Examine Who is Behind Sex Offender Registry Laws

START EACH DAY WITH A POSITIVE OUTLOOK

1. Open a new file in your computer.
2. Name it 'Barack Obama'.
3. Send it to theRecycle Bin.
4. Empty the Recycle Bin.
5. Your PC will ask you:

'Do you really want to get rid of 'Barack Obama?'
6. Firmly Click 'Yes.'

Feel better?

GOOD!

Tomorrow we'll do Nancy Pelosi!

I know the next part is long, but please read completely. This issue ruins and recklessly endangers tens of thousands of family and and childrens lives each day, and cost tax payers billions nationwide!

On Monday, July 26, 2010 at 7:25 am, Fox News aired an interview (or debate) between Mr. Kelly Piercy, and the father of Jessica Lunsford, Mark Lunsford. You may recall that Jessica was a nine-year-old girl who was abducted from her home in Homosassa, Florida in the early morning of February 24, 2005. Believed held captive over the weekend, she was raped and later murdered by 47-year-old John Couey who was living nearby. The media covered the investigation and trial of her killer extensively. On August 24, 2007 a judge in Inverness, Florida sentenced Couey, a convicted sex offender, to death for kidnapping, raping, and murdering Jessica. This lead to the now famous Jessica’s Laws regarding released sex offenders.

If you missed the interview, you can find it here: http://video.foxnews.com/#/v/4293600/georgia-eases-sex-offender-restrictions/?playlist_id=87937 it was titled “Georgia Eases Sex Offender Restrictions, critics concerned that state is relaxing sex offender laws”

Now I personally love Fox News, and generally find them to be truly fair and balanced, at least compared to other network news and CNN. However in this case they missed the boat. They failed to point out how the GA politicians chose to stand as strong as possible and as strict as the COURTS WOULD ALLOW them on maintaining and restricting those on the registry. See, we have this little thing called The Constitution that keeps getting in the way, Just Damn! They were forced to accept the lesser of two evils lest GA wind up like Ohio with virtually no registry! THIS TOOK GUTS ON THE POLITICIANS PART. Remember, as many, if not most of you know by now, the Sex Offender Registry and residency / work place restrictions have been proven over and over again to not only have absolutely no effect on the recidivism rate of sex offenders, but actually place our families and children at a far greater risk! But because the hysterical and misinformed public has been worked in to frenzy by the sensationalist media and office seeking politicians, through lies and misinformation, many constituents demand such laws. Unfortunately, this has lead to many people believing that all those on the sex offender registry are child molesters and sexually violent predators, when actually; the truly dangerous predators now only make up less than 5% of those on the registry. We have actually forced and tried to help law enforcement find the needle in a hay stack by increasing the size of the hay stack. We now essentially throw away hundreds of millions of dollars with no return, no effect, actually making matters worse! Typical government, Just Damn!

Mr. Piercy did an amazing job considering the format. Fox of course disclosed Kelly's crime for possession of pornography, conviction etc. I was curious why they failed to point out Mr. Lunsford's history with porn, since on the morning of his daughter's abduction, perhaps while she was being abducted, police found in the delete bin of his computer that he had been viewing pornography. He had not deleted a number of bookmarks however. Since he had not down loaded or saved any, and perhaps because of the drama he was experiencing at the time regarding his daughter, his attorneys were rightfully able to get any charges dropped for Mr. Lunsford. Kudos to Mr. Piercy for NOT pointing this out and taking the high road!

Next, Mr. Lunsford suggested that no one should be removed from the registry because their crime may have been pleaded down to a lower level. Again curious since almost two years after Mark Lunsford's nationwide campaign to significantly increase the sentences and release conditions for sex offenses, Jessica Lunsford's older brother, Joshua Lunsford, was charged in Clark County District Court with "unlawful sexual conduct with a minor”. The incident involves a 14-year-old girl outside of the Upper Valley Mall in Springfield, Ohio. Joshua Lunsford was 18 at the time. Joshua wore a shirt emblazoned with a photograph of his slain sister to court on the day that he originally pled "not guilty", which has become a source of significant criticism against the Lunsford’s. In July 2007, Joshua Lunsford accepted a plea bargain in which the original charge of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a felony offense subject to sex offender registration, was dropped to a misdemeanor charge of unlawful sexual conduct. He was ordered to undergo "sex offender assessment," but the law under which the plea was made does not call for mandatory sex offender registration. Again, Mr. Piercy took the high road and did not ask why Mr. Lunsford’s son was not required to register.

Mr. Lunsford also suggests that rehabilitation for sex offenders was not possible. And I quote:”Once you’re convicted, you’re never going to be reformed. Never in the history of mankind has anyone been reformed” This is of course patently false. Huge volumes of research and studies bear this out. In fact, even the Department of Justice was forced to reveal that in there study to prove high recidivism amongst sex offenders, the facts proved sex offenders had the lowest recidivism rate, less than 13% over three years, among all convicted felons except murderers. Drug dealers, gang bangers, armed robbers, home burglars, etc. all over were over 40%. And considering the length of sentences murders get, that is impressive. Research, facts and logic be damned, why should he do any research and educate himself when emotions can rule the day. Again Mr. Piercy took the high road and did not ask Mr. Lunsford if this meant that he was still looking at porn on his computer or if his son was still having sexual relations with 14 yr. olds.

My point is this, just like the politicians who are pandering to the hysterical and misinformed public to pass unconstitutional and immoral laws to get elected, there are those who seek to profit and gain media attention through emotions rather than logic, facts and reason. Mr. Lunsford and Mr. Walsh have both profited greatly, and gained notoriety through the exploitation of their daughters tragic misfortunes and deaths. They have done it on the backs of thousands who have paid their debt, and the hundreds of thousands family members, children and friends of those on the registry. They have done this with complete disregard of the facts, unimpeachable research and studies, logic or reason. They have completely ignored the fact that it has been proven these laws actually create a greater risk to everyone else's children. I personally find this disgusting and disturbing, especially since people such as Mr. Piercy continue to take the high road in spite of the personal attacks and injustices played upon them. Who is the real villain here?

While the desire and goal to save even one child from harm is most laudable, to do so by recklessly endangering the safety and lives of thousands of children, families, friends, fellow neighbors and co-workers does not seem a viable, or reasonable solution...at least not to me. Just Damn!

In full disclosure, I know Mr. Kelly Piercy personally. He is a former Marine, severely injured and eventually blinded by a bomb during the Vietnam War. He is a gentleman of unimpeachable character. He is the Chairman of Georgians 4 Reform, and works tirelessly to seek severe punishment against those Sex Offenders who deserve it and who truly present a risk, while seeking justice and the opportunity to re-assimilate into society those who have paid their dues and do not pose a risk. VDog

"Those who are willing to sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither freedom nor security, and will loose both." Benjamin Franklin.

“The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. 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. ” From “Mein Kampf” by Adolf Hitler