Saturday, November 15, 2008

Naked Pumpkin Runners May Have To Register As Sex Offenders

From News Talk 610 WTV:
An annual "naked run" event in Boulder, Colorado could result in a dozen people being labeled sex offenders. Halloween Night marked the 10th year of the Naked Pumpkin Run. More than 100 people streaked through Boulder wearing nothing but a pumpkin on their heads. The Boulder Police have deemed the annual trot illegal, and were waiting with tickets for runners. A dozen were cited for indecent exposure, a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Proving sexual misconduct by the nude runners, however, could be a challenge for prosecutors. They'll have to prove that the exposure caused "affront or alarm" to someone, a charge that typically deals with hard core acts. Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner defends the citations, claiming the run is illegal, and the event was getting out of hand.


So much for anonymity. If these pumpkin-heads are registered, overhaul of the system is just one step closer!

Friday, November 14, 2008

When will People stand up and Stop this Madness?

I can't believe this is happening under the U.S. Constitution. But it is...it really is happening! From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

A provision of Georgia’s sex-offender law that prohibits offenders from volunteering at places of worship should be struck down because it criminalizes religious conduct, a lawyer argued Thursday. Because of the provision, offenders cannot sing in adult choirs, play the piano during services, attend adult Bible study classes, serve as a pallbearer at a friend’s funeral or give their testimonies to congregations, Atlanta lawyer Gerry Weber told a federal judge. During the last session, the General Assembly amended the sex-offender law, which already made it a crime for an offender to be employed at a church. The new provision makes it a crime to “volunteer.”
If convicted, an offender faces at least 10 years and no more than 30 years in prison.

What's illegal next for Georgia ex-offenders? Public transportation? Public Restrooms? Appearing in public, period? Does this remind anybody else of the prelude to the Holocaust? Full Story Here

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

6 Years Later, Sex Offender Voting Rights Restored!

My crime was being a week past the deadline--Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The punishment was:
1) 30+ days in jail
2) One year community supervision, including fees and restrictions
3) $1800+ in court fines
4) A Class-C Felony added to my record
5) Increased Sex Offender "Risk" Level.
The good news? Here is my official Notice of Discharge. This allowed me to legally register in Washington (as a voter) just in time for the incredible election! The surprising part? It was delivered without my request. I have the feeling the ACLU had something to do with this. Thank you!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Student Protection or Discrimination Education?

I worried for the freedom of all U.S. citizens as I watched this news video about new screening devices installed in a Texas High School; not to ban firearms (which would make a whole lot more protection-sense) but to outright ban and/or assign security-escorts to ex-sex offenders that come to the school, the vast majority of whom are parents of attending students! I wonder if the guard holds their arms while they walk down the hallways. One school policy is definite: RSO's won't ever be allowed to eat in the cafeteria with first-class citizens. KAMR TV sums up their so-called "investigative" report with some light humor.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

No Police Action (for me) This Halloween

Last Halloween, South Carolina sex offenders were rounded up and forced to sit out the night with police. This year, Maryland sex offenders were forced to hang signs on their doors (absurdly designed as bright-orange pumpkins, no less) reading, "No Candy At This Residence." Who comes up with these ideas?

It's been five years since I moved to this small town in Washington and experienced the nightmare that followed—aggressive public notification, banning from businesses, whispers, stares, and threats on the street. Things have calmed down enormously since then, and local authorities have backed way off. But the reality is I’m still on the registry. I still live with the fear of retroactive laws changes, sex crimes that may be committed in my area, and the real probability of attack from vigilantes. (Sometimes I hear shouts as people drive by my place at night.)
This year I'm happy to report that my Halloween passed without incident. No police orders in my mailbox, no scarlet pumpkins on my doorstep. But what about next year? And the one after that? I have never offended a child in my life. But that doesn't keep people from assuming I'm a molester. Never has a case been documented of a child being molested while trick-or-treating. But this didn't keep people from going crazy with the idea elsewhere. By next Halloween the Adam Walsh Act may already be law here in Washington. What will happen to me then?