This is one of the best articles I've read in a long time, and I applaud this man for his bravery in speaking out, as I am sure that by now he has been inundated with hate mail. What a good...and true...read.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/15/presumption-of-innocence-is-worth-defending/
Friday, March 19, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
I Find this Fascinating...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,589427,00.html?test=latestnews
I've often wondered if bacterial colonies could come into play in investigatory science. Apparently, it just might.
I've often wondered if bacterial colonies could come into play in investigatory science. Apparently, it just might.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Why do we consistently fail victims of crime in the US?
We, as a local community and as a nation, have failed.
Chelsea King is dead. Amber Dubois is dead. Are there others dead too by the same predator's hand, perhaps a "bad kid" whose disappearance was overlooked and scoffed at by media and law enforcement? Other children all over the US are dead, or have gone missing; don't even get me started on the system failing Jaycee Duggard.
We need to change the legislation regarding sex offenders and their sentencing. We need to revamp the classification system too...I'm sorry, a guy who whizzes on a dumpster at 2am is perhaps gross and crass, but is not, in most cases, a sex offender. An 18 year old that has consensual sex with his 17 year old girlfriend is not a sex offender; I think that statutory rape should be done away with and that parents need to realize that sometimes, their kids make dumb choices. It's not fair to send a boy away or ruin his life, labeling him a sex offender just because a parent doesn't want to face the fact that their daughter CHOSE to have sex.
Date rapists, child molesters, rapists, creepshows that like to publicly masturbate repeatedly (trust me, you are a victim if a guy leaps out and whacks it, and ejaculates on you)...these people should be labeled as sex offenders. We, as a judicious society should damn well listen when a psychiatrist says "this person should not be let out...he is a danger to underage girls".
I think that, following the exhaustion of all appeals, since we have been known to incarcerate and even execute the innocent, that real predators need to be locked up long term. The recidivism for sex offenders (and other violent criminals) is high, though I'm not sure the statistical percentage. We have a three strike law for people busted with pot too many times, yet violent animals like this walk free.
Discuss, share your ideas.
Chelsea King is dead. Amber Dubois is dead. Are there others dead too by the same predator's hand, perhaps a "bad kid" whose disappearance was overlooked and scoffed at by media and law enforcement? Other children all over the US are dead, or have gone missing; don't even get me started on the system failing Jaycee Duggard.
We need to change the legislation regarding sex offenders and their sentencing. We need to revamp the classification system too...I'm sorry, a guy who whizzes on a dumpster at 2am is perhaps gross and crass, but is not, in most cases, a sex offender. An 18 year old that has consensual sex with his 17 year old girlfriend is not a sex offender; I think that statutory rape should be done away with and that parents need to realize that sometimes, their kids make dumb choices. It's not fair to send a boy away or ruin his life, labeling him a sex offender just because a parent doesn't want to face the fact that their daughter CHOSE to have sex.
Date rapists, child molesters, rapists, creepshows that like to publicly masturbate repeatedly (trust me, you are a victim if a guy leaps out and whacks it, and ejaculates on you)...these people should be labeled as sex offenders. We, as a judicious society should damn well listen when a psychiatrist says "this person should not be let out...he is a danger to underage girls".
I think that, following the exhaustion of all appeals, since we have been known to incarcerate and even execute the innocent, that real predators need to be locked up long term. The recidivism for sex offenders (and other violent criminals) is high, though I'm not sure the statistical percentage. We have a three strike law for people busted with pot too many times, yet violent animals like this walk free.
Discuss, share your ideas.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
For once, I applaud the media
An almost honest media report...
This is one of the closest things to honesty I've ever seen in a media report. It also begs one hell of a question...why don't we care about ALL missing kids? Is a parent's pain any greater when their straight A student goes missing? Is the mother of the promiscuous girl with bad grades any less devestated when her daughter's body is found brutalized and discarded?
Black, white, asian, latino...rich or impoverished...well groomed or grungy. Does it matter? These parents in anguish are ALL humans in the worst kind of emotional pain. These kids, regardless of their greatness or their poor choices, are still fragile, vulnerable and are being victimized in droves by a barrage of sources.
If you don't believe what I am saying, look up the early news reports on Jessica Lunsford's disappearance. Her father was a very blue-collar kind of biker guy that lived in a mobile home, and the media was SO quick to speculate that he had some involvement, largely based on his appearance, his income level, and his hobbies. It truly sickened me to see this; Mr. Lunsford was what a lot of Americans would consider an "average Joe", just a guy making it day to day as best he could. But...he wasn't pretty enough for the media's liking, and so he endured some (what I can only assume were) pretty painful media reports before his little girl's body was found. If I recall, Mark Lunsford's father was also accused as well; I distinctly remember certain media loudmouths saying that Mr. Lunsford was at fault because he was out at a bar...seriously? He left his daughter with her grandfather for fuck's sake. I've left my kids with a babysitter and gone out for a drink with friends too. Was Mark Lunsford a sterling, unreproachable human being? Probably not. That doesn't change the fact that a monster snatched this little girl right from her bedroom, held her captive for days, raped and savged her and then buried her alive, wrapped in trashbags. Perhaps if people hadn't been so busy judging the parents and grandparents, she may have been found while she was still alive.
And don't get me wrong, I understand *investigating* and *looking into* the relatives; it sadly needs to be done. However, the search for a child shouldn't be placed on hold while the relatives are being investigated.
It shouldn't be this way. It isn't right, and it sure as hell isn't fair, which is a value that Americans claim to value.
This is one of the closest things to honesty I've ever seen in a media report. It also begs one hell of a question...why don't we care about ALL missing kids? Is a parent's pain any greater when their straight A student goes missing? Is the mother of the promiscuous girl with bad grades any less devestated when her daughter's body is found brutalized and discarded?
Black, white, asian, latino...rich or impoverished...well groomed or grungy. Does it matter? These parents in anguish are ALL humans in the worst kind of emotional pain. These kids, regardless of their greatness or their poor choices, are still fragile, vulnerable and are being victimized in droves by a barrage of sources.
If you don't believe what I am saying, look up the early news reports on Jessica Lunsford's disappearance. Her father was a very blue-collar kind of biker guy that lived in a mobile home, and the media was SO quick to speculate that he had some involvement, largely based on his appearance, his income level, and his hobbies. It truly sickened me to see this; Mr. Lunsford was what a lot of Americans would consider an "average Joe", just a guy making it day to day as best he could. But...he wasn't pretty enough for the media's liking, and so he endured some (what I can only assume were) pretty painful media reports before his little girl's body was found. If I recall, Mark Lunsford's father was also accused as well; I distinctly remember certain media loudmouths saying that Mr. Lunsford was at fault because he was out at a bar...seriously? He left his daughter with her grandfather for fuck's sake. I've left my kids with a babysitter and gone out for a drink with friends too. Was Mark Lunsford a sterling, unreproachable human being? Probably not. That doesn't change the fact that a monster snatched this little girl right from her bedroom, held her captive for days, raped and savged her and then buried her alive, wrapped in trashbags. Perhaps if people hadn't been so busy judging the parents and grandparents, she may have been found while she was still alive.
And don't get me wrong, I understand *investigating* and *looking into* the relatives; it sadly needs to be done. However, the search for a child shouldn't be placed on hold while the relatives are being investigated.
It shouldn't be this way. It isn't right, and it sure as hell isn't fair, which is a value that Americans claim to value.
Friday, March 5, 2010
An Introduction to your Author...
I, Dear Readers, have what some have described as a "morbid fascination" with crime. Not just with crime, but specifically, the criminal mind. What makes them tick? How can someone who presumably looks like us, talks like us, holds a job, maybe even has a family or is a community/church leader be such a monster?
Many people have scoffed at my interest, my dedication, and my affinity for studying these things. I've been called weird, sick, bizarre, but the bottom line is this, folks...SOMEONE has to take interest. I'm no expert in the field, mind you, but I do have a B.S. in Criminal Justice, with a focus in Law Enforcement and Forensics (rather than in Admin or Probation/Parole), so I feel somewhat confident commenting on statistics, investigations, et cetera.
From a young age, I took interest in what may be odd to others. I cut my teeth on Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, then on to Sherlock Holmes. From there, I moved on up to "true" crime stories, and I think the one that really piqued my fascination was Jack the Ripper. Still, to this day, the case is unsolved. Still, to this day, we see the same kind of callousness towards society's "lesser" citizens when they are victimized, such as prostitutes or drug addicts.
It is to that end that I am creating this blog; a place for me to muse and comment on high profile investigations and the fallout thereof; many of my conversations will be politically topical and possibly heated. I was described by a friend (who happens to be a police officer) yesterday as a strong Libertarian; he actually suggested I start blogging and take my common sense views to the web. My beloved husband has also suggested this for some time; I am told I can write decently, but it is something I have been a bit out of practice on for some time. So here I am, Dear Readers; feel free to join the conversation.
Many people have scoffed at my interest, my dedication, and my affinity for studying these things. I've been called weird, sick, bizarre, but the bottom line is this, folks...SOMEONE has to take interest. I'm no expert in the field, mind you, but I do have a B.S. in Criminal Justice, with a focus in Law Enforcement and Forensics (rather than in Admin or Probation/Parole), so I feel somewhat confident commenting on statistics, investigations, et cetera.
From a young age, I took interest in what may be odd to others. I cut my teeth on Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, then on to Sherlock Holmes. From there, I moved on up to "true" crime stories, and I think the one that really piqued my fascination was Jack the Ripper. Still, to this day, the case is unsolved. Still, to this day, we see the same kind of callousness towards society's "lesser" citizens when they are victimized, such as prostitutes or drug addicts.
It is to that end that I am creating this blog; a place for me to muse and comment on high profile investigations and the fallout thereof; many of my conversations will be politically topical and possibly heated. I was described by a friend (who happens to be a police officer) yesterday as a strong Libertarian; he actually suggested I start blogging and take my common sense views to the web. My beloved husband has also suggested this for some time; I am told I can write decently, but it is something I have been a bit out of practice on for some time. So here I am, Dear Readers; feel free to join the conversation.
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