Last night, 20/20 had a special about a guy who went on the sex offender registry because at age 19 he slept with his 15 year old girlfriend. He had some legal issues over this and as a result, was not allowed to see his girlfriend until she was older. As soon as she turned 18 and they could see each other again, they got married.
While I don't really agree with 19 year olds sleeping with 15 year olds and think that it is wrong, I'm not sure if in cases like this, a lifetime sex offender registry sentence is appropriate. I know that I'm not worried about him hanging around the park and trying to pull my daughter into the back of some van for the purposes of molesting her. He's not interested in young children, he's not interested in hanging out in dark alleys waiting to attack the unsuspecting young lady walking by at night, he's just a guy who fell in love with someone who was at the time too young for him.
We had a guy on the sex offender registry that was on our street. I'm not sure if he's still there anymore, he might have died or something. He was a level 2 offender and did something with some preteens. That's all I know about him. Those are the guys that I'm worried about. I'm worried about guys that break into people's houses in the middle of the night. I'm not worried about a guy who had an underage girlfriend when he was 19 years old.
I might not go so far as to say that this guy should not have been punished at all, or that maybe putting him on the sex offender registry for a while wouldn't have been overdoing it, but perhaps we should think about reviewing certain sex offender cases after a certain length of time. Perhaps in cases where the "victim" was a consenting and willing participant, review the case in 5 years and take them off the list if it seems appropriate (like in this case). There probably should be a few more parameters, like if the victim was 12 or under they stay on there, but shouldn't we have a way to take people off the registry in certain cases?
There are other silly reasons that someone might get on the sex offender registry. Such as... a kindergartener kisses another girl in class and she claims sexual harrassment. Or a few 9 year olds are playing a game where everybody is slapping their friends on the butt. Or a teenager accidentally downloads child pornography on the computer without knowing it. I don't want to know about these people. They're not dangerous, and I don't think they belong on the sex offender registry. Review the case after a while and take them off.
Having non-dangerous people like this on the sex offender registry cheapens the whole registry. If you look at a map of sex offenders in my area, there are tons of them. Are they all dangerous criminals? How many of them do I need to worry about, and how many of them just ended up on the registry for being stupid and impulsive? I only want to know about the dangerous ones.
Unless they take him off the list, when he's 90 years old he's still going to be punished, in a way, for sleeping with his wife before they got married and because she was so young. I find that to be a little ridiculous.
Showing posts with label crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crime. Show all posts
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Infant Shot Execution Style In Armed Robbery
Here's one for the sick-and-twisted-morality file: a man and his infant son were shot dead during an armed robbery.
Police believe that the baby's father drove to his friend's house, left the baby in the car, and ended up running into the robbers instead. The robbers shot him, and on their way out, they decided to put a gun to the infant's head and shoot him, still sitting in his car seat.
Who does something like this? I could understand to some degree if this was a 6 year old who might be a witness to the crime. It would still be pretty awful, but people are pretty selfish and the robbers might feel that killing the witness would be in their best interests. But what is a 7 month old going to say? "Da da da da da" is about all my 10 month old manages to say. I guess that the court might find out that Dada was there, but the baby wouldn't be able to point out who actually committed the crime from that testimony.
Reminds me of Matthew 24:12 "And because iniquity should abound, the love of many shall wax cold." There's not one logical reason that I can think of that someone would purposely kill an infant during the commission of a crime. Perhaps they thought it would be fun and that they could get away with it.
Also reminds me of the verse "As in the days of Noah, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be." The world that Noah lived in was filled with violence.
One more related verse: Matthew 18:6 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
Police believe that the baby's father drove to his friend's house, left the baby in the car, and ended up running into the robbers instead. The robbers shot him, and on their way out, they decided to put a gun to the infant's head and shoot him, still sitting in his car seat.
Who does something like this? I could understand to some degree if this was a 6 year old who might be a witness to the crime. It would still be pretty awful, but people are pretty selfish and the robbers might feel that killing the witness would be in their best interests. But what is a 7 month old going to say? "Da da da da da" is about all my 10 month old manages to say. I guess that the court might find out that Dada was there, but the baby wouldn't be able to point out who actually committed the crime from that testimony.
Reminds me of Matthew 24:12 "And because iniquity should abound, the love of many shall wax cold." There's not one logical reason that I can think of that someone would purposely kill an infant during the commission of a crime. Perhaps they thought it would be fun and that they could get away with it.
Also reminds me of the verse "As in the days of Noah, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be." The world that Noah lived in was filled with violence.
One more related verse: Matthew 18:6 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
Friday, August 31, 2007
Newborns in Trash Cans And Toilets... Why Are We Outraged?
I just read another story about a baby giving birth to a newborn and trying to kill it. This lady tried to flush her baby down the toilet at a McDonald's restaurant.
You can find the story here.
I find stories like this to be really sad. If she didn't want the baby, why didn't she drop the baby off at a fire station or a hospital? That seems to be the mantra of so many people that hear about stories like this. The answer, my guess is, lies at the heart of the abortion debate...
She didn't drop her baby off at the fire station or hospital for the EXACT SAME reason why someone would have an abortion rather than put their baby up for adoption.
When you ask someone why they would have an abortion rather than put their baby up for adoption, sometimes they'll reply with "oh, there are so many unwanted babies in the world!" Then if you press it further, bringing up information about how the waiting list is so long for people that wish to adopt newborn babies, and that there are virtually NO unwanted, healthy newborn babies out there (and most handicapped newborn babies get adopted as well) they often have another answer. My guess is that it's the same answer as the people that flush their babies down the toilet or throw them in dumpsters...
"I don't know how I could live with myself knowing that my child was walking around and I didn't know what kind of life they were living!" Or something like that.
There are so many people that say that they could never put a baby up for adoption, and that seems to be a common answer. Why it is better that someone is dead than put up for adoption, I don't know. I don't get it. Especially nowadays... with open adoptions you can pick the parent of your child, send them Christmas cards, etc.
I never really noticed the parallel between people who abort their babies and those who throw them in the trash before... but it seems so clear to me now. So now, the only other part of the equation is... why are we outraged when someone tries to flush their baby down the toilet, but don't share the same outrage when someone aborts a baby?
Something to think about.
You can find the story here.
I find stories like this to be really sad. If she didn't want the baby, why didn't she drop the baby off at a fire station or a hospital? That seems to be the mantra of so many people that hear about stories like this. The answer, my guess is, lies at the heart of the abortion debate...
She didn't drop her baby off at the fire station or hospital for the EXACT SAME reason why someone would have an abortion rather than put their baby up for adoption.
When you ask someone why they would have an abortion rather than put their baby up for adoption, sometimes they'll reply with "oh, there are so many unwanted babies in the world!" Then if you press it further, bringing up information about how the waiting list is so long for people that wish to adopt newborn babies, and that there are virtually NO unwanted, healthy newborn babies out there (and most handicapped newborn babies get adopted as well) they often have another answer. My guess is that it's the same answer as the people that flush their babies down the toilet or throw them in dumpsters...
"I don't know how I could live with myself knowing that my child was walking around and I didn't know what kind of life they were living!" Or something like that.
There are so many people that say that they could never put a baby up for adoption, and that seems to be a common answer. Why it is better that someone is dead than put up for adoption, I don't know. I don't get it. Especially nowadays... with open adoptions you can pick the parent of your child, send them Christmas cards, etc.
I never really noticed the parallel between people who abort their babies and those who throw them in the trash before... but it seems so clear to me now. So now, the only other part of the equation is... why are we outraged when someone tries to flush their baby down the toilet, but don't share the same outrage when someone aborts a baby?
Something to think about.
Monday, August 20, 2007
ID Theft Expected To Increase Because of New Law
Arizona passed a new law recently that should make most of us jump for joy. In order to get hired for a new job, employers have to search for your social security number in a federal database, and it has to match up with your name. This will probably have the effect of having fewer illegal immigrants get jobs, because right now it's quite easy to come up with fraudulent documents. This law goes into effect on January 1st.
That's the good news. However, the unintended consequence of this new law is that there may be more incidences of identity theft as a result of this law. People that want to work either have to do one of several things: work in another state, work under the table, or steal someone's identity. Working under the table will probably happen less often, because the penalty for hiring someone this way is quite stiff. They could lose their business license on the second offense.
So if you live in Arizona, make sure that you check your credit regularly. The AZ Republic, which had an article about identity theft in Sunday's newspaper, had a really good suggestion that I had never though of: instead of getting all three free credit reports at once, get your credit reports at different times of the year, and stagger them. That way you have less time between the times you check it. Don't forget to check your children's credit reports as well. My children have fairly unusual names so it's not as likely that people will want to use them, but you never can be too careful. Since this whole ID theft thing became common, I decided to check theirs at the same time I check mine and dh's.
One last thing I feel I should add: if you do have your identity stolen, you can clear it up. You don't need to hire anybody to do it for you, you can do it yourself. Some companies offer identity theft insurance... it isn't necessary, but whether you get it or not depends on you. Could you be organized enough to send out letters and follow through on them? Would you be willing to spend the time to write letters to creditors to clear up your identity? A few years ago, I did some work to repair my credit. There were some items that didn't belong on my credit report, some addresses on there where I had never lived, etc. I was able to get all the questionable items off my credit report, and so could you. I did have to send off a few Certified, Return Receipt Requested envelopes, which cost a little money, but not as much as it would cost me to pay for identity theft insurance for any meaningful time period. It took a little organization: I kept a portfolio with all my credit correspondence in it, I kept photocopies of all the letters I sent and all of my return receipt stubs. I followed up on people that did not respond. It wasn't that hard. If you need more information about clearing up credit for any reason, I recommend that you visit Creditmania.com. It is a very helpful resource, with sample letters and people that are willing to help answer your questions.
That's the good news. However, the unintended consequence of this new law is that there may be more incidences of identity theft as a result of this law. People that want to work either have to do one of several things: work in another state, work under the table, or steal someone's identity. Working under the table will probably happen less often, because the penalty for hiring someone this way is quite stiff. They could lose their business license on the second offense.
So if you live in Arizona, make sure that you check your credit regularly. The AZ Republic, which had an article about identity theft in Sunday's newspaper, had a really good suggestion that I had never though of: instead of getting all three free credit reports at once, get your credit reports at different times of the year, and stagger them. That way you have less time between the times you check it. Don't forget to check your children's credit reports as well. My children have fairly unusual names so it's not as likely that people will want to use them, but you never can be too careful. Since this whole ID theft thing became common, I decided to check theirs at the same time I check mine and dh's.
One last thing I feel I should add: if you do have your identity stolen, you can clear it up. You don't need to hire anybody to do it for you, you can do it yourself. Some companies offer identity theft insurance... it isn't necessary, but whether you get it or not depends on you. Could you be organized enough to send out letters and follow through on them? Would you be willing to spend the time to write letters to creditors to clear up your identity? A few years ago, I did some work to repair my credit. There were some items that didn't belong on my credit report, some addresses on there where I had never lived, etc. I was able to get all the questionable items off my credit report, and so could you. I did have to send off a few Certified, Return Receipt Requested envelopes, which cost a little money, but not as much as it would cost me to pay for identity theft insurance for any meaningful time period. It took a little organization: I kept a portfolio with all my credit correspondence in it, I kept photocopies of all the letters I sent and all of my return receipt stubs. I followed up on people that did not respond. It wasn't that hard. If you need more information about clearing up credit for any reason, I recommend that you visit Creditmania.com. It is a very helpful resource, with sample letters and people that are willing to help answer your questions.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
In A Stop Snitchin' Culture, Those Who Talk Are Brave
In certain segments of society, there is a "Stop Snitchin'" code. That is, if you see a crime happening, you shouldn't talk to the police, or "snitch." This leads to a very low percentage of crimes, even murders, being solved. Even murders where there might be 25, 50 witnesses.
I can see why some people might be distrustful of police. I for one, don't really believe in giving any stranger my blind allegiance just because of their job. There are corrupt cops out there, just like there are unjust judges that make egregious decisions. My husband grew up in the inner city area of Los Angeles, and even though he's never gotten into trouble outside of a few traffic/parking infractions, he certainly does not have an affinity for them.
You have a segment of society that is afraid to speak out if they witness a crime. People like rapper Cam'ron say that they wouldn't even tell the police if they knew that a serial killer was living next door. ??? I think that he later said it was a joke or something, but some joke. This is not a society that I want to live in, where anybody can get away with murder and the only type of justice is vigilante justice.
Busta Rhymes witnessed the murder of Israel Ramirez, but has refused to cooperate with police to bring justice to the killer. And of course Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur were both murdered where there should have been plenty of people that could have testified. Somebody knows what happened in all three of these killings.
Someone like Cam'ron, if they "snitched", could lose their street credibility, lose some record sales, and perhaps have people call them all sorts of mean names or even write nasty songs about them. These sorts of consequences aren't exactly trivial to them, but to me it speaks of a great cowardice to not do the right thing in order to avoid losing record sales and being mocked. Either that, or great selfishness.
The average person might suffer worse consequences for snitching. Someone might try to take revenge. They might lose their friends. It's not an easy thing for them either.
Heroism and bravery isn't making a rap album talking about how great you are. Heroism and bravery is not making a lot of money, or being adored by millions. Doing what is right, no matter what the consequences, makes someone a hero. It is within the realm of the brave.
I'm not a fan of Curtis Jackson, A.K.A. 50 Cent. I don't care for his music. But he did supposedly cooperate with a police investigation, despite the fact that as a result he's had derogatory songs written about him. Maybe he lost record sales as a result. I don't know too much about him in other areas, so I can't comment on anything else, but his action in this instance was a form of bravery.
When I was pregnant with dd, there was a drive-by shooting outside my mother-in-law's house, where I was staying at the time. The first thing that I remember happening was there was a rattling on our door, as if someone was trying to get in the house (it was locked, fortunately). Then we heard some commotion and the gunshots. We didn't look out the windows to see what was going on, that would have been foolish on our parts. So we didn't really have anything to say to the police other than what I just wrote here. But we did say what we knew. And there were people there who saw what happened. I hope that they talked.
Snitches don't talk either because they have a mixed up sense of right and wrong, or they are cowards. In a subculture where snitching is seen as a form of selling out and is strongly frowned against by friends and neighbors, those that do talk show true bravery.
I can see why some people might be distrustful of police. I for one, don't really believe in giving any stranger my blind allegiance just because of their job. There are corrupt cops out there, just like there are unjust judges that make egregious decisions. My husband grew up in the inner city area of Los Angeles, and even though he's never gotten into trouble outside of a few traffic/parking infractions, he certainly does not have an affinity for them.
You have a segment of society that is afraid to speak out if they witness a crime. People like rapper Cam'ron say that they wouldn't even tell the police if they knew that a serial killer was living next door. ??? I think that he later said it was a joke or something, but some joke. This is not a society that I want to live in, where anybody can get away with murder and the only type of justice is vigilante justice.
Busta Rhymes witnessed the murder of Israel Ramirez, but has refused to cooperate with police to bring justice to the killer. And of course Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur were both murdered where there should have been plenty of people that could have testified. Somebody knows what happened in all three of these killings.
Someone like Cam'ron, if they "snitched", could lose their street credibility, lose some record sales, and perhaps have people call them all sorts of mean names or even write nasty songs about them. These sorts of consequences aren't exactly trivial to them, but to me it speaks of a great cowardice to not do the right thing in order to avoid losing record sales and being mocked. Either that, or great selfishness.
The average person might suffer worse consequences for snitching. Someone might try to take revenge. They might lose their friends. It's not an easy thing for them either.
Heroism and bravery isn't making a rap album talking about how great you are. Heroism and bravery is not making a lot of money, or being adored by millions. Doing what is right, no matter what the consequences, makes someone a hero. It is within the realm of the brave.
I'm not a fan of Curtis Jackson, A.K.A. 50 Cent. I don't care for his music. But he did supposedly cooperate with a police investigation, despite the fact that as a result he's had derogatory songs written about him. Maybe he lost record sales as a result. I don't know too much about him in other areas, so I can't comment on anything else, but his action in this instance was a form of bravery.
When I was pregnant with dd, there was a drive-by shooting outside my mother-in-law's house, where I was staying at the time. The first thing that I remember happening was there was a rattling on our door, as if someone was trying to get in the house (it was locked, fortunately). Then we heard some commotion and the gunshots. We didn't look out the windows to see what was going on, that would have been foolish on our parts. So we didn't really have anything to say to the police other than what I just wrote here. But we did say what we knew. And there were people there who saw what happened. I hope that they talked.
Snitches don't talk either because they have a mixed up sense of right and wrong, or they are cowards. In a subculture where snitching is seen as a form of selling out and is strongly frowned against by friends and neighbors, those that do talk show true bravery.
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