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News & Noteworthy © ---
Featured Issue 5-28-07 |
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When Will Registered Sex Offenders Stop the Governmental Assault on Their Homes?
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5-27-2007 National:
States may require sex offenders to give e-mail |
.Connecticut and at least a dozen other states are considering whether to require convicted sex offenders to register their e-mail addresses as part of efforts to combat online sexual predators. Three states — Virginia, Arizona and Kentucky — already require sex offenders to provide law enforcement with their e-mail addresses, as well as their home addresses.
The bills have support from the popular social networking site MySpace.com, which has been under increasing pressure to ferret out convicted child molesters and stop them from creating online profiles. Connecticut's proposal would require sex offenders to register any e-mail addresses, instant message addresses or other Internet identifiers with the state police.
Those who don't report the information would face up to five years in prison. It also makes it a felony for any person to misrepresent his or her age on the Internet to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. [[[snip]]] "Megan's Law is based on keeping track of where sex offenders reside. So it makes sense to track their location in cyberspace," said Connecticut House Speaker James Amann. "The Internet represents a new frontier of sex predators." [[[[SNIP]]]]
Typical MySpace profiles include photos, music and personal information, including hometowns and education. Users can send messages to one another and browse other profiles. The company said Thursday that it has removed 7,000 registered sex offenders' profiles from its site after hiring a software company to identify them.
..more..
: by Susan Haigh
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.Totalitarianism, the American Way! Has anyone noticed that all laws directed at or affecting RSOs, are really targeting the RSOs' home? The core of his or her life.
Each of the laws are effectively trying to deny RSOs some right, yes right because while they claim RSOs do not have such and such right once they have committed some crime, that claim alone recognizes that the right exists.
Generally when someone gets fed up with their rights being violated in some way they get a group together and go knocking on some lawmakers door to make changes. Well, therein is the problem, lawmakers are the one's denying RSOs the rights which everyone in society has.
So, given that there are no lawmakers who have enough backbone to speak on behalf of RSOs, lest they lose their income or be considered crazy, it is going to be up to RSOs to speak for themselves using something that cannot be changed. Constitutions, state and federal!
The first strike inside the RSOs' home was to prevent them from adopting children. The second strike was to take away children which are within RSOs' homes and remember, this is going strong in may states today. All examples of strikes against procreation, the next family generation of the RSO.
Since the target is the home, that is where RSOs must stop the assault. The latest strike is online identifiers, e-mail addresses, instant message Ids, etc. A strike at speech from within the home.
I love this comment "Megan's Law is based on keeping track of where sex offenders reside. So it makes sense to track their location in cyberspace," notice the misconstruction, from where the RSOs' reside to where RSOs speak in cyberspace, from their homes.
Thats the new direction, speech from within the home, which is not in Megan's laws as we know them. The government is trying to remove any place in cyberspace that would offer RSOs a platform to speak from. MySpace, by its very nature, is a place to socialize with others. So, the government sends the message that, all RSOs are trying to get at children, that is the arm bender to get private entities (MySpace, etc.) to stop RSOs from having a platform to speak from.
Why does MySpace want e-mail addresses? Yes, they have said to keep those folks off of their site. Actually MySpace doesn't really care if RSOs are on their site, if they did they would put that in their Terms of Agreement, its missing! So what is their real aim? Protection from liability, that is the only thing they care about, their public and legal perception! Oh my, sounds like a politician doesn't it?
A recent comScore analysis of social networking sites showed that those 12-17 made up only 11.7% of the total MySpace visitors which is claimed to be 175 million accounts. In my opinion that total is likely exaggerated, but, comScore has identified some percentage of minors who are violating the MySpace terms of Agreement; those aged 12-13 which MySpace doesn't permit. Accordingly, 88.3% of MySpace visitors are adults. Has anyone identified any problem with RSOs contacting adults?
So, while the majority of RSOs are doing nothing but trying to get along day by day, if they do not take a stand, free speech and the platforms to speak from will be gone. The fourth amendment could stop this assault, if RSOs will take a stand?
The next frontier, travel, is already in progress through the Adam Walsh Act. Remember, RSOs must report their residences within 3 days of a move. The term "move" in AWA is not defined, could it be so local police whenever they contact RSO can interpret that anyway they want? Example, if a RSO were to travel to another state and get stopped, would they construe that as a move? What about being on vacation? Many questions yet to be answered but the assault is in progress.
If you are a RSO or a family member of one, read "VI Required Registration Information" of the Proposed Guidelines issued by the SMART Office, if anyone thinks I am wrong. Now, as to anything found in the home, the only right left is the Fourth Amendment. Fail to exercise it, and you will become a detainee. A detainee awaiting a civil commitment hearing because that too is part of the Adam Walsh Act. The time to act is now while the home door is still somewhat closed. AWA is overbroad in every sense of the word.
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