Thursday, November 09, 2006

Tale of a Texas Sex Offender

Visit Just Rants and Raves, a new blog billing itself as "A Tale of a Texas Sex Offender." He's describing what it's like being on probation for a sex offense in Arlington, Texas - a different point of view, for sure, from the policy wonk and law enforcement perspectives so often bandied about here on Grits. Give it a look. Here's a sample from his post on Halloween:
Most sex offenders are just everyday American males like myself, just guys who got caught up in a bad situation and took the cheapest way out. This is the point where the state tells me I am wrong and I should have no opinion, this is where I speak up and say I am sorry, I am sorry I talked and agreed to meet a female who was underage seven years ago. I know it was wrong and very poor judgment, that point has been made very clear. The problem I have with all this is; where does it end? In reality there was no victim, just me and a 35 year old cop, so what damage did I really do to the community? Did I hurt anyone? The system likes to play on victim rights, so if that’s the case what about my family and friends who did nothing wrong but are victimized daily by this also? My probation officer in some of her many witty statements have told me I should chase women. When I replied to her that I would like to find someone, it’s just not in my best interest. I am not cruel, why would I want to find someone I care about and drag them through the system along with myself? To that reply she just kind of looks at me with a blank stare because apparently this answer wasn’t in the operating procedure for probation officers she reads daily.

6 comments:

Deb said...

So, there's a law that says you can't meet an underage person over the internet? Meeting someone underage is equivalent to statutory rape? A sex offense has been committed when 2 parties meet? Fine line to entrapment, no?

I realize we have similar laws to prevent homocides: as in you can get nailed for attempted murder by actively developing a plot to kill someone...but this seems different. You have to be looking into someone's head to apply the law (this is why I'm skeptical labeling already-criminal laws as hate crimes).

I just wonder how long, in this MCA/Patriot Act enviro, it will be before I arrange by internet to meet who I thought was a fellow activist at a coffee shop to make plans for a non-violent direct action against a military recruitment office (which seems like they are maneuvering to make that against the law), but instead be kidnapped by my government and put in a detention center for years on end, where torture is now legal, and forced to defend myself in an executive-based tribunal against being labeled an enemy combatent and having my citizenship revoked?

more on that:
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/spyfiles/

Robbie said...

Dear Deb --- ever consider that they are "maneuvering to make that against the law" (uh...gotta link to that accusation, there Deb?) in terms of "non-violent direct action" against military recruitment offices because they so often do turn either violent or criminal (vandalism)?

Party of Peace? My ass.

Regards --- a US Army veteran and the brother of a Recruiting Station Commander in the US Army (who just called this morning to tell me that overnight, his govn't car parked outside his office in Houston was spray painted with peace symbols and "America Has Voted" across the hood).

Make no doubt about it, Deb...the military hates you as much as you hate them.

Deb said...

Uh, I don't hate the military. That's a hell-of-a jump in logic. I'm scared of my government turning the exercise of the first amendment into a crime. Proof? Alien and Sedition Act...Espionage Act. History is proof.

And speaking of accusations, wanna you show me some data on how non-violent direct actions "so often turn violent or criminal"? One incident does not a movement make.

And your ass is a Party of Peace? Cool!

Anonymous said...

Most sex offenders have families, friends, relatives, and children. Some are required to register for much lesser crimes of flashing, prostitution, incest, and a host of other offences.

Contrary to the media’s torch, grouping all registered sex offenders as dangerous. Even the DOJ in a report states American politicians have lied.
This you can find on the Department Of Justice website,
November 2003, NCJ 198281. http://www.ojp.gov/bjs/pub/ascii/rsorp94.txt
Only 3.5% of new sex offences are committed by offender on the sex offender's registry. The remaining 96.5% are committed by unregistered citizens.
See how 3 year old children have been placed on the registry and how citizens are held indefinitely after teir sentence has been served.
See it now on You Tube at
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=evil9999999999999999

Anonymous said...

You might find this interesting...
http://strangefutures.livejournal.com
Another convicted sex offender blog.

Anonymous said...

Sex offenders...let me restate that...Sex offenders with minors...should have their testicles removed from their body...a child molester is a child molester is is a sickness that an adult would want to hurt and ruin the innocence of a child..it ruins their life from that point on in most cases..they are defenseless! These people should suffer for the rest of their life, and more than likely something within the family upbringing has something to do with it...and if they stand by this person than they reap the consequences...for the rest of their life!!! DO you think that childs innocence is given back to them after the act? Then why should this offenders life go back to normal after their sentence...they arent punished enough if you ask me!