Shana Rowan, Oneida, N.Y., letter: Sex-offender registries do more harm than good
February 3, 2012 at 6:15 pm in Grand Forks Herald
I have spoken to countless heartbroken and financially struggling mothers, wives and other relatives whose loved one cannot live with them because they live too close to a school or day care. Continue Reading
I have no sympathy whatsoever…these pigs shouldn’t be out committing sex crimes against others and if they do, they pay the consequences. Their victims may not have all their information out in the public for all to see, but they have to live with the knowledge of what happened to them….the internal violation that they have to live with day in and day out. The families of these victims also suffer, having to be careful of what they say, what they do, what they watch on TV. Husbands have to suffer the consequences of their wives having been sexually assaulted. Parents have to live with the guilt that their innocent child was sexually assaulted and will never, ever lead a normal life because of it. The child has to live in confusion and hatred of what happened to them. The pain and suffering that these pigs suffer due to their crime is in absolutely no way even close to comparison to the suffering that they put upon the victim. As far as the “double rent” that might have to be paid, well boo hoo. Sexually assaulted victims have to pay for a lifetime of therapy which is going to cost a lot more than a month’s rent. I WANT TO KNOW if there is a convicted sex offender living near me so as to be sure to keep myself and my children far, far away from them and be on alert. I realize that a sex offender can be anyone…someone you know, someone you trust, etc., but there is still that percentage of sex offenders who don’t know their victims. As far as I’m concerned, their punishment should be a heck of a lot more than just having their home addresses and license plates tagged for the public to see.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Both the article and you make good points. The system used to register sex offenders at present has major problems. Many experts believe it adds to the re-offending rate. Should an 18 year old who had sex with a 17 year old be on the public registry? Or maybe just on a list for the police? Many people hate offenders……. most offenders are the result of us not protecting them as children as they are victims also. I see the crime they do as terrible but I also see the hurt child they are. Remember no one wants to be a sex offender the leper of modern society. Most people would prefer a crack house next door rather than an offender. The question is do we as a society have the courage to seek the answers? I doubt it as I hear to much pure irrational hate.
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I am sorry, but starting right out calling a group of people you don’t even know “pigs” is rife with emotion and misguided hatred. There are hundreds of thousands of young men on that list that did nothing more than what many other young people have done, without prejudice for centuries. My son made the “mistake ” of falling in love with a young lady who represented herself as being older than she was because she knew full well that if he knew her true age he would have walked away in a heartbeat. He was 17, so she told him she was 16, in reality she was 14. They never got past hand holding and kissing, yet my son, without some kind of expensive legal intervention, will be punished for the crime of statutory rape, for the rest of his life. He had NO criminal intent, he was head over heels in love with a beautiful young lady, and trusted that she felt the same about him.
He now lives with us because he cannot keep a job, he faces the same restrictions as a child predator, his musical career has gone up in flames, and he cannot join the military. He does not have a driver’s license, but because he RIDES in our car, our address, and make, model and license number of our car, along with his picture are posted on the registry for all to see, concerned parents and violent vigilantes alike.
And just to set you straight, you are WRONG about every victim’s life being destroyed. I was a victim of childhood molestation AND rape! I am no longer a victim, I am a survivor because I will not let my abusers continue to control my life. I find it a disgusting travesty for society to try to continually force survivors back into the “victim mold” by continually beating them over the head with the “damaged goods theory”!
Those who perpetrate hatred for those on the registry ARE NOT PROTECTING CHILDREN! A very rare percentage of strangers have done horrific things to children over a time span of years and because the registry is so bloated and law enforcement is so overburdened monitoring nearly 3/4 of a million registrants, sometimes those dangerous people are let out to offend again.
According to current studies most of those on the registry are of low, if any risk to anyone in society. Many crimes have nothing to do with a child, as even misdemeanor crimes are listed on the registry and monitored as if they were a serial rapist.
Children are victimized by their own family members and close friends EVERY day, these are people who are not on the registry! Many on the registry are first time offenders, some of whom have been registered for decades and never re-offended, yet they will never be allowed to “have a life” even if their offense was victimless!
This treatment is also extended to these “pigs” families, consequently MILLIONS of innocent people are suffering. Former offender’s children are bullied and harassed daily in our schools, many cut and hurt themselves, some have committed suicide. Many are ostracized simply because daddy “had the nerve” to fall in love and have a relationship with mommy when they were considered too young to do so. Can you imagine being bombarded daily with remarks about your dad being a “pedophile” or a “child molester”? How about the vehicle that rams moms car on the freeway on her way home from working her second job for the day, then whizzes by with the driver screaming obscenities at a woman that takes anxiety medication just to make it through the day.
I am sorry, but you have NO IDEA what you are talking about when you call my son and many others a PIG!
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Lila ..You dont mention the crime of the other sex offender in your life Your Husband. You spend your days plying the Romeo crap but never mention your husbands crime Why is that? What? think a seven year old Victim would damage your tales of woe? The Victim was 7 right Lila?
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Lila, I agree with you in that instance…that is not right and I have come upon instances such as that. Definitely the system needs to be fixed in those kinds of circumstances. However, I highly doubt that the majority of the people on the registry are 18 or 19 year olds who were lied to. Should the system be revamped? Yes, I probably agree with that. Should there be certain criteria for being placed on the registry? Yes, I probably agree with that also. However, the writer of this letter did not give the circumstances in which she was referring. I know of plenty of vulnerable women who spark relationships with sex offenders for whatever reason and if all of a sudden they can’t live with the family because she has kids, that’s disgusting to think that they should be given special treatment or given a pass because they don’t want to pay for two homes. This is what I think of when I read this article because she says single moms who struggle because their significant other can’t live with them. That is not excusable if in fact that is who she is talking about. I apologize for any offense that may have been taken, but when I think of sex offender, I think of someone who knew full well what they were doing, not a teenage boy having sex with a younger girl who lied to him.
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IMHO:
Actually, I didn’t state “single mothers”. I simply said “mothers”, and I was referring to mothers whose sons are either incarcerated for unable to live with them due to residency restrictions. And as for the wives and girlfriends, I’m talking about couples who have been together before their partners were charged. Perhaps you don’t believe me, but as I said in my letter, I have personally spoken to HUNDREDS of wives and mothers who are in this very situation. And although I’ve never met most of their sons or husbands, I can tell you that to classify them all as “pigs” is ignorant. The majority of women I’ve spoken to who have family members labeled as sex offenders are not child molesters or rapists. They are, as Lila mentioned, young men who were lied to about their partner’s age; or they were young men who made a mistake by having consensual sex with an underage partner; or they exposed themselves in public; they received an unsolicited sexual photo of an underage girl which is classified as “child porn”; they were falsely accused. Not one of the family members I talk to have sons or husbands who are rapists or pedophiles.
Also, sadly, you are incorrect when you say that you doubt most people on the registry are young men. A quarter of all registrants are CHILDREN – under age 18. Furthermore, CHILDREN account for over a third of all crimes committed against children. That’s including consensual acts that were classified as “crimes” only because of the victim’s age. The laws that have been created to supposedly “protect children” are destroying their lives, and it’s because no one is aware of the facts.
I’m not going to rehash the statistics I provided in my letter, but I would recommend you go back and read them. The sources are provided as well. My fight is not about making child molestation or rape legal, it’s not about NOT punishing sex crimes. It is entirely about reforming a system that has created more new sex crimes per year since it started, and replacing it with laws that are based on FACTS, not emotion. Laws that do not destroy families. Laws that actually PREVENT sexual abuse BEFORE it happens, and even after it does, that focus on effective treatment and consideration for families rather than lifelong punishment that serves no purpose other than vengeance.
Best
Shana
Hot debate. What do you think?
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@Honest.. There are also other classes of offenders that are on this registry for Adult on adult CONSENSUAL crimes only because they are statutory. For example, in OH, there are 2 sub-codes on Sexual Battery that by definitions effectively DENY a stepfather or a College Teacher from ever becoming a victim of their ADULT step child or adult students. They are the guilty ones even if the VICTIM!! By Statute! No defense accepted or even entertained. These are people that are on the registry as Tier 3 with community notifications for life. Crimes that are legal everywhere else in the world! As for the media and the public hype, as reading here, they should be given the death penalty. I don’t agree that ALL crimes are the same. “One size fits all” is only good if all are the exact same size. The AWA system is actually seen to be broken now in many ways. Ohio being the first to implement the AWA on a State level, now since 2008 has deemed 4 different parts of it UNconstitutional! The older Megan’s Law style of registry as still used in NY and NE, is much better at doing its stated intentions. No disrespect intended: The Adam Walsh Child Safety and Protection act was named for a murder victim, and Megan’s for an actual sex crime (and murder also). So the AWA being only a sex crime offender law is a bit misleading. The descriptions have got a bit skewed at this point. Statutory, consensual, and non-victim “crimes” I need not worry about for my children. Grandpa who is incontinent, the streaker, (remember the old song,) the Mooner, and Romeo: NO! BUT… That other grandpa who abused every single one of his grandkids until they were adults, (he really would end up not ever let out of prison because of quantity of crimes), but if he is, HE is one I would like to know about. An accidental grab of a body part, is usually classed as a sexual assault. THAT one I don’t care about either. Only when there is an actual victim of foul play should I be notified. Elbowed breast on a train NO. Man’s “bell” being rung, NO. Make the registry accurate. ONLY publicize who a (n elected- “voice of the people” here,) Judge has classified a threat. One last gripe, If a state has a stated Age of Consent, that is the AGE OF CONSENT, the other person could be 64 years old (noting that underage and the elderly are treated the same!!!) None of this “less than four years” or other age number garbage, If they were to legislate it correctly, it would be AoC=18 years old with certain exceptions. My 2¢ is up..
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Convicted sex offenders should be given the death penalty.
problem solved.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Apparently you have a reading comprehension problem. Or did you just skip reading the story and comments and jump directly to the comment box from the headline?
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I hope you remember the death penalty when it happens to someone YOU love! You have NO idea how easy it is to be put on the registry. Many, many sexual and non-sexual behaviors have been criminalized in the last decade that will earn you the label of “sex offender”. Good luck with that holier than thou attitude and your perfect little world.
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I can love someone and still expect them to act like a human.
Actually, the death penalty is too good for them.
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So you are saying my 17 year old son should have gotten the death penalty because an underage girl lied about her age? I think that falling in love is part of being human and that young love IS NOT A CRIME! Evidently the legal system is seeing the light also as they are beginning to pass Romeo and Juliet laws in a number of states now, that acknowledge the fact that teen consensual sex IS NOT A CRIME! That will not help the ones who are already on the list for it though, as it is a very expensive legal process to be removed. However it will help prevent future teens from being treated like scum by people who are profoundly blinded by willful ignorance.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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maybe HE should of asked for her ID. If she didn’t have one he should of dropped her like a hot pancake and told HER to go home to momma.
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Since there’s so many flaws in the system then naturally you’d agree that if after someone was put to death there surfaced proof that the person was innocent…Then those who killed that person should be tried for murder right? Because that’s what you get with knee jerk reactions.
Ever hear of the West Memphis three….Three young guys who spent 18 years behind bars (One on death roll) on convictions that were basically bogus from the get go. Fortunately they were able to get released on a back handed court procedure that didn’t allow actual justice to be served. Anyway mistakes are made all the time and often it starts the minute someone is accused in a high profile case.
Regardless what the legal system says…Once accused in public…The accused is guilty until he or she can prove innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. That’s exactly reverse of what our system says right….Now have fun getting an impartial jury if you’re falsely accused. This has been a problem time and again. Once the legal system thinks you’re the guilty person and you have limited funds to mount a good defense then you have a difficult time getting out from under that rock….And should you get convicted then the door really shuts hard because nobody in the system ever wants to entertain the idea that they were wrong…..So if you’re willing to have death penalties…Then you should agree that those involved in your killing should have to be brought to justice if it’s found they killed an innocent person….Right?
I’ve been talking about the death penalty…but the same holds true in all convictions….People have had lives ruined by being falsely charged for even sex crimes…..Often the story hit big on the accuasation…Then months later when it’s discovered it was false it gets a small notice quite often…Meanwhile the accused might be ruined and people he knew will often remain suspecious…Because good people don’t get accused of doing bad things right? Unless there’s something bad about them….Ya right…
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Yeh…well, the author cites a lot of statistics.
Figures don’t lie…..but liars figure.
The man who murdered Drew Sjodin did over 20 years in prison…paid his “debt to society” …got out of prison and murdered Miss Sjodin within a year of the completion of his sentence.
Why take the chance?
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Because the “chance” is incredibly low, and punishes millions of people in the process, in exchange for protecting very few. I think you missed the point my letter.
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It was more than what he did 20 years before…It was a system without fail safes. You don’t keep someone like that in jail for 20 years and expect to release him without strict monitoring. Depending on the severity of the sex crime the offender (People convicted of actual rape and not such things as teens haveng consentual sex when one is a couple years older)should have a life time of monitoring once released. They’ve done something along those lines in MN so someone can’t just do their time and walk away unsupervised anymore…
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yep and he is still alive getting 3 squares a day roof over his head and a bed to sleep on and clothes on his back.
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But that’s the double edge sword…..You can’t pick and choose who you’re going to kill…I have no problem with him getting offed…In fact if I were doing it I’d call it death by freezing….He’d stand in the ND winter in just underwear and when he’s been there for ten minutes you throw him into a sauna…..(Have you ever had frost bite as a kid and foolishly put your cold hands up to a heater….Enough said) I’d repeat the process until dead……But that’s just me…I have an ornery streak.
The trouble is that as distasteful as it is to allow those that the evidence proves without a doubt are guilty…..There’s too many ways for the innocent to end up murdered by the state for a crime they didn’t do…..And it is murder if they were innocent all along…As has been shown many times…Especially since DNA evidence has been able to clear cases.
I’ve seen both sides of the legal system and I know it’s far easier than you’d think to get caught up for something you didn’t do if the conditions are right. Unfortunately some will live a life in a isolated cell (Depending on the crime), but it’s the only way that any of us have to assure that you or someone you care about doesn’t get murdered for a crime they didn’t commit. As far as I’m concerned that’s the bottom line….Yes the real killers killed someone innocent, but the state needs to be above doing the same.
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One last Death penalty point….Remember McVey who got the death penalty for bombing the feds and killing all those people including childern. If ever there was a SOB who deserved a very slow and painful death it was him. After a couple years on death row he begged to be killed saying something to the effect, “No since staying alive if this is the only life I can live.” In a single cell with basically nothing to do anytime…….He was granted that quick way out….Now a long esistence of nothingness might not be all that more justice, but eventually he would die, and until that time he’d probably drive himself even crazier from isolation day in and day out. I’ve always felt they should have at least dragged it out for several years before finally pulling the plug….
Now for a more creative way to have had real justice for Mcvey….Stake him naked and drop fire ants on him….I have no idea how long that would take, but that would be a long painful ordeal no matter how long….See I’m not against it in theory, but we just can’t pick and choose who should really get it, and the real monsters are protected from creative minds like mine so they just get killed too quick anyway…
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A good Judge armed with good background information should be able to decide who might be a sexual predator risk and who really isn’t (same applies to alot of other areas). Unfortunately, the Judges’ hands are tied by restrictive laws that don’t allow them any lattitude. But the restrictive laws are usually put in place because some Judges made really bad decisions. Ultimately it’s up to the people to elect Judges, and most people have no idea who would be a good or bad judge, they just vote on name recognition. So even when the community knows that a Judge has made a lot of bad calls, they re-elect him or her anyway. Not offering a solution, just pointing out part of the problem.
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“Because the “chance” is incredibly low, and punishes millions of people in the process”
It never ceases to amaze…..how liberals turn the victimizers into victims…while completely disregarding the innocent victim.
If you get hit by lightining you are victim…if you are raped by Sandusky in the shower…you are a victim.
However…you can discern a difference…correct?
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It never ceases to amaze me how fox heads see anything they disagree with in black and white and in a complete tunnel vision approach….Yet that which they agree with has so many shades of grey if things go wrong that in thier mind nothing can ever be blamed on them……Now that truely is amazing…Time and time again
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I’m referring to positions and not particular incidents here…
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Any crime committed against another individual is very serious and the public should be aware. Little sexual deviants grow up to be big sexual deviants.
I find it a bit difficult to sympathize with MOST sexual predators when our criminal justice system is still arresting adults for possessing the forbidden plant (Cannabis). Folks arrested for this victimless crime “possessing marijuana” face a lifetime difficulty of finding employment,housing and often serve more time than those convicted of sexual offenses.
You want to see how the 4th Amendment has become a joke, throw a joint in your neighbor’s garbage can. Watch the PD kick down their doors, tear their home apart and take their children.
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“victimless”?
Just so we are on the same page:
vic·tim·less crime: Noun: A legal offense to which all parties consent and no party is injured.
No party is injured.
The most abused drug in the US is alcohol. Alcohol is the leading contributor to a plethora of ills within the United States. Are alcoholics considered victims…or a product of their “free” choice?
I take it that you are under the impression that marijuana should be made legal.
I would suggest that the best way to confront the legality of Cannabis is to make it legal ….. first. Then smoke your brains out.
As it is now…the people supplying users with this “victimless” pasttime…are losing their heads….literally.
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I always figured for a crime to occur, there should be a perpetrator and a victim. Alcoholism is considered a disease, not a crime. However, when someone under the influence of any drug (legal or not) engages in activity such as, DUI, Aggravated Assault, Rape, Robbery, Vehicular Homicide, then they have committed a crime and should be punished accordingly.
Yes, I feel MJ should be legal. I strongly believe MJ is a safer alternative than alcohol or tobacco. More importantly, patients should be allowed Medical Marijuana…..a decision left for the patient and doctor, not the federal government.
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So, if you make marijuana legal (like alcohol) do you contribute to more alcoholism-like “disease?”
Just like some people can handle their liquor, some people can handle their dope. Some can’t, you say the abuse of alcoholism is a disease, so the abuse of marijuana would be a disease.
If these afflictions are a disease, aren’t you advocating that we make a “disease” legal, and therefore, more easily accessible and subsequently more prevalent?
Major diseases, like, for instance, heart disease, cancer, stroke, lung disease and diabetes.
But, I suppose, since you are for the legalization of Marijuana you have no problem with the use of tobacco, which… if you look at the list of the five most deadly diseases…the use of tobacco is a major factor in almost all of them.
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There is no evidence repealing marijuana prohibition would increase MJ use. In fact the evidence clearly suggests otherwise. Following decriminalization, Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use. I suggest you study up on this issue.
When will the government concede they have done more harm than help in the war on the American people? The police kicking in doors with guns blazing is a much higher risk to the children than marijuana. Case in point, a teenager just a few days ago was shot and killed by a narcotics officer, when he ran into his home to flush a small amount of MJ. His death was witnessed by his grandmother and 6yr old brother.
You come up with the most comical arguments. Stay Classy AC!
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Lila says:
“So you are saying my 17 year old son should have gotten the death penalty because an underage girl lied about her age?”
You do realize that just a few years ago, your son would be getting a rifle in a few months and sent over seas to kill people.
Your “he didn’t know” defense does not make it.
I knew an old farmer in ND, I walked into his shop one day and there was a spike buck hanging there. I asked him who got it and
he said, “One of the guys with a Doe license”
I said, “Well, it is kind of hard to tell a spike buck from a Doe”
he said, “If you can’t tell the difference….you shouldn’t be hunting”
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“There is no evidence repealing marijuana prohibition would increase MJ use. In fact the evidence clearly suggests otherwise. Following decriminalization, Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use. ”
Yes…I am sure that when prohibition was lifted that alcohol consumption was reduced in the United States.
The fact is that alcohol is legal. This “legal” drug is responsible for many mental health and physical health problems.
Hey, I am all for it, make all drugs legal.
Only request I have is that when your health goes to $hit, because you sit around all day smoking dope and eating Cheetos, that you pay for your own medical situation.
Obama is trying to make all of us pay for your bad health choices….
Is that fair?
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Um sorry to inform you the hospitals are not flooded with stoners. The major health problems creating havoc are associated with obese individuals. So maybe time to ban Mc Donald’s, sugar coated serial, caffeinated drinks, little Debbie Snacks, etc.
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Not to worry…Michelle is already working on that.
Welcome to the Nanny State.
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Oh so now it’s a Nanny State when your sweet tooth is in jeopardy. Typical argument, trample over everybody liberties….just not mine. I got ya!
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Wrong…I am with you.
I should be allowed to eat as many deep fried twinkies as I want…and I will.
The difference is…I don’t expect someone else to pay for my health care.
Ever see that person riding the electric cart in Wal mart? If the cart is full of junk food, beer and tobacco products….
I don’t understand why I am expected to pay for his triple bypass surgery.
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I am absolutely against Obama Care! It needs to be repealed. The consequences of federal mandated health care are already starting to show, it will only get worse.
Health care cost to the individual should be based on how well you take care of yourself. For instance smokers, drug & alcohol abusers and obese individuals should pay more. Of course there are cases where obesity is not your fault such as someone with a thyroid conditions…that a bit different.
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” Case in point, a teenager just a few days ago was shot and killed by a narcotics officer, when he ran into his home to flush a small amount of MJ.”
And the lesson from this little parable is?
A. Don’t smoke dope.
B. Do what the police tell you to do.
C. If you are going to engage in illegal activity that may include people with guns…stay away from your Grandma and your six year old brother.
D. All of the above.
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E. Move to one of the 16 states where Medical Marijuana is legal.
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Feds haven’t legalized it…yet.
They carry guns also.
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I know and they are less careless with their guns “Fast and Furious”
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Even the man who started it all has learned, i.e.
‘The system is broken. It’s overwhelmed and I think the public
is starting to realize that. You can’t paint sex offenders with
a broad brush.’ (John Walsh, father of Adam Walsh)
Distinctions don’t seem to matter when it comes to sex offenses. No wonder they couldn’t find Garrido so many on the registry who don’t belong there, who bloated it These laws are so unjust,so extreme. the self-righteous love them .I hope more rational minds will prevail. The registry unduly frightens parents & its ruining lives of men (mostly) who don’t deserve it. Now there are so many non dangerous people on it. Some have been murdered/ killed themselves http://ilvoices.com/medi /23945d47d1a0fd37ffff810bffffe415.pdf & http://www.reformsexoffenderlaws.org/
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