. The neighbors planned to continue protesting Gardner Thursday night.

Gardner’s situation is unique because his offenses pre-date Megan's Law, a measure that led to the federal government requiring that all states establish sex offender registries, meaning there's no requirement to inform the community about where he lives. Mayor Jorge Elorza has promised to keep a police detail on Gardner to ensure he doesn’t re-offend.

There are currently more than 500 registered sex offenders living in Providence, according to police.

Aponte acknowledged his proposal would not apply to Gardner because he already lives in Washington Park, but he said he’s hopeful it will address future situations. He said the area around Gardner’s residence has several small home daycares where individuals take care of children, so he wants to ensure no sex offenders can live in the area going forward.

A spokesperson for Elorza said the administration intends to review the proposal before commenting.

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza procliaims registered person has "given up his right" to be in his community

There are plenty of Shiitake-worthy people in this article, but I'll settle on Mayor Jorge Elorza, mayor of Providence RI, for the comments suggesting he gets to decide who lives in Providence and who does not.

http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20181017/providence-neighbors-protest-outside-child-rapist-home

Providence neighbors protest outside child rapist home

By
Madeleine List
Journal Staff Writer

Posted Oct 17, 2018 at 9:24 PM
Updated at 7:53 AM

Residents of the Washington Park neighborhood met Wednesday night to discuss the arrival of a new neighbor — a convicted child rapist recently released from prison in Massachusetts.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Washington Park Neighborhood Association meeting Wednesday night attracted hundreds of residents and ended with dozens of them protesting outside the home of a registered sex offender convicted of sexually assaulting children.

Outraged residents chanted, “We want him out!” and “Que se vaya!” and shone flashlights into the windows of 207 New York Ave., where the offender, Richard Gardner, moved in with his fiancée last week.

“We don’t feel safe in the neighborhood,” said Erlina Pichardo, speaking in Spanish. She lives in a house across the street from Gardner and has a 13-year-old son. “I’m scared.”

Gardner was convicted in 1989 of kidnapping and sexually assaulting three boys between the ages of 6 and 10 in the Warwick area. He was released last Thursday from a Massachusetts facility where he was serving time for a probation violation, and notified the Providence Police Department later that day that he was moving to New York Avenue.

Because Gardner was convicted before the passage of Megan’s Law, a 1996 law that requires sex offenders to register publicly and the community to be notified when they move into a neighborhood, he does not appear on the state’s list of sex offenders.

He is required to register with the police every time he moves, but that information is not made public, said Providence Officer Timothy Rudd, who manages the city’s sex offenders.

Ward 10 City Councilman Luis Aponte, though, said he found out that Gardner had moved into the neighborhood when he got an “unofficial heads up” from someone in the Police Department.

News spread fast, and the topic was added to the agenda of the Washington Park Neighborhood Association’s Wednesday meeting.

“It’s scary,” said Jennifer Ramirez, 29, who attended the meeting. “I have an 8-year-old son that’s always outside.”

Hundreds of people crowded into the Washington Park Community Center for the standing-room only meeting that often devolved into shouting and chaos.

Residents yelled when Rudd told them that Gardner declined to wear a GPS ankle bracelet, which he is not required by law to wear. “What about our rights!?” “This is bull----!”

Police told residents that Gardner, who is currently on probation, is not allowed to go within 300 feet of a school and that officers would check on his residence frequently and increase their patrols in the neighborhood. Beyond that, they said, there wasn’t much they could do.

“We’re going to be as vigilant as we possibly can be,” Rudd said.

But that didn’t satisfy residents.

“We don’t want him here!” they shouted.

Aponte tried to keep the peace.

"The Police Department did not put this guy here,” he said. “Us yelling at them is not going to change the circumstances.”

Mayor Jorge Elorza said he approved overtime for a police detail to monitor Gardner around the clock and make sure he doesn’t re-offend. Providence police Maj. David Lapatin said two officers will be stationed outside Gardner’s house, and will follow him each time he leaves, 24 hours a day, indefinitely.

“When I read about what this guy, what this predator, has done — it is absolutely heinous,” Elorza said. “He has given up his right to be here in the community.

“He does not belong in our city. He does not belong in our community,” he said. “I want every parent to know that we will not stop until this is absolutely addressed. I’ll say it one more time: He has no place in our community. Period.”

State lawmakers in attendance also pledged to introduce a bill, when the legislative session starts, to place more restrictions on where sex offenders can go, and to rewrite the law governing community notification.

But residents said they didn’t want to wait for laws to change, and were eager to take matters into their own hands.

Lisa Scorpio, a community activist, said she planned to get a group together to return to Gardner’s home every night to protest and implore him to leave.

“Cold, rain, whatever,” she said. “Six o’clock. Every night.”

(Correction: An earlier version of this story reported that Gardner is on parole. He’s on probation.)

— mlist@providencejournal.com

Republican NY State Sen. Jim Tedisco exploits Predator Panic on nonsensical OpEd

This OpEd is very distorted and intentionally misleading (the governor's "conditional pardon" was only to the extent of granting voting rights)

https://www.saratogian.com/news/reader-s-view-parole-board-must-make-crime-victims-a/article_19b185c4-ccc5-11e8-a9df-2f39b22e40bd.html

Reader's View: Parole Board Must Make Crime Victims a Priority
By State Sen. Jim Tedisco 17 hrs ago

Remember the late 1970s and 1980s when crime in New York State was out of control and some of the most dangerous offenders were often paroled long before their prison terms were up only to wreak havoc once more?

Unfortunately, if the Governor has his way, and if Upstate loses its Majority in the Senate as a check on the Executive and an Assembly, that’s two-to-one controlled by downstate interests, the bad old days may return.

In the past few months, the Governor, through executive orders without any legislative consultation, has pardoned or commuted the sentences of over 24,000 criminals including cop killers, child murderers and sex offenders. The Governor has gone so far as to issue conditional pardons and voting rights privileges to at least 77 sexual predators who are being civilly confined – the offenders who are most likely to re-offend.

This is done against the backdrop of a broken parole system here in New York that makes it difficult for crime victims and their families to have meaningful input on decisions about whether to free those convicted of violent crimes.

As a member of the New York State Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee, I recently participated in a legislative hearing on this issue. We heard some powerful testimony on the need for reforming the parole system and making it more responsive to crime victims and their families.

Among those testifying were Regina and Michael Stewart of Clifton Park, the parents of the late Christopher F. Stewart, who was tragically killed in 2012 by a drunk, drugged and dangerous driver.

Stewart was 17 years-old and co-captain of the Shenendehowa Football Team. Shen student Deanna Rivers also lost her life in the incident and students Matthew Hardy and Bailey Wind were seriously injured.

While the individual who killed Christopher Stewart and Deanna Rivers was recently denied parole, he will be up for another parole hearing in two years, causing further anguish for the families who will have to go through the process again.

Shockingly, when victims and families give their impact statements to the Parole Board, they only speak to one board member, with no guarantee that individual will be on the three-person panel that makes the decision as to whether to parole or not. This frustrating situation is faced by all crime victims and their families who want to make their voices heard to the Parole Board.

We can be compassionate for people who have made mistakes, done their time and are trying to turn their lives around, but first and foremost, we need justice and compassion for crime victims.

There should be no more get-out-of-jail-free cards for the worst-of-the-worst offenders like baby killer Mary Beth Tinning and cop killer Herman Bell, whose crimes are so heinous they should never see the light of day, let alone be paroled, pardoned and given the same level of rights and benefits as hard-working, honest, law-abiding citizens.

My Senate colleagues and I have already passed a holistic package of bi-partisan bills to protect our communities and be a voice for victims and their families. These include:

- Authorizing the imposition of life imprisonment without parole for persistent violent felony offenders (S.4036).

- Requiring a sentence of life imprisonment without parole for murder in the first degree involving killing of a first responder (S.7976).

Wendy Murphy has already won 3 Shiitakes over the years, now she makes her case for a 4th

Ah, Wendy "I Never EVER Met a False Rape Claim" Murphy. She already has the distinction of being the all-time leader on the Shiitake Awards with THREE Shiitake Awards under her belt. That puts her ahead of Bobby Jindal, Mark Lunsford, Ron Book, and even Lauren Book. With this latest article regarding Halloween laws, this gives her a chance to extend her lead.

A dishonorable mention to the Boston Herald for writing such a bad fluff piece but Murphy just outstupids the rest of the stupidity in this article.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2018/10/sex_offenders_have_access_to_kids_on_halloween

Sex offenders have access to kids on Halloween
No Mass. law to stop monsters with candy
Joe Dwinell Sunday, October 07, 2018

Sex offenders are forbidden under state law from driving an ice cream truck, but they can hand out all the candy they want on Halloween in what one child advocate is calling a risky oversight.

“Halloween is like Christmas for sex offenders,” said attorney Wendy Murphy.

“They know they’ll have lots of access to kids and that they can’t get in trouble even though they’re required to stay away from children.”

Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas all have “no candy” laws that ban sex offenders from handing out treats on Halloween.

In Florida, sex offenders out on parole cannot hand out candy or wear costumes on Halloween night.

Both California and New York have similar laws that allow police to perform unannounced visits to sex offenders’ homes on Halloween night, Oct. 31.

Some states also ban offenders from corn mazes and haunted houses.

The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board does map Level 3 sex offenders on the registry’s website.

The locations of bus stops near where Level 3 sex offenders live — considered the most likely to re-offend — have sparked calls to Bay State schools and the registry board, the Herald was told.

But there are no specific restrictions about participating in Halloween on the books.

Murphy, who represents victims of sexual abuse, said the annual fall tradition of trusting your neighbors is rife with pitfalls.

“Not having a law in place to protect kids on a day when they will excitedly be running toward people they should be running away from exposes kids to serious danger,” she said.

“Massachusetts already has a well-deserved reputation for not effectively protecting children from sexual abuse,” Murphy added.

The state Legislature would need to add any Halloween directive to the sex offender law for it to stick.

The Missouri Supreme Court, according to published reports, did rule that state’s Halloween ban could not be applied retroactively.

As for operating an ice cream truck, Massachusetts law states a sex offender caught doing so faces more than two years in jail or a $1,000 fine. And, the law adds, they can be arrested on the spot.

Floridiot persecutor Ryan Will builds pocket parks to remove registrants from their homes, and now thinks he can be an impartial judge

In case there was any doubt that this guy gets his jollies kicking registered citizens from their homes, just watch the video. By the way, did you know he was publicly reprimanded by the Florida Bar Association? He's barely holding on to his license now.

http://www.staugustine.com/news/20181006/linda-gaustad-ryan-will-tout-experience-in-7th-circuit-judge-race/1

Linda Gaustad, Ryan Will tout experience in 7th circuit judge race
By Frank Fernandez

Posted Oct 6, 2018 at 2:38 PM
Updated Oct 6, 2018 at 2:38 PM
 
Both Linda Gaustad and Ryan Will are trumpeting their experience as they head toward a face-off in for an open circuit judge seat.

Will, 38, who lives in Daytona Beach with his wife and children, is a homicide prosecutor with the 7th Circuit State Attorney’s Office, who is emphasizing his many jury trials in criminal court, including some high-profile prosecutions like that of Luis Toledo, who killed his wife and her two children.

“I’ve tried about 70 jury trials in the last 10 years. She’s had four or five,” Will said. “There’s a tremendous difference in our courtroom experience. I know what it takes to be a judge. I’ve worked with good judges. I’ve known good judges. I’ve known them as friends. I’ve known them as mentors. I’ve known them as judges on my cases.”

Gaustad, 56, of Deltona, counters that Will has spent most of his legal life in criminal court while she has a vast amount of varied experience in family law, real property, trusts, wills, estate, business and criminal law. A private attorney with an office in Orange City, she said most of the cases she works on are resolved before trial because litigants want to avoid the expense of a trial or they are a type of case, such as probate, that rarely go to trial.

“I have a very broad range of experience,” Gaustad said. “It’s very diversified experience.”

Will, who grew up in Ormond Beach and graduated from Seabreeze High School, is the son of retired Circuit Judge Joseph G. Will and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2006.

Gaustad spent her early childhood years in Illinois before moving to Central Florida when she was 9. She started living on her own at the age 15 but is now married with children and grandchildren. She received a high school diploma from what was then Orlando Technical and has lived in Volusia County since 1989. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2000.

All registered voters in the circuit covering Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties can vote in the Nov. 6 general election for the seat, which comes with a six-year term earning $160,688 per year. The seat is open due to the retirement of J. Michael Traynor, who presides over civil cases at the judicial center in St. Augustine.

In the August primary, Will won all four of the circuit’s counties. Will received 34,044 votes in Volusia County where Gaustad finished third with 31,265 votes behind Sebrina Slack’s 33,245 votes. In Flagler County, Will received 7,698 votes while Gaustad finished second with 6,775 and attorney Slack came in last with 6,368. Slack finished third overall and was eliminated from the race.

Both Will and Gaustad said they have the temperament to become a judge and that they would be patient and respectful of the litigants and attorneys coming before them.

They also say they are both involved in the community. Gaustad said she purchased Christmas gifts for children in foster care and school supplies for students. She likes to help seniors avoid scams and won’t charge them for the consultation.

Will also said that he did some civil work for nearly a year for companies in the oil and gas industry in Alabama. He said he also did some probate and real estate work on the side.

Gaustad said just because he did some probate or real estate work doesn’t make him an attorney in that area.

“You can change something minor in your car but does that make you a mechanic?” she said.

One of Will’s activities outside the courtroom is helping communities build parks in locations that use state law to keep sexual predators from moving into the neighborhood. Will led the effort to build the first one in his own neighborhood

Will is far ahead in contributions with $69,560 to Gaustad’s $23,684. He also has many more individual contributors than she does.

Of Will’s money, $26,000 is his own money or loans to himself. Of Gaustad’s money, $21,435 is her own with $14,100 of that in loans to herself and the rest in-kind contributions to herself.

Gaustad said that voters need to make a fully informed decision.

“I think it’s important that people realize that I’ve never been reprimanded by the Florida Supreme Court,” Gaustad said.

Will was reprimanded in August 2014 by the state Supreme Court after the Florida Bar found probable cause that Will had demeaned and ridiculed a defendant named Jerry Crew by repeatedly calling him a crackhead while prosecuting him during a 2012 murder trial. Probable cause was also found that Will had erred in other ways, including demeaning the defense attorney and his theories of defense. Will entered a conditional guilty plea.

In an interview this week, Will described it as a learning experience.

“It wasn’t a proud moment in my career,” Will said. “It’s something that taught me a lot about myself and taught me a lot about the courtroom. I think it probably made me a little bit more humble, a little bit more focused in my approach, taught me how to be a better lawyer, and I think has given me a little bit better experience seeing the perspective of the judge, knowing where the line is and drawing that line.”

Rep. Matha Roby declares children, "Our most precious responsibility". Where have I heard that before?

Whenever I hear the terms, "children" and "most precious" come from the mouth of a politician, it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It is a scary quote considering that Hitler penned those words so many years ago--

"The folkish state must make up for what everyone else today has neglected in this field. It must set race in the center of all life. It must take care to keep it pure. It must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people." -- Adolph Hitler, Mein Kampf.

I'm sure you are familiar with part of this quote, but you've usually seen it with this statement added, "As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation." That was not penned by the REAL Hitler, but a fictional Hitler in a CS Lewis Screwtape letters styled social commentary by Rabbi Daniel Lapin in 1999. However, the part aboyr declaring the child to be the "Most Precious" was indeed the quote by Hitler.

Yes, I can hear a couple of triggered folks whining, "OMG I can't believe you went there."Now, I'm NOT comparing Roby to Hitler. I AM, however, pointing out that her statement is flat out creepy and disturbing in using this statement to promote the type of legislation that is a better fit for 1980s Berlin than 2018 USA.

http://altoday.com/archives/26743-martha-roby-our-most-precious-responsibility

Martha Roby: Our most precious responsibility
BY GUEST AUTHOR ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

As a society, our children are perhaps the greatest, most precious responsibility given to us. They are vulnerable, innocent, and wholly dependent upon the adults surrounding them for protection. While horrible and unthinkable, the unfortunate reality is that not everyone takes this responsibility seriously, and there are even those who would do children harm.

The National Center for Victims of Crime reports that while the prevalence of child sexual abuse is difficult to determine because it is often unreported, experts still agree that the number of incidences is vastly greater than what is reported to authorities.

Children are the most vulnerable members of our society, and there is perhaps no greater responsibility before Congress than the call to protect them. I believe it is our job to provide the most effective tools available to confront, fight, punish, and ultimately prevent horrific crimes against children. Our legal protections for children and the punishments for those who harm them must be as strong as possible.

That’s why I was grateful that the House of Representatives recently passed my bill, H.R. 6847, the Preventing Child Exploitation Act of 2018, in the House where it recently passed. This bill combines four pieces of legislation in an effort to fight the abuse and exploitation of children and strengthen protections for them under the law. I’d like to take a moment to share with you more specifics on what this package of bills would accomplish.

First, my bill includes H.R. 1842, the Strengthening Children’s Safety Act, which makes our communities safer by enhancing penalties for sex offenders who fail to register in the national sex offender registry, and then commit a crime of violence.

Second, the bill includes H.R. 1862, the Global Child Protection Act, legislation I previously introduced to combat global sex tourism by closing loopholes that allow child predators to go unpunished for their abuse of children overseas.

Third, this bill includes H.R. 1761, the Protecting Against Child Exploitation Act, to add legal measures to strengthen protections for victims of child pornography.

Fourth, and finally, my bill includes H.R. 1188, the Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act, to continue our support for programs that help prevent child abuse by ensuring that the public has access to information about known sex offenders in their neighborhoods.

In addition to introducing the Preventing Child Exploitation Act, I was also proud to join my colleagues in cosponsoring the Victims of Child Abuse Act Reauthorization Act of 2018. As you may know, the Victims of Child Abuse Act was first passed in 1990, and it provides federal funding for the development of Children’s Advocacy Centers (CAC).

The primary mission of a CAC is to prevent further victimization of a child by ensuring that child abuse investigations are comprehensive and that intervention and healing services are age-appropriate for the needs of each individual child.

Congress unanimously reauthorized the Victims of Child Abuse Act reauthorization in 2014, but it is set to expire this year. I am hopeful that the House will take up this important piece of legislation soon to ensure that CACs have the resources necessary to serve the children who need them most.

In Congress, I am grateful to have the opportunity to serve on the Judiciary Committee where we have worked very diligently to combat crimes against children. In recent years, we have made remarkable progress in this fight – but we can, and we must, do more. I’m encouraged by House passage of the Preventing Child Exploitation Act, and I am hopeful that the Senate will act on this bill quickly to protect the most vulnerable among us. We must use every tool available to prevent horrific crimes against children.

Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama, with her husband Riley and their two children.

KC City Council looks to ban registrants from working any place where alcohol is served because of victim cult logic

Someone at the KC city council must be inebriated to even consider such an asinine proposal. I'm no fan of alcohol, but serving a drink in a bar while on the job is NOT how sexual assaults in bars begin. As usual, the logic coming from the victim cult mouthpiece is nonsensical.

https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/proposed-ordinance-would-keep-sex-offenders-from-serving-liquor-in-kansas-city

Proposed ordinance would keep sex offenders from serving liquor in Kansas City
Dia Wall
9:12 PM, Sep 26, 2018

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — To serve alcohol in Kansas City, you need a liquor card. The public safety committee is considering a new proposed ordinance that would change that, but some agencies are concerned.

The Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault, or MOCSA, is speaking out. Victoria Pickering, Director of Advocacy for MOCSA, said, "The goal is to prevent individuals who have a history of committing sexual offenses from being able to work with alcohol which is the number one drug that's used to facilitate sexual assault."

Kansas City Councilman Quinton Lucas acknowledged, "The fear is that a rapist is going to serve your daughter a drink. That's not the case."

Lucas went on to say that, "I get the concern. We're going to make sure that we hear them out, but we're also going to make sure that we're allowing opportunities for ex-offenders, those who have not been in these sorts of things, those who are looking for a second chance."

Kevin Timmons, owner of Nick & Jake's and the head of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association, told 41 Action News when it comes to violent offenders, "Those people are all managed by the parole system and they're not allowed to get liquor. They're not allowed to work in restaurants that have alcohol."

Thousands of people apply for liquor cards in Kansas City each year. Timmons said over 99 percent of them are approved without any issues. He called the system, "archaic," sharing that Kansas does not require liquor cards.

The public safety committee did not have enough votes to take action on the proposed ordinance Wednesday. If it ultimately passes the ordinance, it will move to the full council for a vote.

The 2018 Farm Bill should be called for Holding

The farm bill is currently being debated as both Senate and House resolve their differences. One amemndment we hope will be eliminated is the Holding Amendment, now Sec. 4039 in the House version of H.R.2, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (aka "The Farm Bill.").

Time is of the essence so contacting your representatives would certainly be helpful.

To review the old law, in 2014, there was a provision of the farm bill to ban registrant IF they also violate the terms of release. I covered this topic in 2015. Essentially, the provision will remove the requirement of a violation of a violation of terms of release, essentially allowing a ban just on a record alone.

The Senate version does not contain this version. Below is a summary of the passage of this terrible amendment.

H.Amdt.614 to H.R.2
115th Congress (2017-2018)
AMENDMENT
Amends Bill: H.R.2 — Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018
Sponsor: Rep. Holding, George [R-NC-2] (Offered 05/17/2018)
Latest Action: 05/17/2018 On agreeing to the Holding amendment (A029) Agreed to by voice vote.

 Amendment No. 11 Offered by Mr. Holding

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 11
printed in House Report 115-679.
  Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of subtitle A of title IV, insert the following:

     SEC. 4039. DISQUALIFICATION OF CERTAIN CONVICTED FELONS.

Section 6 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015), as amended by section 4015, is amended in subsection (p)(1)-- (1) in subparagraph (A) by striking ``: and'' at the end and inserting a period, and (2) by striking subparagraph (B).

The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 900, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Holding) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.

The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment, and I urge all colleagues to support its inclusion in the farm bill today.

Mr. Chairman, the amendment is simple. It ends eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for convicted rapists, murderers, and those guilty of sexual exploitation.

The 2014 farm bill contained a prohibition for these individuals from being eligible for SNAP, but the individual also has to be considered a fleeing felon. This means that, in order to lose eligibility, the
person has to not only be a convicted murderer, rapist, et cetera, but they also must be in violation of the terms of their sentence.

Mr. Chairman, I believe we should not have to wait before a criminal who has already been convicted of these acts violates the terms of their sentence before terminating the benefits.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment would eliminate the fleeing felon provision from the underlying law and thereby prohibits convicted rapists, pedophiles, murderers, et cetera, from being eligible for SNAP.

This is a commonsense proposal that says if you commit these atrocious crimes that you are ineligible for this government program. Mr. Chairman, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for this commonsense amendment and include it in the farm bill that we have under consideration.

I yield back the balance of my time.

The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Holding). The amendment was agreed to.